Heart rate variability: A biomarker of selective response to mindfulness-based treatment versus fluoxetine in generalized anxiety disorder.

Background: Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are effective for some, but not all patients with anxiety disorders, but no clinical features have been consistently able to differentiate which patients are more likely to respond. In this study, we tested heart rate variability (HRV), a proposed correlate of regulated emotional response, as a moderator of treatment response to an MBI compared with pharmacotherapy.

Methods: Seventy-seven patients with GAD had HRV data collected before randomization to pharmacological treatment with fluoxetine or Body-in-Mind Training (an MBI focused on bodily movement attention).

Heart rate variability as a predictor of improvement in emotional interference in Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Background: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is one of the most prevalent anxiety disorders but the least successfully treated. The search for accessible clinical, psychological and biological markers is crucial for developing more effective and personalized interventions.

Aims: To evaluate if changes in heart rate variability (HRV) between rest and stress conditions before interventions could predict improvement in emotional interference (EI) in a cognitive task after three different treatment modalities in patients with GAD.