A recent study has revealed a fascinating link between our breathing and the way our memories are strengthened while we sleep.
In a collaborative effort, Dr. Thomas Schreiner from LMU’s Department of Psychology, along with colleagues, explored this connection, building on their previous research.
Their findings, published in Nature Communications, suggest that breathing might act as a pacemaker for memory consolidation during sleep.
The study began by presenting 120 images associated with specific words to 20 participants over two sessions. After this learning phase, the participants slept for about two hours in a sleep laboratory.
Upon waking, they were asked to recall the associations they had learned. During both the learning and sleeping phases, their brain activity and breathing were recorded using EEG.
The researchers observed that the brain spontaneously reactivated the learned content when certain sleep-related brain activities occurred, namely slow oscillations and sleep spindles (brief periods of intense brain activity).
They noticed that the precision of these brain rhythms’ coupling increased from childhood, peaked in adolescence, and then declined in older age.
Interestingly, respiration frequency also changes with age. By analyzing the breathing data alongside brain activity, the researchers established a link between the two. It turns out that our breathing is connected to the occurrence of these distinct brain patterns associated with memory processing.
The study sheds new light on the role of breathing in cognition. While previous studies had shown a connection between respiration and cognitive processes during wakefulness, this research underscores the importance of breathing in memory processing during sleep.
This discovery is particularly relevant for older adults, who often experience sleep and respiratory disorders, along with memory decline.
Dr. Schreiner is keen on exploring whether these issues are interconnected. He also aims to investigate whether interventions like CPAP masks, commonly used for sleep apnea, could have cognitive benefits.
In essence, this study opens up a whole new understanding of how our bodies and brains work together during sleep to process and consolidate memories.
It highlights the potential role of breathing not just as a life-sustaining function but also as a key player in the intricate processes of our minds. As research continues, it could lead to new approaches in enhancing memory and treating age-related cognitive decline.
If you care about sleep, please read studies about herb that could help you sleep well at night, and these drugs could lower severity of sleep apnea by one third.
For more information about sleep, please see recent studies that coffee boosts your physical activity, cuts sleep, affects heartbeat, and results showing how to deal with “COVID-somnia” and sleep well at night.
The research findings can be found in Nature Communications.
Copyright © 2023 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
