Podcast Summary
The Neuroscience of Breathing: Leveraging our Respiration for Health and High Performance: Understanding the critical role of breathing in our mental and physical health can help us leverage specific aspects of our respiration, such as depth and ratio of inhales to exhales, for achieving our goals and combating disease.
Breathing is essential for all aspects of our mental and physical life, and Dr. Jack Feldman's pioneering work on the neuroscience of breathing has uncovered the critical role of respiration in disease, health and daily life. Our breathing patterns and respiration can predict how focused, easily we can sleep or exit from sleep. Dr. Feldman's work also points to the importance of leveraging particular aspects of the breathing process, such as the depth, ratio of inhales to exhales, and even the use of protocols that can allow us to achieve a range of goals in our lives. Understanding how the breathing system works can be leveraged towards health, high performance and for combating disease.
Understanding the Mechanics of Breathing and Its Control Mechanisms.: The rhythm of breathing is generated by the pre-botzinger complex in the brainstem, activating respiratory muscles controlled by the nervous system. Mouth and nose breathing affect air flow but not muscle function, while exercise increases ventilation and requires more air intake.
Breathing involves a series of muscle contractions and relaxation, including the diaphragm and intercostal muscles, which are controlled by the nervous system. The rhythm of breathing originates in a region of the brainstem called the pre-botzinger complex, which activates neurons that lead to muscle contractions. Nose and mouth breathing affect air flow at rest, but the contraction and relaxation of respiratory muscles are agnostic of air intake location. The respiratory muscles are skeletal muscles that require motor neurons to function, and the pre-botzinger complex is critical in generating this rhythm. When ventilation needs increase during exercise, the airways can handle more air, and mouth breathing allows for better intake. The lungs and thoracic cavity expand during inhalation due to the pulling down of the diaphragm.
Understanding the Physiology of Breathing: The heart beats autonomously while two oscillators control breathing. The pre-bought singer controls inspiration, and another region controls active exhalation. The retro trapezoid nucleus regulates carbon dioxide levels in the brain.
The heart beats on its own, with neural input modulating its strength and frequency. Smooth muscles in the airways can contract or relax, leading to difficulty breathing in conditions like asthma. The pre-bought singer is not involved in asthma; rather, it is a region in the brain that controls breathing along with related areas. Two oscillators control breathing - one for inspiration and one for active exhalation. The pre-bought singer was thought to control both, but later experiments revealed another region for active exhalation. Breathing is an oscillator that needs to work continuously throughout life. The retro trapezoid nucleus is a structure near the trapezoid nucleus that regulates carbon dioxide levels in the brain.
The para facial neurons and the evolution of the mammalian nervous system: The para facial cluster of neurons controls facial muscle movements and the evolution of the mammalian nervous system has contributed to the development of sub nuclei that control respiratory muscles, including the diaphragm. This makes breathing with a diaphragm more mechanically efficient, allowing for greater expansion of the alveoli in the lungs.
The cluster of neurons para facial controls facial muscle movements such as eye blinks, nose twitches, lip curls, and lip smacks. The evolution of the nervous system has contributed to the development of these sub nuclei in mammals, which are involved in controlling respiratory muscles, including the diaphragm. Mammals are unique in terms of breathing as they have a diaphragm, which is mechanically efficient and allows for the expansion of the alveoli in the lungs. At rest, the volume of air in the lungs is about two and a half liters, and while taking a breath, around 500 milliliters of air is inhaled. The surface area of the alveoli in mammals amounts to around 70 square meters, which is a third of the size of a tennis court.
The Importance of the Diaphragm in Respiration Science: The diaphragm is crucial for efficient oxygen intake in mammals, whether breathing primarily from it or not. Understanding physiological sighs can aid in respiratory disease treatment.
The diaphragm is crucial for sustaining normal metabolism in mammals, allowing them to bring in more oxygen compared to amphibians or birds. Respiration science is complex and breathing has to continuously provide oxygen to the brain, making it similar to building an airplane. We are obligate diaphragm breathers and by default, our breathing involves the diaphragm. Whether breathing primarily from the diaphragm or not does not affect the changes in emotion and cognition that breathing induces. Sighing is a physiological response that occurs frequently and not just during emotional or stressful situations. Understanding physiological sighs can be important in the study and treatment of respiratory diseases.
Importance of Deep Breathing for Lung Health: Taking deep breaths every few minutes helps maintain lung health by preventing alveoli collapse. Stress impacts breathing patterns, and controlled breathing can help cope with stress.
