Biology subjects

Bullon Tarraso, E.

Publications and source records attributed to Bullon Tarraso, E..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

The breathing cycle gates memory reactivation during human NREM sleep

Sleep-dependent memory consolidation relies on the precise coordination of slow oscillations (SOs) and spindles. Respiration has recently emerged as a potential pacemaker of this coordination, but whether it thereby shapes memory processes during sleep remains unknown. Here, we used closed-loop targeted memory reactivation (TMR) in humans (N = 25) to target auditory cues to either each participants SO-spindle-favored respiratory phase (preferred-phase cueing) or the opposite phase (antiphase cueing). Preferred-phase cueing enhanced associative memory relative to antiphase cueing and promoted more precise spindle alignment to SO up-states. Respiratory phase also shaped the timing of reactivation: preferred-phase cues aligned category-specific reactivation with the ensuing SO up-state, whereas antiphase cues delayed reactivation to later SO-spindle complexes occurring at a similar respiratory phase. These findings identify breathing as an endogenous timing signal that organizes the SO-spindle windows in which memory reactivation unfolds, thereby structuring sleep-dependent consolidation.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Respiratory coordination of excitability states across the human wake-sleep cycle

While the respiratory rhythm is increasingly recognized as a key modulator of oscillatory brain activity across the wake-sleep cycle in humans, very little is known about its influence on aperiodic brain activity during sleep. This broadband activity indicates spontaneous fluctuations in excitation-inhibition (E:I) balance across vigilance states and has recently been shown to systematically covary across the respiratory cycle during waking resting state. We used simultaneous EEG and respiratory recordings over a full night of sleep collected from N = 23 healthy participants to unravel the nested dynamics of respiration phase-locked excitability states across the wake-sleep cycle. We demonstrate a prominent phase shift in the coupling of aperiodic brain activity to respiratory rhythms as participants were transitioning from wakefulness to sleep. Moreover, respiration-brain coupling became more consistent both across and within participants, as interindividual as well as intraindividual variability systematically lessened from wakefulness and the transition to sleep towards deeper sleep stages. Our results suggest that respiration phase-locked changes in E:I balance conceivably add to sleep stage-specific neural signatures of REM and NREM sleep, highlighting the complexity of brain-body coupling during sleep.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Respiration shapes the neural dynamics of successful remembering in humans.

Respiration has been shown to impact memory retrieval, yet the neural dynamics underlying this effect remain unclear. Here, we investigated how respiration shapes both behavioral and neural expressions of memory retrieval by re-analyzing an existing dataset where scalp electroencephalography and respiration recordings were acquired while participants (N = 18) performed an episodic memory task. Our results unveil that respiration influences retrieval-related power fluctuations in the /{beta} band and concomitant memory reactivation. Specifically, we found that both key neural signatures of successful remembering were co-modulated during exhalation, with the strength of the interaction between respiration and reactivation processes being associated with memory performance. Together, these findings suggest that respiration may act as a scaffold for episodic memory retrieval in humans by coordinating the neural conditions that support effective remembering. Significance statementRecent evidence suggests that respiration may shape neural dynamics underlying various cognitive processes. In this study, we identify respiration as a potential pacemaker for memory retrieval by showing that key neural signatures of effective remembering--namely, decreases in /{beta} power and the reactivation of previously encoded neural representations--are tightly synchronized with the respiratory cycle. Notably, the strength of this respiration-brain coupling is associated with individual memory performance, underscoring the critical role and functional significance of brain-body interactions in supporting cognitive functions.

neuroscience↗