Dynamic brain-heart interaction in sleep characterized by variational phase-amplitude coupling framework

Abstract Sleep is a complex physiological state characterized by synchronized cortical and cardiac oscillations, which reflect dynamic communication and interaction between the central (CNS) and autonomic (ANS) nervous systems, crucial for maintaining homeostasis and overall health. However, the dyn...

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Main Authors: Juntong Lyu, Chien-Hung Yeh, Wenbin Shi, Thomas Penzel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-08-01
Series:Communications Biology
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08685-6
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author Juntong Lyu
Chien-Hung Yeh
Wenbin Shi
Thomas Penzel
author_facet Juntong Lyu
Chien-Hung Yeh
Wenbin Shi
Thomas Penzel
author_sort Juntong Lyu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Sleep is a complex physiological state characterized by synchronized cortical and cardiac oscillations, which reflect dynamic communication and interaction between the central (CNS) and autonomic (ANS) nervous systems, crucial for maintaining homeostasis and overall health. However, the dynamic interplay between CNS and ANS rhythmicities in sleep remains unclear. Here, we present a variational phase-amplitude coupling framework that associates frequency modulations of the electroencephalogram and cardiac R-peak intervals across sleep dynamics. We validate the robustness of our method on spurious couplings by nonlinear or nonstationary simulations. Moreover, delta-range slow cortical oscillations exhibit robust coupling with both the low- (HRV-LF) and high-frequency (HRV-HF) constituents of RR-interval heart-rate variability, thereby constituting a cardinal electrophysiological signature of ANS-CNS modulation. Furthermore, we highlight the significance of the “decoupling phenomenon” in a transitional period from wake to sleep for sleep preparation, and discover stronger couplings between the HRV-LF component and EEG-δ wave, and weaker couplings between the HRV-HF component and EEG-δ activity for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients compared to healthy individuals, and finally uncover the key patterns of brain-heart interaction in both healthy cohorts and OSA patients during sleep.
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spelling doaj-art-ca4a856710c24cf49b4d3cf676a7e8112025-08-20T04:03:17ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Biology2399-36422025-08-018111510.1038/s42003-025-08685-6Dynamic brain-heart interaction in sleep characterized by variational phase-amplitude coupling frameworkJuntong Lyu0Chien-Hung Yeh1Wenbin Shi2Thomas Penzel3School of Information and Electronics, Beijing Institute of TechnologySchool of Information and Electronics, Beijing Institute of TechnologySchool of Information and Electronics, Beijing Institute of TechnologyInterdisciplinary Center of Sleep Medicine, Charité-Universitätsmedizin BerlinAbstract Sleep is a complex physiological state characterized by synchronized cortical and cardiac oscillations, which reflect dynamic communication and interaction between the central (CNS) and autonomic (ANS) nervous systems, crucial for maintaining homeostasis and overall health. However, the dynamic interplay between CNS and ANS rhythmicities in sleep remains unclear. Here, we present a variational phase-amplitude coupling framework that associates frequency modulations of the electroencephalogram and cardiac R-peak intervals across sleep dynamics. We validate the robustness of our method on spurious couplings by nonlinear or nonstationary simulations. Moreover, delta-range slow cortical oscillations exhibit robust coupling with both the low- (HRV-LF) and high-frequency (HRV-HF) constituents of RR-interval heart-rate variability, thereby constituting a cardinal electrophysiological signature of ANS-CNS modulation. Furthermore, we highlight the significance of the “decoupling phenomenon” in a transitional period from wake to sleep for sleep preparation, and discover stronger couplings between the HRV-LF component and EEG-δ wave, and weaker couplings between the HRV-HF component and EEG-δ activity for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients compared to healthy individuals, and finally uncover the key patterns of brain-heart interaction in both healthy cohorts and OSA patients during sleep.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08685-6
spellingShingle Juntong Lyu
Chien-Hung Yeh
Wenbin Shi
Thomas Penzel
Dynamic brain-heart interaction in sleep characterized by variational phase-amplitude coupling framework
Communications Biology
title Dynamic brain-heart interaction in sleep characterized by variational phase-amplitude coupling framework
title_full Dynamic brain-heart interaction in sleep characterized by variational phase-amplitude coupling framework
title_fullStr Dynamic brain-heart interaction in sleep characterized by variational phase-amplitude coupling framework
title_full_unstemmed Dynamic brain-heart interaction in sleep characterized by variational phase-amplitude coupling framework
title_short Dynamic brain-heart interaction in sleep characterized by variational phase-amplitude coupling framework
title_sort dynamic brain heart interaction in sleep characterized by variational phase amplitude coupling framework
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08685-6
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