Taking a deep breath every five minutes is important to maintain the health of our lungs. The alveoli in our lungs tend to collapse slowly, and taking a deep breath helps to pop them open. This mechanism is automatic and happens about every five minutes to maintain the surface area of our lungs. Initially, the size of the breath during mechanical ventilation was thought to be the reason for mortality. But, it was later found out that having one big breath every few minutes could effectively mimic physiological size and considerably reduce the mortality rate. Stress can also impact our breathing pattern, and the hypothalamus releases peptides that circulate to help deal better with stress.
The Role of Bombus Peptides in Rat Sighing and Breathing: Precision and understanding the origin of bodily functions are crucial for scientific investigations. Bombus peptides have a significant impact on rat sighing and breathing, highlighting their potential for future therapies in breathing disorders.
Dr. Jack Feldman conducted experiments with Bombus unrelated peptides, and found that their internalized delivery to the pre-bought super complex in rats increased their sign significantly. He also used saffron to ablate the cells that expressed the receptor for Bombus, which eventually made rats stop sighing. The experiments showed that precision is important in scientific investigations, and that understanding where the inspiratory rhythm originates helps in proper investigations. Furthermore, the experiments also revealed that sighing helps in reducing carbon dioxide buildup and stress in the body. Overall, the research highlights the importance of understanding the role of peptides in enhancing bodily functions and could pave the way for future therapies for breathing disorders.
The Importance of Breathing and its Implication in Life and Death: Proper breathing is essential for good health, and any breathing disturbances can lead to serious consequences, including death. It is crucial to understand the purpose of gasping and its implications, especially in cases of overdoses and medical conditions like Parkinson's and MLS.
Breathing is a vital function for mammals, and any deterioration in lung function can significantly affect overall health. Slow and deep breaths, also known as gasps, during the dying process might be an attempt to auto resuscitate, but the degree to which they are actually large sighs is yet to be determined. Suppressing the ability to gasp during an overdose can prevent a person from rerouting their breathing and lead to asphyxiation and death. Parkinson's and MLS patients typically breathe normally during wakefulness but experience breathing disturbances during sleep, which could be the proximate cause of death for these patients.
Breathing and the Brain: Understanding their Relationship.: The brain stem controls breathing; mindfully changing breathing can change internal state. Understanding breathing's relationship with brain rhythms can provide insight into brain function.
Breathing is controlled by the brain stem, which is critical for breathing. Elucidating the molecules that are enriched in regions of the brain that are critical for breathing will help in understanding the complexity of the whole breathing apparatus. The reciprocal relationship between brain state, emotional state, and breathing has been studied. Breathing changes with a change in internal state, and changing breathing can also change internal state. Brain rhythms and oscillations have a relationship with breathing. Mindfulness has been shown to have profound effects, and the effects of mindfulness on breathing can be studied to have a deeper understanding of the functioning of the brain.
Breath Work in Mindfulness Meditation and Its Effects on Fear Response in Rodents: Dedicated breath work and mindfulness meditation can significantly reduce fear response. More funding and research is needed to better understand the biological changes that occur during meditation and incentivize people to adopt these practices.
Breathing is a critical part of mindfulness meditation and has measurable effects even in rodents. A study found that mice who underwent a breathing exercise for 30 minutes a day for four weeks showed significantly less fear response as compared to control mice. The study emphasizes the importance of dedicated breath work and meditation. Though the study was conducted on rodents, it highlights the benefits of getting mechanistic science to understand the biological changes that occur during meditation. The study was funded by the national complementary medicine institute that puts major tax dollars toward studies of things like meditation, breath work, supplements, herbs, acupuncture. The research also highlights the need for more funding and research in the field of meditation and breath work to incentivize people to take up these practices.
Neuroscience and Meditation: Understanding the minimum amount of meditation required for neural circuitry change is crucial. Placebo effect is less in mice, making it a more viable study subject. Breathing affects emotional and brain state, and it is consistent even in locked-in syndrome.
The amount of meditation required for a practical effect is unclear, and finding minimum or effective thresholds for changing neural circuitry is necessary. Placebo effect is a big component in humans but non-issue in mice, making mechanistic studies in mice more convincing. Breathing affects emotional state and brain state affects breathing. Understanding these separately can ultimately tie them together. Locked-in syndrome is a devastating condition where people lose all volitional movement except lateral eye movement. Breathing continues for these individuals, but it is very consistent and regular.
The Connection Between Breathing, Emotions, and External Stimuli: Our breathing and mood are intertwined, and external stimuli, like laughter, can impact our emotions and even breathing rate. Some actors have better control of their emotive systems, and research suggests certain brain cells regulate mood via breath.
