Breathing In May Affect Memory Recall, Response To Fear

Breathing is one of the most important things people need to survive. It provides cells with oxygen they need in order to function. However, a new study claims that breathing may be used for other purpose -- it might influence memory recall and regulate people's response to fear.

According to News Medical, Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered for the first time that the rhythm of breathing creates electrical activity in the human brain that enhances emotional judgments and memory recall.

Lead author Christina Zelano, assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL, and colleagues first came across the link between breathing and brain activity after analyzing seven patients with epilepsy. They claim that the effects on behavior depend whether people inhale or exhale and if they breathe through the nose or mouth.

"One of the major findings in this study is that there is a dramatic difference in brain activity in the amygdala and hippocampus during inhalation compared with exhalation," said lead author Christina Zelano, assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "When you breathe in, we discovered you are stimulating neurons in the olfactory cortex, amygdala and hippocampus, all across the limbic system."

Researchers of the study, which was published in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that individuals were able to determine a fearful face much quicker if they encountered the face when they are breathing in compared to breathing out. They were also more likely to remember an object if they encountered it inhaling than exhaling. However, the effect disappeared if breathing was through the mouth.

"If you are in a panic state, your breathing rhythm becomes faster," explains Zelano. "As a result you'll spend proportionally more time inhaling than when in a calm state," she adds. "Thus, our body's innate response to fear with faster breathing could have a positive impact on brain function and result in faster response times to dangerous stimuli in the environment."

In another experiment, the participants were presented with pictures of different objects on a computer screen, which they were asked to remember, according to Medical News Today. Later on, subjects were asked to recall the images.

The researchers also found that the subjects were able to recall the images better when they inhaled, compared with when they exhaled. Similar to the previous experiment, the link between better memory recall and breathing disappeared when subjects were breathing through the mouth.

All in all, the authors believe the results of the study suggest that breathing is not just necessary for oxygen but that it also plays a role in brain activity and behavior.

Meanwhile, Zelano also said that their findings may shed light on the mechanisms underlying meditation practices that involve focused breathing techniques. "When you inhale, you are in a sense synchronizing brain oscillations across the limbic network," she added.