Objective: This study aimed to investigate the clinical relevance of heart rate variability (HRV), which may indicate underlying autonomic nervous system activity, in patients with newly diagnosed Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Background: Autonomic dysfunction is a common nonmotor feature in PD and has recently been highlighted as a predictor of poor prognosis.
Method: A total of 276 patients with PD who underwent electroencephalogram (EEG) at initial diagnosis were retrospectively enrolled. HRV was analyzed using the waveform of electrocardiogram performed simultaneously with EEG to obtain the time-domain measures (standard deviation of NN intervals [SDNN] and root mean square of successive RR interval differences [RMSSD]) and frequency-domain measures (low-frequency [LF] power and high-frequency [HF] power). Multivariate linear regression analyses evaluated the association between the HRV parameters and baseline Unified PD Rating Scale Part III (UPDRS-III) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores. Cox regression models were used to assess the prognostic relevance of baseline HRV parameters for the risk of dementia conversion.
Results: The mean age at PD symptom onset was 69.75 ± 9.73 years. The mean UPDRS-III score at the time of PD diagnosis was 22.54 ± 10.29, and the mean MoCA scores were 20.79 ± 5.76. The HRV values were not associated with baseline parkinsonian motor deficits assessed by the UPDRS-III and global cognitive function assessed by the MoCA. Meanwhile, higher values of RMSSD and HF power were associated with a lower risk of dementia conversion (hazard ratio = 0.430 [95% confidence interval = 0.191–0.968] and 0.607 [95% confidence interval = 0.415–0.887], respectively). The values of SDNN and LF power were not associated with the risk for developing dementia.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that the HRV values, particularly parameters reflecting parasympathetic activity, may serve as indicators of cognitive outcomes in PD.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
SJ. Chung, D. Kang, J. Lee, PH. Lee, YJ. Kim, YH. Sohn. Heart Rate Variability in Early Parkinson’s Disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2026; 41 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/heart-rate-variability-in-early-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed October 1, 2026.« Back to 2026 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/heart-rate-variability-in-early-parkinsons-disease/