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Human non-olfactory cognition phase-locked with inhalation

Human non-olfactory cognition phase-locked with inhalation Olfactory stimulus acquisition is perfectly synchronized with inhalation, which tunes neuronal ensembles for incoming information. Because olfaction is an ancient sensory system that provided a template for brain evolution, we hypothesized that this link persisted, and therefore nasal inhalations may also tune the brain for acquisition of non-olfactory information. To test this, we measured nasal airflow and electroencephalography during various non-olfactory cognitive tasks. We observed that participants spontaneously inhale at non-olfactory cognitive task onset and that such inhalations shift brain functional network architecture. Concentrating on visuospatial perception, we observed that nasal inhalation drove increased task-related brain activity in specific task-related brain regions and resulted in improved performance accuracy in the visuospatial task. Thus, mental processes with no link to olfaction are nevertheless phase-locked with nasal inhalation, consistent with the notion of an olfaction-based template in the evolution of human brain function. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Nature Human Behaviour Springer Journals

Human non-olfactory cognition phase-locked with inhalation

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References (66)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2019 by The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited
Subject
Life Sciences; Life Sciences, general; Behavioral Sciences; Neurosciences; Microeconomics; Personality and Social Psychology; Experimental Psychology
eISSN
2397-3374
DOI
10.1038/s41562-019-0556-z
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Olfactory stimulus acquisition is perfectly synchronized with inhalation, which tunes neuronal ensembles for incoming information. Because olfaction is an ancient sensory system that provided a template for brain evolution, we hypothesized that this link persisted, and therefore nasal inhalations may also tune the brain for acquisition of non-olfactory information. To test this, we measured nasal airflow and electroencephalography during various non-olfactory cognitive tasks. We observed that participants spontaneously inhale at non-olfactory cognitive task onset and that such inhalations shift brain functional network architecture. Concentrating on visuospatial perception, we observed that nasal inhalation drove increased task-related brain activity in specific task-related brain regions and resulted in improved performance accuracy in the visuospatial task. Thus, mental processes with no link to olfaction are nevertheless phase-locked with nasal inhalation, consistent with the notion of an olfaction-based template in the evolution of human brain function.

Journal

Nature Human BehaviourSpringer Journals

Published: Mar 11, 2019

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