Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Forced single-nostril breathing and cognition

B Sanders¹, C Lattimore, K Smith

¹Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs 06269-1020.

Perceptual and Motor Skills

|December 1, 1994

Summary

Forced single-nostril breathing did not impact cognitive performance in women. Men breathing through the right nostril showed reduced performance on a letter-matching test, suggesting lateralized cognitive effects.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Identification and characterization of a chymotrypsin-like serine protease from periodontal pathogen, Tannerella forsythia.

Microbial pathogenesis·2016

Same author

Development and implementation of an intervention to increase cervical cancer screening in inner-city women.

International quarterly of community health education·2010

Same author

MRI technology overview.

Radiology management·2001

Same author

Appliance for chronic drooling in cerebral palsy patients.

Pediatric dentistry·2001

Same author

Sodium replacement and fluid shifts during prolonged exercise in humans.

European journal of applied physiology·2001

Same author

Hypertonic saline-dextran suppresses burn-related cytokine secretion by cardiomyocytes.

American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology·2001

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Psychology
Human Physiology

Background:

Cerebral hemispheres are thought to specialize in different cognitive functions.
Unilateral breathing has been anecdotally linked to cognitive performance variations.
Previous research suggested sex differences in breathing-cognition interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if forced single-nostril breathing affects cognitive abilities.
To examine potential sex differences in the effects of unilateral breathing on verbal and spatial tasks.
To assess the impact of unilateral breathing on specific cognitive tests.

Main Methods:

Two phases of experiments were conducted.
Phase I attempted to replicate sex differences in unilateral breathing effects.
Phase II studied breathing effects on various verbal and spatial tests, including a letter-matching task.

Main Results:

No significant breathing-related cognitive differences were found in the replication (Phase I) or for women in Phase II.
Men breathing through the right nostril performed significantly worse on a letter-matching test compared to controls.
Forced breathing did not alter nostril dominance, though a left-nostril bias was observed.

Conclusions:

Forced unilateral breathing does not appear to significantly impact cognitive functions in women.
Men may experience lateralized cognitive effects, specifically reduced performance on certain verbal tasks when breathing through the right nostril.
The findings suggest a complex interaction between breathing laterality and cognitive performance, particularly in men.

Related Experiment Videos