Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Facial Feedback Hypothesis01:24

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

526
Charles Darwin proposed that facial expressions are an evolutionary adaptation for communication. He argued that these expressions are not influenced by culture but are universal across species. For example, a snarling expression with exposed teeth signals a threat in many animals, including humans. Darwin also suggested that displaying an emotion can intensify the feeling. Smiling, for example, could enhance one's sense of happiness. This idea laid the foundation for understanding the role...
526
Other Factors Affecting Respiration Centers01:17

Other Factors Affecting Respiration Centers

1.4K
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...
1.4K
Chemical Factors Affecting Respiration Centers01:31

Chemical Factors Affecting Respiration Centers

2.0K
Chemical factors such as changing CO2, O2, and H+ levels in arterial blood play a critical role in influencing respiration depth and rates. These variations are detected by chemoreceptors—specialized sensors located in two primary body areas. Central chemoreceptors are found throughout the brain stem, including the ventrolateral medulla, while peripheral chemoreceptors are located in the aortic arch and carotid arteries.
CO2 has a potent influence on respiration and is strictly regulated....
2.0K
Physiology of Respiration II: Neurogenic Control of Respiration01:22

Physiology of Respiration II: Neurogenic Control of Respiration

1.7K
The neurogenic control of respiration coordinates various neural networks and pathways to regulate breathing rate and depth, meeting the body's oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange requirements. This system adapts to physiological and environmental conditions, ensuring optimal breathing patterns.
Central Control
The brainstem is the primary site of central control, hosting respiratory centers:
1.7K
Assessment of Ventilation II: Respiratory Depth and Rhythm01:29

Assessment of Ventilation II: Respiratory Depth and Rhythm

2.4K
Respiratory Depth
Respiratory depth measures the volume of air inhaled or exhaled during a breath. It can vary from shallow to deep and typically remains consistent when a person is at rest or asleep. Occasionally, individuals will automatically inhale deeply, known as sighing, which inflates the lungs with more air than normal breathing.
To assess respiratory depth, observe the degree of chest excursion or movement:
2.4K
Factors Affecting Respiration01:24

Factors Affecting Respiration

8.9K
Respiration is a crucial physiological function involving exchanging oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) between an organism and its environment. Various factors can impact this essential process:
8.9K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A Systematic Review of Aphantasia: Concept, Measurement, Neural Basis, and Theory Development.

Vision (Basel, Switzerland)·2024
Same author

The Effect of the Peristimulus α Phase on Visual Perception through Real-Time Phase-Locked Stimulus Presentation.

eNeuro·2023
Same author

A neural-based account of sequential bias during perceptual judgment.

Psychonomic bulletin & review·2021
Same author

The roles of preceding stimuli and preceding responses on assimilative and contrastive sequential effects during facial expression perception.

Cognition & emotion·2019
Same author

Slow-paced inspiration regularizes alpha phase dynamics in the human brain.

Journal of neurophysiology·2019
Same author

Temporal neural mechanisms underlying conscious access to different levels of facial stimulus contents.

Journal of neurophysiology·2018
Same journal

The Brain Response to Reflectional Symmetry Is Not Uniquely Preattentive.

The European journal of neuroscience·2026
Same journal

The Design of Music Rhythm-Based Optical-Magnetic Stimulator and Its Study on LTP/LTD in the CA1 Region of the Hippocampus.

The European journal of neuroscience·2026
Same journal

The Inspiring Journeys of Women in Science.

The European journal of neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Gaining Insight Into the Nonfocality of Beta Oscillation Suppression Along the Sensorimotor Cortex Using Corticomuscular Coherence.

The European journal of neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Human Steering Control Under Unpredictable Disturbances.

The European journal of neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Human Single-Neuron Responses to Multi-Feature Auditory Deviants: Evidence From Medial Temporal Lobe.

The European journal of neuroscience·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 7, 2026

Method to Obtain Pattern of Breathing in Senescent Mice through Unrestrained Barometric Plethysmography
09:13

Method to Obtain Pattern of Breathing in Senescent Mice through Unrestrained Barometric Plethysmography

Published on: April 28, 2020

7.0K

Slow-Paced Breathing Modulates Perceptual Sensitivity to Facial Expression.

Shen-Mou Hsu1, Chih-Hsin Tseng1

  • 1Imaging Center for Integrated Body, Mind and Culture Research, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (ROC).

The European Journal of Neuroscience
|December 26, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Voluntarily controlling breathing pace alters visual perception. Slow breathing decreases sensitivity during exhalation but increases it during inhalation, influencing brain activity.

Keywords:
body–brain interactioncross‐frequency couplingfacial expressionneural oscillationrespiration

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Exploring Olfactory Influences on Corticospinal Excitability - Insights and Innovations in Neurological Research
06:13

Author Spotlight: Exploring Olfactory Influences on Corticospinal Excitability - Insights and Innovations in Neurological Research

Published on: January 19, 2024

1.5K
Dynamic Digital Biomarkers of Motor and Cognitive Function in Parkinson's Disease
10:28

Dynamic Digital Biomarkers of Motor and Cognitive Function in Parkinson's Disease

Published on: July 24, 2019

15.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 7, 2026

Method to Obtain Pattern of Breathing in Senescent Mice through Unrestrained Barometric Plethysmography
09:13

Method to Obtain Pattern of Breathing in Senescent Mice through Unrestrained Barometric Plethysmography

Published on: April 28, 2020

7.0K
Author Spotlight: Exploring Olfactory Influences on Corticospinal Excitability - Insights and Innovations in Neurological Research
06:13

Author Spotlight: Exploring Olfactory Influences on Corticospinal Excitability - Insights and Innovations in Neurological Research

Published on: January 19, 2024

1.5K
Dynamic Digital Biomarkers of Motor and Cognitive Function in Parkinson's Disease
10:28

Dynamic Digital Biomarkers of Motor and Cognitive Function in Parkinson's Disease

Published on: July 24, 2019

15.9K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Respiration and cortical rhythms interact, affecting environmental perception.
  • The precise link between breathing, brain activity, and perception is not fully understood.
  • Breathing can be voluntarily controlled, offering a method to study brain-respiration interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how controlled breathing pace influences visual perception.
  • To explore the brain-respiration interactions underlying these perceptual changes.
  • To identify neural correlates of perceptual sensitivity during different breathing paces.

Main Methods:

  • Participants engaged in normal- or slow-paced breathing.
  • Visual stimuli (fearful/neutral faces) were presented during inspiration or expiration.
  • Magnetoencephalography (MEG) recorded brain activity.
  • Behavioral sensitivity and cortical dynamics (alpha/beta, theta frequencies) were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Slow breathing decreased perceptual sensitivity during expiration and increased it during inspiration.
  • Cortical dynamics mirrored behavioral findings, with neural correlates in the alpha/beta range.
  • Slow breathing reduced prestimulus theta phase coherence and altered phase-power coupling.
  • These changes were linked to respiration-brain phase synchronization and modulated response-related power.

Conclusions:

  • Voluntarily controlled breathing pace acts as a top-down mechanism influencing visual perception.
  • Brain-respiration phase synchronization and theta phase coherence are key mediators.
  • Altered cortical resource allocation during breathing cycles impacts perceptual outcomes.