Effects of external body vibrations on cognitive performance through brain–cardio–respiratory dynamics

Abstract

Abstract External body vibrations (EBV) affect the human physiological and cognitive states. Here we construct a neurophysiological model integrating a cortical model and the cardiovascular system, exploring impacts of EBV on physiological and cognitive function. We adopted a reservoir computing model for cortical dynamics to investigate cognitive effects, focusing on binocular rivalry. This model successfully replicated changes in human perceptual alternation observed during voluntary respiratory control and cycling exercise. Our simulation indicates that EBV exerts frequency-dependent effects on perceptual alternation, brain variability, and heart rate variability, demonstrating that synchronization between the locus coeruleus and the cardiorespiratory system influences these measures. These results provide mechanistic insights, implying that EBV can finely tune brain and cardiovascular dynamics, thereby potentially optimizing cognitive performance.