[Article] Modulatory dynamics of periodic and aperiodic activity in respiration-brain coupling

Summary: This study utilized resting-state MEG and EEG data from 78 participants to investigate the previously unstudied link between respiration and aperiodic neural activity, specifically the 1/f slope which serves as a marker for the excitation-inhibition (E:I) balance. The authors discovered that fluctuations in the aperiodic slope are significantly phase-locked to the respiratory cycle, with flatter slopes (indicating higher excitation) occurring during inspiration and steeper slopes (indicating higher inhibition) during expiration, particularly over parieto-occipital regions. These findings demonstrate that respiration acts as a physiological modulator of spontaneous brain state shifts and that this coupling to aperiodic activity follows distinct temporal dynamics compared to periodic oscillatory activity. Kluger, Daniel S., et al. “Modulatory dynamics of periodic and aperiodic activity in respiration-brain coupling.” Nature communications 14.1 (2023): 4699.