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Updated: May 8, 2026
Breathing-controlled Electrical Stimulation (BreEStim) for Management of Neuropathic Pain and Spasticity
Published on: January 10, 2013
Functional magnetic resonance imaging suggests automatization of the cortical response to inspiratory threshold
Mathieu Raux1, Louise Tyvaert, Michael Ferreira
1Department of Experimental Medicine, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Laboratory McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada; Université Paris 6, ER10UPMC Neurophysiologie Respiratoire Expérimentale et Clinique, Paris, France; Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Département d'Anesthésie Réanimation, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
Abstract:
Inspiratory threshold loading (ITL) induces cortical activation. It is sustained over time and is resistant to distraction, suggesting automaticity. We hypothesized that ITL-induced changes in cerebral activation may differ between single-breath ITL and continuous ITL, with differences resembling those observed after cortical automatization of motor tasks. We analyzed the brain blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal of 11 naive healthy volunteers during 5 min of random, single-breath ITL and 5 min of continuous ITL. Single-breath ITL increased BOLD in many areas (premotor cortices, bilateral insula, cerebellum, reticular formation of the lateral mesencephalon) and decreased BOLD in regions co-localizing with the default mode network. Continuous ITL induced signal changes in a limited number of areas (supplementary motor area). These differences are comparable to those observed before and after overlearning of motor tasks. We conclude that the respiratory-related cortical activation observed in response to ITL is likely due to automated, attention-independent mechanisms. Also, ITL activates cortical circuits right from the first breath.
