Table 1.
Summary of studies reporting comparisons in HRV between patients with anxiety disorders and controls.
| Study | HRV measures | Participants with anxiety disorder | Healthy control subjects | Sig. diff between groups | Major finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PANIC DISORDER (PD) | |||||
| Alvargenga et al. (36)a | HF, LF | 25 | 20 | + | Lower HF power in PD compared with controls |
| Chang et al. (37)a | HF, LF, TD | 48 | 202 | + | Lower HRV in PD patients compared with controls in all measures |
| Cohen et al. (30)a | HF, LF | 11 | 25 | + | Lower HF power and higher LF power in PD relative to controls |
| Garakani et al. (31)a | HF, LF, TD | 43 | 11 | + | Lower PNN 50% in PD relative to controls. HF and LF power non-significant between groups |
| Ito et al. (38)a | HF, LF | 8 | 13 | − | No differences in HF and LF power between PD and controls |
| Kang et al. (39)a | HF, LF, TD | 45 | 30 | + | Lower HF power and higher LF power in PD relative to controls. All TD measures non-significant |
| Kikuchi et al. (40)a | HF, LF, TD | 17 | 15 | − | No differences between PD and controls on all measures |
| Lavoie et al. (41)a | HF, LF | 20 | 22 | − | LF and HF power non-significant (but lower LF/HF ratio in PD relative to controls) |
| Martinez et al. (42)a | HF, LF, TD | 30 | 10 | + | Higher LF power and LF/HF ratio in PD relative to controls; lower PNN50 in PD |
| McCraty et al. (43)a | HF, LF | 38 | 38 | + | LF/HF ratio and LF power lower in PD relative to controls; higher HF power in PD |
| Melzig et al. (44)a | TD | 9 | 15 | + | Lower RMSSD in PD relative to controls |
| Middleton and Ashby (45)a | TD | 12 | 12 | − | No differences in HF power between groups. Reduced HR standard deviation in PD |
| Pittig et al. (29)a | HF | 39 | 39 | + | Lower HF HRV in PD patients |
| Prasko et al. (46)a | HF, LF | 52 | 104 | + | Lower LF/HF ratio and SDNN in PD relative to controls |
| Slaap et al. (47)a | HF | 24 | 24 | − | No differences on any HRV measure between PD and controls |
| Wang et al. (48)a | HF, LF | 27 | 20 | − | No difference between PD patients and controls |
| Wise et al. (49)a | TD | 30 | 20 | + | Lower R–R variance in PD compared to controls |
| Yeragani et al. (50)a | TD | 21 | 21 | + | Lower HR standard deviation in PD relative to controls |
| Yergani et al. (51)a | HF, LF | 6 | 11 | − | No differences between PD and controls on all measures at baseline |
| Asmundson and Stein (52)b | RSA | 15 | 15 | − | No differences in parasympathetic nervous system function between PD and controls |
| Blelchert et al. (53)b | RSA | 26 | 32 | − | No differences in parasympathetic nervous system function between PD and controls |
| Klein et al. (54)b | HF | 10 | 14 | + | Lower HF power in PD relative to controls |
| Petrowski et al. (55)b | TD | 14 | 14 | − | No differences in TD measures between PD and controls |
| Yergani et al. (56)b | TD | 29 | 23 | − | Lower absolute ULF in PD relative to controls |
| POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) | |||||
| Agorastos et al. (57)a | TD | 7 | 8 | − | Reduced HRV in PTSD patients, but did not reach significance |
| Cohen et al. (58)a | HF, LF | 9 | 9 | + | Lower HF and higher LF power in PTSD relative to controls |
| Hauschildt et al. (59)a | HF, LF, TD | 26 | 18 | + | Lower HF power and RMSSD in PTSD relative to controls. LF power non-significant |
| Keary et al. (60)a | HF, LF | 20 | 20 | − | No differences at baseline between PTSD and controls |
| Lakusic et al. (61)a | HF, LF, TD | 34 | 34 | + | Lower HF power and RMSSD in PTSD relative to controls; higher LF power in PTSD |
| Norte et al. (62)a | TD | 19 | 16 | + | Lower HRV in PTSD patients |
| Shah et al. (63)a | HF, LF | 31 | 385 | + | Lower HF and LF HRV in PTSD patients |
| Tucker et al. (64)a | HF, LF | 13 | 32 | + | Higher LF power and LF/HF ratio in PTSD relative to controls |
| Wahbeh and Oken (65)a | HF, LF | 52 | 29 | + | Reduced HF and LF in PTSD patients relative to controls |
| Blechert et al. (53)b | RSA | 23 | 32 | + | Lower parasympathetic nervous system function in PTSD relative to controls |
| Cohen et al. (30)b | HF, LF, TD | 14 | 25 | + | Lower HF and higher LF power in PTSD relative to controls |
| Cohen et al. (66)b | HF, LF | 16 | 16 | + | Lower HF and higher LF power in PTSD relative to controls |
| Shaikh Al Arab et al. (67)b | TD | 7 | 11 | + | Lower RMSSD in PTSD relative to controls |
| GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER (GAD) | |||||
| Hammel et al. (68)a | HF, LF, TD | 16 | 19 | − | No differences in any HRV measure between GAD patients and controls |
| Lyonfields et al. (24)a | TD | 15 | 15 | + | Lower mean successive differences in GAD relative to controls |
| Pittig et al. (29)a | HF | 26 | 39 | − | Borderline lower HF HRV in GAD patients (p = 0.06) |
| Thayer et al. (25)a | HF, LF, TD | 34 | 32 | + | Lower HF power in GAD compared to control |
| Kollai and Kollai (69)b | RSA | 19 | 18 | + | Lower RSA in GAD compared to control |
| OBSESSIVE–COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD) | |||||
| Pittig et al. (29)a | HF | 17 | 39 | + | Lower HF HRV in OCD patients |
| Slaap et al. (47)a | HF, LF | 26 | 24 | − | No differences between OCD and controls |
| SPECIFIC PHOBIA | |||||
| Bornas et al. (70)a | HF, LF, TD | 61 | 58 | + | Difference in TD HRV between flight phobics and controls, but not HF and LF HRV |
| SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER | |||||
| Alvares et al. (71)a | HF, LF, TD | 53 | 53 | + | Significant reductions in HF HRV and RMSSD for social phobics relative to controls |
| Gaebler et al. (72)a | HF | 21 | 21 | + | Lower HF HRV in social phobics |
| Pittig et al. (29)a | HF | 29 | 39 | + | Lower HF HRV in social phobics |
| Asmundson and Stein (52)b | RSA | 15 | 15 | − | No differences in parasympathetic activity between social phobics and controls |
| MIXED ANXIETY DISORDER | |||||
| Einvik et al. (73)a | HF, LF, TD | 20 | 231 | − | No differences in HF or LF power, or SDNN between anxiety patients and controls |
| Licht et al. (74)a | TD, RSA | 1159 | 616 | + | Lower SDNN and RSA in anxiety patients relative to controls. Effect disappears when controlling for psychotropic use |
| Martens et al. (75)a | HF, LF, TD | 7 | 59 | + | Lower RMSSD in anxiety patients relative to controls |
TD, time domain; HF, high frequency; LF, low frequency; RSA, respiratory sinus arrhythmia.
aStudy included in meta-analysis.
bStudy excluded from meta-analysis.