Heart Rate Variability as a Clinical Marker in a Population of Anxio-depressive Patients

Study of Heart Rate Variability as a Clinical Marker in a Population of Anxio-depressive Patients

The heart rate (HR) is regulated by the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and results from a balance between the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) that accelerates the heart rate and the parasympathetic nervous system that slows the HR via the vagus nerve.

Low HRV is linked to poor emotional and cognitive regulation. Values for HRV are generally lower in depressed patients.

The aim of this study is to determine how HRV could be a clinical marker that can be used in routine psychiatry practice in patients with anxio-depressive disorders, to determine the severity of symptoms and the degree of response to treatment.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Patients of the CHU Brugmann Hospital with an anxious or depressive disorder

Exclusion Criteria:

- None