The rhythm of our breathing causes a characteristic electrical activity in the brain that alters the way we recall events and form emotional judgments. That is, in essence, the conclusion of a new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience in which its authors argue that these effects depend, above all, on whether we breathe through the mouth or through the nose or whether we are inhaling or exhaling. .
The trial, coordinated by neurologist Christina Zelano, of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in the US, showed that a group of volunteers were able to identify a face with a terrified expression more quickly when they were inspiring than when they exhaled. This did not happen, for example, if what it showed was surprise. Also, they remembered an object better if they found it when they took a breath than when they released it. However, this effect disappeared if breathing was done through the mouth instead of through the nose.
“We have discovered that during inhalation and exhalation there are very important differences in the activity of some brain regions , such as the amygdala or the hippocampus – these are related in different ways to emotions and the formation and fixation of memory -“, he indicates Zelano. “When you take a breath, you stimulate neurons in these areas and in the olfactory cortex, through the limbic system,” he adds.
The researchers became aware of this phenomenon while studying seven epileptic patients who were to be operated on and who had electrodes implanted in the brain. In this way, the experts observed that the electrical signals they recorded fluctuated with respiration. This activity occurred in the areas where smell, memory and emotions were processed.
According to Zelano and his collaborators, this implies that the subjects who breathe more quickly in a dangerous situation have a certain advantage. “Panic increases the rate of your breathing. As a result, you will inhale more, which has a positive effect on some brain functions and you will be able to respond more quickly to a threat,” says this neurologist.