Breathing is regulated by both volitional control and an emotive component, which can be influenced by external stimuli such as laughter. Facial expressions also have both volitional and emotive components, which some actors may be better able to control due to a stronger connection to their emotive control system. Research has also found a population of cells that project from the pre-bought singer to the local Cerilios, which are inspiratory modulators and influence mood throughout the brain. When these cells were blocked in animals, they became calmer and not capable of high arousal states. This highlights how breathing and mood are interconnected and how external stimuli can affect both.
The Link between Breathing and Emotional State: Breathing affects emotional and cognitive state through respiratory modulation and changes in CO2 levels, and therapeutic treatments restoring CO2 levels can relieve anxiety. Breathing at a normal pace and depth is important.
Breathing affects emotional cognitive state and there are several sources of respiratory modulation like the oscillations of air in the nose and the signals from the vagus nerve. CO2 levels can change quite a bit with even a relatively small change in breathing and can alter pH levels causing issues like panic attacks or anxiety. Therapeutic treatments that restore CO2 levels back to normal can relieve anxiety. Breathing at a normal pace and depth is also important. Highly elevated levels of CO2 can also produce panic attacks in case of breath by breath level continuous background fluctuations. Researchers mostly look at these stressed states for studying effects of breathing on humans.
The Science of Breathing Practices and Their Impact on Emotional States, Cognitive Functions, and Brain State.: Voluntary control over breathing can influence emotional states and enhance cognitive and motor functions. Small changes in CO2 levels can significantly alter ventilation and brain state, but more research is needed on the effects of breath holds. Wearable devices can measure oxygen saturation, but CO2 levels can vary and are highly sensitive to external factors.
Breathing practices can affect emotional states because they involve volitional control of breathing, originating from the motor cortex and sending off collaterals to other places, influencing emotional state. Breath holds with lungs full or empty may have different impacts on the brain, but there is no research on the same. The study of episodic hypoxia is providing insight on how to enhance motor and cognitive functions through breathing practices. Small changes in CO2 levels have a significant effect on ventilation and affect brain state. Breathing-related oscillations in the brain may be playing a role in signal processing. Wearable devices can measure oxygen saturation, but CO2 levels vary quite a bit and are highly sensitive to external factors.
Using Cyclic Hyperventilation to Improve Mental and Physical Performance: Cyclic hyperventilation followed by short periods of breath holding can improve cognitive and neuromuscular performance while reducing stress levels. This technique may have potential in the athletic and medical settings, particularly for traumatic brain injury recovery.
Episodic hypoxia can improve cognitive and neuromuscular performance, but it can be difficult to achieve through breath holding and may lead to hypercapnia. Cyclic hyperventilation followed by breath holding for short periods may be a feasible alternative. This technique can also lead to heightened levels of alertness and lower stress levels, making it a promising tool for improving mental and physical performance. Testing these protocols in the context of golf could be interesting due to the constraints of the measures and the potential for export to other areas like traumatic brain injury recovery.
The Impact of Nasal Breathing and Its Connection to Memory and Cognitive Performance: Nasal breathing and its different techniques may improve memory, cognitive focus, and breathing patterns. Although there is no exact mechanistic data on the activation of certain brain centers, practitioners see significant benefits. However, hyperbaric chambers' effectiveness in increasing oxygen levels hasn't been proven yet.
Deliberately restricting one's breathing to nasal breathing can improve memory since the olfactory system has a major pathway into the brain, and there is a strong central component involved. Breathing through one nostril versus the other may activate certain brain centers, although there is no mechanistic data demonstrating this yet. The brain and body have several features, such as blinking and eye movements, encoding sounds, and perception that are coordinated with breathing in an interesting way. Practitioners of Wim Hof or Tuma see improvements in autonomic arousal, cognitive focus, and breathing patterns even though it is not possible to achieve the levels of hypoxia they do clinically. Hyperbaric chambers may increase oxygen levels, but there is not enough evidence in this regard.
The Importance of Breathing in Human Physiology and Behavior: Breathing affects heart rate, fear response, and brain function. Understanding its role can expand our knowledge of how our bodies and brains work. Martial artists can exploit changes in breathing to their advantage.
