The Role of Breathing Perception in Respiratory Control

Conditions

• Work of Breathing

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

18 Years - 40 Years

Healthy Volunteers

Accepted

Interventions

• Ambient Noise — OTHER
  Participants will complete the breathing task with ambient (or normal) auditory feedback (\~10 decibels).
• Increased Auditory Feedback — OTHER
  Participants will complete the breathing task with increased auditory feedback of ventilation (\~70 decibels). Specifically, a small microphone will be placed in the device that participants breathe through to increase the sound of the participants breath.
• Noise Distraction — OTHER
  Participants will complete the breathing task without auditory feedback of ventilation. Specifically, participants will wear noise cancelling headphones and will listen to a self-selected music playlist at a constant volume (\~80 decibels).

Study Details

Warfighters are frequently exposed to environments and life-support systems that increase breathing resistance and the work of breathing (WOB), such as aircraft on-board oxygen generation systems and underwater breathing apparatuses. Elevated WOB then increases the perception of breathing difficulty (dyspnea) and has been associated with impaired cognitive performance, including slower reaction time and reduced accuracy during attention-demanding tasks. These effects are particularly concerning in operational settings that require rapid decision-making and precise motor responses. Despite growing recognition of this issue, critical gaps remain regarding strategies to mitigate the perceptual and cognitive consequences of elevated inspiratory resistance, especially under realistic operational stressors. The objective of this experiment is to determine whether modifying the sensory perception of breathing alters breathing perception and cognitive performance during inspiratory resistance. Auditory feedback of ventilation will be manipulated (normal, reduced, or amplified) to assess whether altering breathing-related sensory input affects breathing perception and cognitive performance without changing mechanical load.

Key Dates

Start date

Jun 1, 2027

Status verified

Mar 2026

Primary completion

Jun 1, 2027

Completion

Sep 30, 2028

Study Design

Enrollment

15 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Arms

• Active Comparator: Ambient noise, then music distraction, then increased ventilation auditory feedback
  Participants will complete 3 full length breathing tasks, one under each auditory condition. The order of condition exposure will be assigned via randomization.
• Active Comparator: Ambient noise, then increased ventilation auditory feedback, then music distraction
  Participants will complete 3 full length breathing tasks, one under each auditory condition. The order of condition exposure will be assigned via randomization.
• Active Comparator: Music distraction, then ambient noise, then increased ventilation auditory feedback
  Participants will complete 3 full length breathing tasks, one under each auditory condition. The order of condition exposure will be assigned via randomization.
• Active Comparator: Increased ventilation auditory feedback, then ambient noise, then music distraction
  Participants will complete 3 full length breathing tasks, one under each auditory condition. The order of condition exposure will be assigned via randomization.
• Active Comparator: Increased ventilation auditory feedback, then music distraction, then ambient noise
  Participants will complete 3 full length breathing tasks, one under each auditory condition. The order of condition exposure will be assigned via randomization.
• Active Comparator: Music distraction, then increased ventilation auditory feedback, then ambient noise
  Participants will complete 3 full length breathing tasks, one under each auditory condition. The order of condition exposure will be assigned via randomization.

Primary Outcome Measure

Change in Stroop Color-Word Test Time Performance [ Time Frame: Before and after each Day 1 breathing task (approximately 60 minutes in duration) ]

Central Contacts

• Timothy D Mickleborough, PhD
  812-855-0753
  [email protected]

Locations (1)

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