Test–retest reliability of heart-rate variability metrics in individuals with aphasia

ABSTRACT

Individuals with aphasia may have impairments in cognition, higher incidences of depression, and a variety of post-stroke functional impairments. However, evaluating these issues is challenging since most assessments require some degree of linguistic processing and task instructions are often verbal. Heart rate variability has shown to be an objective marker for cognitive functioning in neurologically healthy individuals, depression and post-stroke depression, and post-stroke functional impairments. However, before the utility of heart rate variability is established in persons with aphasia, its test–retest reliability needs to be established. The purpose of this study was to assess test–retest reliability of heart rate variability metrics in persons with aphasia. Heart rate variability was recorded at rest while in a sitting position in twenty-one persons with aphasia at two time points. Heart rate variability metrics were mostly moderately reliable. The majority of participants had resting heart rate variability parasympathetic and sympathetic indexes similar to those of neurologically healthy individuals. Further research is needed to establish the test–retest reliability of heart rate variability metrics in different postures and breathing conditions in persons with aphasia.

KEYWORDS:

• Stroke
• Aphasia
• HRV

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Rosalind Hurwitz, MA, CCC-SLP, Laura Kinsey, MS, CCC-SLP, and Emily Braun, MS, CCC-SLP who assisted with data collection.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 However, further work is needed to validate the use of such devices in individuals with aphasia.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported under Grant H133E130019/90RES5013 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Community Living, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). SAA was funded by the Switzer Merit Research Fellowship #90SFGE0014 from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).