| Abstract [eng] |
Interactions between the heart and the brain are reciprocal and partially reflected in the brain activity. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate the associations of brain electrical activity with heart rate regulation and body awareness while trying to better understand the temporal dynamics of the interactions between the human brain and the heart during the heart cycle. The dynamics of brain electrical activity, in relation to heart activity, can be captured with heartbeat evoked potentials (HEP). In literature, HEP amplitudes have found to be associated with various phenomena related to interoception; however, the interpretation of the HEP amplitudes at diastole remains ambiguous. Two psychophysiological studies, accomplished in a sample of 59 volunteers aged 19–31 years, found that HEP amplitudes at diastole were associated with individual qualitative aspects of body awareness as subjectively evaluated by participants’ responses about their tendencies and abilities using the Lithuanian version of the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) questionnaire. Besides, HEP amplitudes at diastole were associated with the parasympathetic heart rate regulation as assessed with heart rate variability and using a new method comparing HEPs between the acceleration and deceleration of the heart rate. These observations allow to better understand the human brain and its interactions with the human body as a whole. |
