High and low pitch sound stimuli effects on heart-brain coupling

This study aimed to explore the influence of sound stimulation on heart rate and the potential coupling between cardiac and cerebral activities. Thirty-one participants underwent exposure to periods of silence and two distinct continuous, non-repetitive pure tone stimuli: low pitch (110 Hz) and high pitch (880 Hz). Electroencephalography (EEG) data from electrodes F3, F4, F7, F8, Fp1, Fp2, T3, T4, T5, and T6 were recorded, along with R-R interval data for heart rate. Heart-brain connectivity was assessed using wavelet coherence between heart rate variability (HRV) and EEG envelopes (EEGE). Heart rates were significantly lower during high and low-pitch sound periods than in silence ( p