Relationship between autonomic nervous function and brain functions such as memory and attention

Abstract

Abstract The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between autonomic nervous function and brain functions, such as memory and attention, during the kana picking test (KPT). Eleven female college students (21 years old) participated in the study. Each participant performed the KPT 10 times while their autonomic nervous function was analyzed using heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. Autonomic function was assessed at four time intervals with participants' eyes open. In the KPT, participants were asked to circle Japanese vowels in a 400-character story written in Hiragana, and attention was evaluated using the "kana picking score" (KPS). In the memory test, comprehension and memory were evaluated based on 10 descriptive questions about the content of the story. The results showed that the higher the KPS, the higher the memory scores (r = 0.309, p < 0.01). The log low-frequency component power (LF), log high-frequency component power (HF), log (LF + HF), and log LF/HF scores significantly decreased during the interval B. Log LF, log HF, and log (LF + HF) recovered during the interval C, and log LF/HF recovered during the interval D. The KPS had a positive correlation with log LF and log (LF + HF) at intervals A, C, and D. Additionally, the KPS was positively correlated with log HF at all intervals. However, at interval B, the KPS was negatively correlated with log LF/HF. Memory scores showed a positive correlation with log LF, log HF and log (LF + HF) at all intervals and a negative correlation with log LF/HF at all intervals. Furthermore, memory scores were negatively correlated with the amounts of changes of Δlog LF, Δlog HF and Δlog (LF + HF) between intervals B and C. These results indicate that autonomic nervous function is related to learning situations, such as attention, comprehension, memory, and memory recall. Therefore, the assessment of autonomic nervous function could be useful for evaluating learning and work efficiency.