Mechanisms of the breathing contribution to bodily self‐consciousness in healthy humans: Lessons from machine‐assisted breathing?

• Published in: Psychophysiology Vol. 57; no. 8; pp. e13564 - n/a
• Main Authors: Betka, Sophie, Canzoneri, Elisa, Adler, Dan, Herbelin, Bruno, Bello‐Ruiz, Javier, Kannape, Oliver Alan, Similowski, Thomas, Blanke, Olaf
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.08.2020; Wiley; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Computer applications; Consciousness; interoception; Life Sciences; Mechanical ventilation; motor command; multisensory perception; Neurons and Cognition; Original; pneumology; Respiration; self; Virtual reality; self; respiration; interoception; pneumology; motor command; multisensory perception
• ISSN: 0048-5772; 1469-8986; 1540-5958
• DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13564

Previous studies investigated bodily self‐consciousness (BSC) by experimentally exposing subjects to multisensory conflicts (i.e., visuo‐tactile, audio‐tactile, visuo‐cardiac) in virtual reality (VR) that involve the participant's torso in a paradigm known as the full‐body illusion (FBI). Using a modified FBI paradigm, we found that synchrony of visuo‐respiratory stimulation (i.e., a flashing outline surrounding an avatar in VR; the flash intensity depending on breathing), is also able to modulate BSC by increasing self‐location and breathing agency toward the virtual body. Our aim was to investigate such visuo‐respiratory effects and determine whether respiratory motor commands contributes to BSC, using non‐invasive mechanical ventilation (i.e., machine‐delivered breathing). Seventeen healthy participants took part in a visuo‐respiratory FBI paradigm and performed the FBI during two breathing conditions: (a) “active breathing” (i.e., participants actively initiate machine‐delivered breaths) and (b) “passive breathing” (i.e., breaths’ timing was determined by the machine). Respiration rate, tidal volume, and their variability were recorded. In line with previous results, participants experienced subjective changes in self‐location, breathing agency, and self‐identification toward the avatar's body, when presented with synchronous visuo‐respiratory stimulation. Moreover, drift in self‐location was reduced and tidal volume variability were increased by asynchronous visuo‐respiratory stimulations. Such effects were not modulated by breathing control manipulations. Our results extend previous FBI findings showing that visuo‐respiratory stimulation affects BSC, independently from breathing motor command initiation. Also, variability of respiratory parameters was influenced by visuo‐respiratory feedback and might reduce breathing discomfort. Further exploration of such findings might inform the development of respiratory therapeutic tools using VR in patients. By combining a visuo‐respiratory full‐body illusion paradigm with machine‐delivered breathing, we investigate the contribution of breathing motor commands to bodily‐self consciousness (BSC). We show that synchrony of visuo‐respiratory signals modulates subjective and objective measures of BSC, independently of the breathing manipulation. This suggests that the illusion is driven by the respiratory‐related afferent signals.