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CompletedNCT04192669Updated Jul 19, 2022

Heart Rate Variability as a Clinical Marker in a Population of Anxio-depressive Patients

An observational study in Anxio Depressive Disorder, sponsored by Tatiana Besse-Hammer. Completed at 1 site in Belgium. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-07-19.

Sponsored by Tatiana Besse-Hammer · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
44
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The heart rate (HR) is regulated by the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and results from a balance between the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) that accelerates the heart rate and the parasympathetic nervous system that slows the HR via the vagus nerve.

Low HRV is linked to poor emotional and cognitive regulation. Values for HRV are generally lower in depressed patients.

The aim of this study is to determine how HRV could be a clinical marker that can be used in routine psychiatry practice in patients with anxio-depressive disorders, to determine the severity of symptoms and the degree of response to treatment.

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Conditions studied

  • Anxio Depressive Disorder
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In context

Lead sponsor

Tatiana Besse-Hammer is the lead sponsor of 6 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Patients of the Psychiatry Department of the CHU Brugmann Hospital with an anxious or depressive disorder.

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients of the CHU Brugmann Hospital with an anxious or depressive disorder

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • None
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Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
44 participants (actual)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • Anxio-depressive patients

    Patients with a depressive or anxious disorder going to the Psychiatry Department of the CHU Brugmann Hospital.

    Device: Heart rate monitoring

Interventions

  • DeviceHeart rate monitoring

    The heart rate will be recorded and calculated by a heart rate monitor (Polar H10, Finland) located on the chest. The recording is done over a period of 5 minutes, the patient being in a sitting position, without any particular stimulus, in a quiet room. The recording is transferred via the HRV Logger application. Any ectopic beats and artifacts are automatically identified and replaced by values interpolated by the investigator, if necessary. The Kubios HRV Premium Software is used for all calculations.

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Beck depression inventory (BDI)

    Multiple choice (4 choices) questionnaire with 21 items. The end score can vary between 0 and 63. Score interpretation: 1-10: These ups and downs are considered normal. 11-16 Mild mood disturbance. 17-20 Borderline clinical depression. 21-30 Moderate depression. 31-40 : Severe depression. Over 40 :Extreme depression.

    Time frame: Baseline (day of inclusion of the patient in the study).

  2. Beck depression inventory (BDI)

    Multiple choice (4 choices) questionnaire with 21 items. The end score can vary between 0 and 63. Score interpretation: 1-10: These ups and downs are considered normal. 11-16 Mild mood disturbance. 17-20 Borderline clinical depression. 21-30 Moderate depression. 31-40 : Severe depression. Over 40 :Extreme depression.

    Time frame: Measured only once at one visit taking place minimum 3 months and maximum 6 months after baseline

  3. State trait Anxiety inventory (STAI)

    The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) is a psychological inventory based on a 4-point Likert scale and consists of 40 questions on a self-report basis. Scores range from 20 to 80, with higher scores correlating with greater anxiety.

    Time frame: Baseline (day of inclusion of the patient in the study).

  4. State trait Anxiety inventory (STAI)

    The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) is a psychological inventory based on a 4-point Likert scale and consists of 40 questions on a self-report basis. Scores range from 20 to 80, with higher scores correlating with greater anxiety.

    Time frame: Measured only once at one visit taking place minimum 3 months and maximum 6 months after baseline

  5. Maslach Burnout inventory (MBI)

    The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) is an introspective psychological inventory consisting of 22 items pertaining to occupational burnout. All MBI items are scored using a 7 level frequency scale from "never" to "daily." Initial development had 3 components: emotional exhaustion (9 items), depersonalization (5 items) and personal achievement (8 items). Each scale measures its own unique dimension of burnout. Scales should not be combined to form a single burnout scale.

    Time frame: Baseline (day of inclusion of the patient in the study).

