(P010) INFLUENCE OF ATRIAL FIBRILLATION ON MUSICAL RHYTHM: PROOF OF CONCEPT STUDY

Background: While existing research predominantly examines how musical rhythms influence heartbeat, the reverse—how heart rhythms might affect musical rhythm—remains unexplored. It is hypothesized that the impact of cardiac rhythm on music could involve a more direct feedforward pathway from the heart to the brain, rather than the indirect efferent pathway from the auditory centers to cardiac function. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an irregularly irregular heartbeat, which may impair the cognitive processing of musical beats. This study is designed to examine the effect of AF on patients' ability to synchronize with musical beats and to assess whether rhythm control strategies such as electrical cardioversion or ablation can restore rhythmic synchronization.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Currently, participants in normal sinus rhythm are being tested to validate the experimental setup and explore the association between heart rate variability and rhythmic performance. Tasks involve participants synchronizing finger taps to musical beats, measuring consistency and accuracy of synchronization, and tapping at a comfortable pace to measure spontaneous motor tempo. Consistency is assessed by the time intervals between consecutive taps relative to the intervals between beats, while accuracy measures how closely the taps align with the beats. Continuous ECG monitoring records cardiac rhythms during these tasks. Next, patients with persistent AF scheduled for rhythm restoration procedures, including electrical cardioversion or catheter ablation, will undergo similar assessments pre- and post-intervention to evaluate changes in beat synchronization ability.

Preliminary results from fifteen participants in sinus rhythm show a significant linear regression between mean heart rate (predictor) and spontaneous motor tempo, (r = -3.325, p = 0.01655), with an adjusted (R2= 0.32) and a 95% confidence interval of [-5.943, -0.707], indicating a medium effect size. Future testing will compare baseline and synchronization data with AF patients' performance before and after rhythm restoration procedures to evaluate intervention effectiveness in restoring rhythmic synchronization.

Conclusion: Preliminary results indicate a negative correlation between heart rate and spontaneous motor tempo. This may be due to slower heart rates leading to faster tapping tempos, as participants compensate for a less frequent internal timing reference provided by their heartbeats. The study initially focuses on subjects in sinus rhythm to understand basic cardiac and spontaneous motor tempo relationships, and will then assess how rhythm restoration interventions impact patients with AF, potentially offering insights into therapeutic strategies for rhythm management using musical feedback.