Research by Lecturer Ochi and Colleagues Published in Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback
Cooperative Faculty of Education, Utsunomiya University
Assistant Professor Yuki Matsuura
Lecturer Genta Ochi
A research group led by Assistant Professor Yuki Matsuura of Utsunomiya University’s Cooperative Faculty of Education and Lecturer Genta Ochi of our laboratory published “The Potential of Heart Rate Variability Monitoring for Mental Health Assessment in Top Wheel Gymnastics Athletes: A Single Case Design” in the international journal Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. The study monitored mental health and waking heart rate in one Japanese national-team wheel gymnast who had won a world championship over 20 months. Heart rate variability measured while standing after waking was associated with within-person changes in mental health. This is one of the few single-case studies suggesting that waking heart rate variability may be useful as a biomarker for predicting deterioration in athletes’ mental health.
This study was conducted under Niigata University of Health and Welfare’s FY2022 collaborative research and shared-use research program.
Key Findings
- Heart rate variability has been proposed as an indicator of conditioning because it is affected by stress. However, large differences between individuals have left questions about its usefulness.
- This 20-month single-case study found that heart rate variability measured on waking in an elite wheel gymnast was associated with within-person changes in mental health.
- In particular, heart rate variability measured while standing after waking may be useful as a biomarker for predicting declines in mental health.
Publication
Title
The Potential of Heart Rate Variability Monitoring for Mental Health Assessment in Top Wheel Gymnastics Athletes: A Single Case Design
The Potential of Heart Rate Variability Monitoring for Mental Health Assessment in Top Wheel Gymnastics Athletes: A Single Case Design
Authors
Yuki Matsuura, Genta Ochi
Journal: Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback