Abstract：
Heart rate variability (HRV) is considered one of the most relevant indicators of physical well-being and relevant biomarker for preventing cardiovascular risks. More recently, a growing amount of research has tracked an association between HRV and cognitive functions (i.e., attention). Research is still scarce on spatial orientation, a basic capability in our daily lives. It is also an important indicator of memory performance, and its malfunctioning working as an early sign of dementia. In this study, a total of 43 female students (M Age = 18.76; SD = 2.02) were measured in their lnRMSSD using the photoplethysmography technique with the Welltory smartphone app. They were also tested in their spatial memory with The Boxes Room, a virtual navigation test. Measures of physical activity were obtained with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Correlation analyses and repeated measures ANOVA were performed, comparing participants with high / low lnRMSSD in their spatial performance. Results showed that, at an equal level of physical activity, participants with a higher lnRMSSD were more effective in the early trials of The Boxes Room, being more precise in estimating the correct position of the stimuli. Moreover, a subsequent simple linear regression showed that a higher lnRMSSD was related to a smaller number of errors at the beginning of the spatial task. Overly, these results outline the relationship between HRV and navigation performance in early stages of processing, where the environment is still unknown and the situation is more demanding.
摘要：
心率变异性（HRV）被认为是身体健康和预防心血管风险的相关生物标志物的最相关指标之一。最近,越来越多的研究追踪了HRV和认知功能之间的关联(即，注意)。关于空间取向的研究仍然很少，我们日常生活中的基本能力。它也是内存性能的重要指标，以及它的故障作为痴呆症的早期征兆。在这项研究中,共有43名女学生(M年龄=18.76;SD=2.02)在他们的lnRMSSD中使用Welltory智能手机应用程序的光电体积描记技术进行了测量.他们还通过TheBoxesRoom测试了他们的空间记忆，虚拟导航测试。身体活动的测量是通过国际身体活动问卷（IPAQ）获得的。进行了相关分析和重复测量方差分析，比较具有高/低lnRMSSD的参与者的空间表现。结果表明,在同等水平的体力活动中，具有较高lnRMSSD的参与者在TheBoxesRoom的早期试验中更有效，更精确地估计刺激的正确位置。此外，随后的简单线性回归表明,较高的lnRMSSD与空间任务开始时的错误数量较少相关.过度，这些结果概述了HRV与导航性能在早期处理阶段之间的关系，那里的环境仍然未知，情况要求更高。
