Decreased heart rate (HR) and variability (HRV) are well-established correlates of attention; however, the functional significance of these dynamics remains unclear. Here, we investigate whether attention-related cardiac modulation is sensitive to different varieties of uncertainty. Thirty-nine adults performed a binocular rivalry-replay task in which changes in visual perception were driven either internally (in response to constant, conflicting stimuli; rivalry) or externally (in response to physically alternating stimuli; replay). Tonic HR and high-frequency HRV linearly decreased as participants progressed from resting-state baseline (minimal visual uncertainty) through replay (temporal uncertainty) to rivalry (temporal uncertainty and ambiguity). Time-resolved frequency estimates revealed that cardiac deceleration was sustained throughout the trial period and modulated by ambiguity, novelty, and switch rate. These findings suggest cardiac regulation during active attention may play an instrumental role in uncertainty reduction.

降低的心率 (HR) 和变异性 (HRV) 与注意力密切相关；然而，这些动力学的功能意义仍不清楚。在这里，我们调查注意力相关的心脏调制是否对不同种类的不确定性敏感。39 名成年人执行了一项双眼竞争重播任务，其中视觉感知的变化是由内部驱动的（对持续的、冲突的刺激作出反应；竞争）或外部（对物理交替刺激的响应；重播）。随着参与者从静息状态基线（最小视觉不确定性）通过重播（时间不确定性）到竞争（时间不确定性和歧义），进补 HR 和高频 HRV 线性下降。时间分辨频率估计表明，心脏减速在整个试验期间持续存在，并受到模糊性、新颖性和开关率的调节。这些发现表明，积极注意期间的心脏调节可能在减少不确定性方面发挥重要作用。