Want to improve your memory? Breathe in!
INHALING deeply through the nose might help us to remember things better, a study suggests.
When we take in a deep breath, it seems to boost memory more effectively than when we are breathing out, scientists found.
By testing how breathing affects our memories, they discovered that the pattern of breathing stimulates parts of the brain engaged in processing what we can recall.
People could identify a face two seconds more quickly if they first saw it when inhaling rather than exhaling.
However, the effect only worked when the breath was taken in through the nose, and not through the mouth.
‘One of the major findings in this study is that there is a dramatic difference in brain activity during inhalation compared with exhalation,’ said Dr Christina Zelano, assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in the US. ‘When you breathe in, we discovered you are stimulating neurons in the olfactory cortex, amygdala and hippocampus, all across the limbic system (which controls instinct and mood).
‘When you inhale, you are in a sense synchronising brain oscillations across the limbic network.’
The scientists made the discovery when looking at differences in brain activity in seven patients suffering from epilepsy before they were due to undergo brain surgery.
A week before the operation, implants were placed in their brains to locate where the seizures were originating. The investigation uncovered that the brain’s activity changed during breathing.
To further test the theory, 60 volunteers were asked to rate whether a face showed a fearful or surprised expression. When asked to recall which face they were shown, subjects recognised fearful faces more quickly when they had been seen during breathing in.
A further study for remembering images flashed on a computer screen also found recall was better if images were encountered during inhalation. Dr Zelano added: ‘If you are in a panic state, your breathing rhythm becomes faster.
‘As a result you’ll spend proportionally more time inhaling than when in a calm state.
‘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.’
The study was published in the Journal of Neuroscience.
The scientists discovered that when the subjects were inhaling, the breath stimulated the areas of the brain associated with memory, smells and emotions.
Techniques for helping to improve brain function, including attempts to boost memory, have been growing in popularity in recent years.
Following the success of the hit Brain Training games, a number of companies released similar games that could be played on various devices. But earlier this year, scientists revealed playing the games may actually have little effect on improving memory and attention.