The effects of heart rate variability biofeedback in patients with depression and in healthy controls

Decreased vagal activity and increased sympathetic arousal have been proposed as major contributors to the increased risk of cardiovascular mortality in patients with depression. It was aim of the present study to assess the feasibility of using heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback to treat moderate to severe depression. This was an open-label study in which 14 patients with different degrees of depression (13 f, 1 m) aged 30 years (18 to 47; median; range) and 12 healthy volunteers attended 6 sessions of HRV biofeedback over two weeks. Another 12 healthy subjects were observed under an active control condit…