  6. Maslach Burnout inventory (MBI)

    The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) is an introspective psychological inventory consisting of 22 items pertaining to occupational burnout. All MBI items are scored using a 7 level frequency scale from "never" to "daily." Initial development had 3 components: emotional exhaustion (9 items), depersonalization (5 items) and personal achievement (8 items). Each scale measures its own unique dimension of burnout. Scales should not be combined to form a single burnout scale.

    Time frame: Measured only once at one visit taking place minimum 3 months and maximum 6 months after baseline

  7. Root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD)

    The Root Mean Square of the Successive Differences (RMSSD) is one of a few time-domain tools used to assess heart rate variability, the successive differences being neighboring RR intervals. It reflects the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system.

    Time frame: Baseline (day of inclusion of the patient in the study).

  8. Root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD)

    The Root Mean Square of the Successive Differences (RMSSD) is one of a few time-domain tools used to assess heart rate variability, the successive differences being neighboring RR intervals. It reflects the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system.

    Time frame: Measured only once at one visit taking place minimum 3 months and maximum 6 months after baseline

  9. High frequency percentage in the spectral analysis of the heart RR interval

    Spectral analysis of the RR interval is an indirect, noninvasive measurement tool of heart rate variability. High-frequency RR signals (0.15 to 0.4 Hz) reflect a parasympathetic activity and thus an influence of the vagal nerve on the heart. A high frequency heart variability is associated with a better perception of emotions and with pro-social behaviors.

    Time frame: Baseline (day of inclusion of the patient in the study).

  10. High frequency percentage in the spectral analysis of the heart RR interval

    Spectral analysis of the RR interval is an indirect, noninvasive measurement tool of heart rate variability. High-frequency RR signals (0.15 to 0.4 Hz) reflect a parasympathetic activity and thus an influence of the vagal nerve on the heart. A high frequency heart variability is associated with a better perception of emotions and with pro-social behaviors.

    Time frame: Measured only once at one visit taking place minimum 3 months and maximum 6 months after baseline

Secondary outcomes

  1. Toronto Alexithymia scale (TAS 20)

    The TAS is a 20-item instrument that is one of the most commonly used measures of alexithymia. Alexithymia refers to people who have trouble identifying and describing emotions and who tend to minimise emotional experience and focus attention externally. The TAS-20 uses cutoff scoring: equal to or less than 51 = non-alexithymia, equal to or greater than 61 = alexithymia. Scores of 52 to 60 = possible alexithymia.

    Time frame: Baseline (day of inclusion of the patient in the study).

  2. Toronto Alexithymia scale (TAS 20)

    The TAS is a 20-item instrument that is one of the most commonly used measures of alexithymia. Alexithymia refers to people who have trouble identifying and describing emotions and who tend to minimise emotional experience and focus attention externally. The TAS-20 uses cutoff scoring: equal to or less than 51 = non-alexithymia, equal to or greater than 61 = alexithymia. Scores of 52 to 60 = possible alexithymia.

    Time frame: Measured only once at one visit taking place minimum 3 months and maximum 6 months after baseline

  3. Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-18)

    The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale is a self-report measure that evaluates individuals' levels of difficulties in regulating emotions.Higher scores indicate more difficulty in emotion regulation.

    Time frame: Baseline (day of inclusion of the patient in the study).

  4. Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-18)

    The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale is a self-report measure that evaluates individuals' levels of difficulties in regulating emotions.Higher scores indicate more difficulty in emotion regulation.

    Time frame: Measured only once at one visit taking place minimum 3 months and maximum 6 months after baseline

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Study locations

1 site
  • CHU Brugmann
    Bruxelles, Belgium
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jul 19, 2022, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04192669
Lead sponsor
Tatiana Besse-Hammer
Responsible party
Tatiana Besse-Hammer (Head of clinical research unit, Brugmann University Hospital) — Sponsor-investigator
First posted
Dec 10, 2019
Start date
Nov 11, 2019
Primary completion
Jul 13, 2021
Completion
Jul 13, 2021
Last update
Jul 19, 2022

Study contacts

Pierre Cole, MD
principal investigator · CHU Brugmann

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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