Breathing plays a significant role in human physiology and behavior. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia affects the heart rate, and the pupils oscillate with the respiratory cycle. Fear response and reaction time also change with breathing. Breathing has a respiratory modulator component that affects cortical and subcortical activity, which is often ignored. Breathing may also be behaviorally relevant, and martial artists may exploit the changes in breathing to their advantage. Breathing occupies an unusual place in brain function as it plays a crucial part in coordinating signals across neurons. Understanding breathing's role in physiology and behavior can expand our knowledge of how our bodies and brains work.
How Breathing Impacts Mental Function and Can Help Manage Depression: By practicing slow, deliberate breathing techniques, we can disrupt depression circuits in the brain and improve our emotional and cognitive state. Breathing is a tool readily available to improve mental health and wellbeing.
Breathing plays an important role in our emotional and cognitive function. Disrupting the breathing signal through breathing practices can help wear down circuits involved in depression and provide relief. A single breath can change our state and deep breaths are effective in calming the nerves. The brain processes signals in different parts and neurons are sensitive to changes in signals, arriving by fractions of a millisecond. Oscillations in different frequency ranges are important in memory formation and cognitive function. Disrupting a network through slow breathing can weaken some of the connections in depression circuits. Breathing is an important tool that can be readily changed to improve our overall mental health and wellbeing.
Exploring Breathwork for Optimal Performance and Mental Health.: Practicing deliberate transitions between different patterns of breathing, like shifting gears in a car, can provide powerful benefits for improving overall health and wellness. Experiment with different styles and try short periods of breathwork to find what works best for you.
Breathwork can provide tremendous benefits in optimizing performance and maintaining mental health. Simple applications like box breathing can be helpful, and it's important to try different styles and explore what works best for an individual. Even short periods of breathwork, like 5-10 minutes, can have positive effects. The specific pattern of breathwork may not be as important as experiencing deliberate transitions between different patterns of breathing. This can be compared to learning how to shift gears in a car. These deliberate transitions can help shift brain states and provide powerful benefits, making it worthwhile for anyone to explore breathwork as a tool for improving overall health and wellness.
The Benefits of Controlled Variability in Breath Work Practice and Magnesium Supplementation for Cognitive Function: Incorporating variability into breath work practice can deepen our understanding of different breathing techniques, but more research is needed to determine optimal effects. Additionally, exploring magnesium supplementation may improve cognitive function and longevity.
Introducing variability within breath work practice can help us sense the relationship between different speeds and depths of inhales, exhales, and holds. While this practice is yet to be formalized, it is like driving around the track, but with obstacles at different rates and breaking and restarting, that's how one may learn how to drive. However, better-controlled experiments in humans and rodents are the need of the hour to understand the optimal effect of different breathing practices on human health. Also, exploring supplementation like magnesium can help improve cognitive function and durability. Magnesium supplementation for cognitive function research is still a new area, but with further research, it can open up promising areas of study.
The Importance of Magnesium in Neuroplasticity and Cognitive Function.: Increasing magnesium levels can improve cognitive function, but magnesium threonate is more effective in crossing the blood-brain barrier and boosting transporter function. Magnesium threonate supplements have shown improvement in cognitive decline in human studies.
Magnesium plays a crucial role in regulating the background activity and noise in neurons. Dr. Jack Feldman and his team discovered that increasing magnesium levels in the bathing solution strengthened LTP, resulting in more neuroplasticity and improved cognitive function in mice. However, taking magnesium supplements alone doesn't passively get from the gut into the bloodstream and brain effectively. Magnesium threonate, a metabolite of vitamin C, was found to be more effective in crossing the god-blood barrier, supercharging the transporter to get the magnesium into the brain. In a study on humans with mild cognitive decline, those who received magnesium threonate showed an improvement in cognitive function by 8 years on average. Magnesium threonate is sold commercially in nutraceutical formulations.
The Effects of Three and Eight Supplements on Sleep and Cognitive Function: While three and eight supplements may improve sleep and cognitive function, it is important to understand the mechanisms and take appropriate dosages. Measuring magnesium levels before taking such supplements is essential to avoid stomach issues. Further studies are needed to examine cognitive-enhancing effects.
Andrew Huberman and Dr. Jack Feldman discussed the effects of three and eight supplements on sleep and cognitive function. While some people report better alertness and physical movements, most people say it vastly improves their sleep. However, about 5% of people who take three and eight experience stomach issues. Dr. Feldman takes half a dose, aiming to keep his magnesium in the normal range to decline more slowly. The study seems to have worked as he feels more comfortable. The discussion emphasized the importance of understanding mechanisms underlying respiration and the need for further studies to examine the cognitive-enhancing effects of three and eight supplements. It is necessary to take the appropriate dosage and measure magnesium levels before taking such supplements.
