Journal of Neurophysiology • Vol 130 • No 3
Inhalation boosts perceptual awareness and decision speed
August 2023 • Ludovic Molle, Alexandre Coste, Charles-Étienne Benoit, Gérard Derosière, Stefan Janaqi, Stéphane Perrey, Arnaud Dupeyron
Breathing is a ubiquitous biological rhythm in animal life. However, little is known about its effect on consciousness and decision-making. Here, we measured the respiratory rhythm of humans performing a near-threshold discrimination experiment. We show that inhalation, compared with exhalation, improves perceptual awareness and accelerates decision-making while leaving accuracy unaffected.