Respiration Shapes the Neural Dynamics of Successful Remembering in Humans

Abstract

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 reanalyzing an existing dataset where scalp electroencephalography and respiration recordings were acquired while participants ( N  = 18, 15 females) performed an episodic memory task. Our results unveil that respiration influences retrieval-related power fluctuations in the α/β band and concomitant memory reactivation. Specifically, we found that both key neural signatures of successful remembering were comodulated 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.