Heart rate variability wrist-wearable biomarkers identify adverse posttraumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae after traumatic stress exposure
Author Department
Emergency Medicine
Document Type
Article, Peer-reviewed
Publication Date
11-2024
Abstract
Adverse posttraumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae (APNS) are common after traumatic events. We examined whether wrist-wearable devices could provide heart rate variability (HRV) biomarkers for recovery after traumatic stress exposure in a large socioeconomically disadvantaged cohort. Participants were enrolled in the emergency department within 72 hours after a traumatic event as part of the AURORA (Advancing Understanding of RecOvery afteR traumA) multicenter prospective observational cohort study and followed over 6 months. HRV biomarkers were derived and validated for associations with specific APNS symptoms at a point in time and changes in symptom severity over time. Sixty-four HRV characteristics were derived and validated as cross-sectional biomarkers of APNS symptoms, including pain (26), re-experiencing (8), somatic (7), avoidance (7), concentration difficulty (6), hyperarousal (5), nightmares (1), anxiety (1), and sleep disturbance (3). Changes in 22 HRV characteristics were derived and validated as biomarkers identifying changes in APNS symptoms, including reexperiencing (11), somatic (3), avoidance (2), concentration difficulty (1), hyperarousal (1), and sleep disturbance (4). Changes in HRV variables over time predicted symptom improvement (PPV 0.68-0.87) and symptom worsening (NPV 0.71-0.90). HRV biomarkers collected from wrist-wearable devices may have utility as screening tools for APNS symptoms that occur after traumatic stress exposure in high-risk populations.
Keywords: Pain; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Stress-response system; Wrist-wearable device.
Recommended Citation
Guichard L, An X, Neylan TC, Clifford GD, Li Q, Ji Y, Macchio L, Baker J, Beaudoin FL, Jovanovic T, Linnstaedt SD, Germine LT, Bollen KA, Rauch SL, Haran JP, Storrow AB, Lewandowski C, Musey PI Jr, Hendry PL, Sheikh S, Jones CW, Punches BE, Swor RA, Gentile NT, Pascual JL, Seamon MJ, Datner EM, Pearson C, Peak DA, Merchant RC, Domeier RM, Rathlev NK, O'Neil BJ, Sergot P, Sanchez LD, Bruce SE, Sheridan JF, Harte SE, Ressler KJ, Koenen KC, Kessler RC, McLean SA; AURORA Study Group. Heart rate variability wrist-wearable biomarkers identify adverse posttraumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae after traumatic stress exposure. Psychiatry Res. 2024 Nov 7;342:116260. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.116260. Epub ahead of print.
PMID
39549594