When researchers study breathing, they often look at how many times a person breathes per minute.
Researchers from the University of California San Diego have now examined each individual breath in greater detail. The study was published in the Journal of Neuroscience.
The study involved 16 people who were being monitored for difficult-to-treat epilepsy. The researchers measured both their breathing and electrical activity directly in the brain, according to SciTechDaily.
Among other things, they recorded airflow through the nose and movements of the chest and abdomen.
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Could have implications
Previous research has shown that breathing may be linked to memory, among other things. The new study allows researchers to investigate this connection even more precisely.
The findings could also be used in future research into sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
However, the researchers stress that the study does not show that specific breaths can predict these deaths.
The brain follows along
The study's main finding is that each individual breath has a pattern that is linked to the brain's electrical activity.
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A longer inhalation, a slower exhalation or a brief pause was followed by changes in brain activity. The connection was found in areas associated with memory, emotions and thinking, among other functions.
The researchers believe the discovery provides new opportunities to investigate whether the connection between breathing and brain activity changes before breathing stops in serious medical conditions.
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This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.