Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 20, 2025
10:42
A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function
Published on: July 30, 2017
9.7K
Inhalation boosts perceptual awareness and decision speed
Ludovic Molle1,2, Alexandre Coste1, Charles-Etienne Benoit3
1EuroMov Digital Health in Motion, Univ Montpellier, IMT Mines Ales, Montpellier, France.
Journal of Neurophysiology
|August 2, 2023
Summary
Breathing influences consciousness. Inhalation, compared to exhalation, enhances perceptual awareness and decision-making speed for near-threshold stimuli without affecting accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Physiology
Background:
- Consciousness and subjective experience remain poorly understood.
- Attention is crucial for information processing and consciousness.
- Breathing phase (inhalation/exhalation) may modulate attention and awareness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if inhalation improves perceptual awareness and decision-making compared to exhalation.
- To test the hypothesis that breathing phase impacts near-threshold perception.
Main Methods:
- Recorded breathing rhythms in 30 human participants.
- Participants performed a near-threshold decision-making task involving Gabor orientation.
- Assessed both objective decision-making (orientation) and subjective awareness ratings.
Main Results:
- Inhalation significantly improved perceptual awareness relative to exhalation.
- Inhalation accelerated objective decision-making speed without compromising accuracy.
- Breathing phase demonstrably influences cognitive processes.
Conclusions:
- Breathing rhythm, specifically inhalation, enhances subjective awareness and decision-making.
- Physiological rhythms like breathing play a role in shaping conscious experience.
- Findings contribute to understanding the physiological underpinnings of consciousness.
More Related Videos
06:13Author Spotlight: Exploring Olfactory Influences on Corticospinal Excitability - Insights and Innovations in Neurological Research
Published on: January 19, 2024
1.1K
13:00Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments
Published on: January 23, 2017
9.9K
Related Concept Videos
01:20Inhalational Anesthetics: Overview
339
Inhalation anesthetics are drugs that induce general anesthesia upon inhalation. They work by increasing the sensitivity of GABAA receptors or inhibiting NMDA receptors, leading to a decrease in central nervous system activity. The depth of anesthesia can be rapidly adjusted by changing the concentration of the inhaled gas. Some common examples of inhalational anesthetics include volatile liquids like isoflurane, desflurane, sevoflurane and gases like xenon and nitrous oxide. Isoflurane, a...
339
01:17Other Factors Affecting Respiration Centers
904
Breathing is primarily an involuntary activity regulated by the brainstem respiratory centers. However, it can also be consciously controlled, allowing us to hold our breath or take deeper breaths when needed. This voluntary control is facilitated by the cerebral motor cortex, which bypasses the medullary centers to stimulate the respiratory muscles directly.
However, the ability to hold one's breath voluntarily is not limitless. When the CO2 concentration in the blood reaches a critical...
However, the ability to hold one's breath voluntarily is not limitless. When the CO2 concentration in the blood reaches a critical...
904
01:25Factors Affecting Perception
1.6K
Perception is influenced by perceptual set, context, motivation, and emotion. Perceptual set, or perceptual expectancy, refers to the tendency to perceive things in a particular way, influenced by previous experiences and expectations. This phenomenon affects the interpretation of stimuli, creating a set of mental tendencies and assumptions that impact sensory perceptions of sound, taste, touch, and sight.
An illustrative example of a perceptual set is the scenario where an airline pilot told...
An illustrative example of a perceptual set is the scenario where an airline pilot told...
1.6K
01:15Subliminal Perception
307
Subliminal perception refers to the processing of sensory information that occurs below the level of conscious awareness. Researchers study subliminal perception by presenting a stimulus, such as a word or image, very quickly, typically around 50 milliseconds. This rapid presentation is often followed by another stimulus, such as a pattern of dots or lines, which blocks further mental processing of the initial stimulus. As a result, if participants cannot identify the initial stimulus better...
307
01:08The Availability Heuristic
6.0K
A heuristic is a general problem-solving framework (Tversky & Kahneman, 1974). You can think of these as mental shortcuts that are used to solve problems. Different types of heuristics are used in different types of situations, and the impulse to use a heuristic occurs when one of five conditions is met (Pratkanis, 1989):
6.0K
01:15Subconsciousness and No Awareness
264
The concept of subconscious awareness refers to the processing of information below the level of conscious thought, which significantly influences both behaviors and decisions. It is also known as waking subconscious awareness. This complex level of cognition operates without the direct awareness of the individual, facilitating rapid and simultaneous handling of multiple information streams.
An illustrative example of subconscious processing is its role in problem-solving. Often, individuals...
An illustrative example of subconscious processing is its role in problem-solving. Often, individuals...
264