Mass General Brigham researchers suggest a new method for interpreting pulse-rate data could help identify older adults who may experience a more rapid decline in cognitive function.
The team measured “heart rate complexity” with the Itamar WatchPAT 300, a fingertip pulse oximetry device worn overnight. Rather than examining traditional heart rate variability, the researchers tracked the unpredictability and adaptability of each heartbeat, which can be an indicator of overall heart health.
“Heart rate complexity is a hallmark of healthy physiology,” said Peng Li, senior author and investigator at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “Our hearts must balance between spontaneity and adaptability, incorporating internal needs and external stressors.”
The study followed 503 participants in the Rush Memory and Aging Project, whose average age was 82 and 76% of whom were women. Each volunteer completed cognitive tests at the start of the study and at least once a year for up to 4.5 years.
Researchers found that participants with more complex heartbeats at baseline maintained their cognitive abilities for a longer period. Conventional measures of heart rate variability did not show this pattern, highlighting the new method’s sensitivity.
“The findings underscore the usefulness of our approach as a noninvasive measure for how flexible the heart is in responding to nervous system cues,” said lead author Chenlu Gao, who works in the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.
The team now plans to test whether pulse-rate complexity can predict who will develop dementia, allowing earlier intervention.
