The Role of Breathing Perception in Respiratory Control

Starting soon · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Work of Breathing

In brief

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 facts

Study ID

NCT07470099

Run by

Indiana University

People needed

15

Starts

2027-06-01

Expected to finish

2028-09-30

Last updated by the study team

2026-03-13

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 40. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Between the ages of 18-40 years old.
• English speaking and reading.
• Self-reported weekly activity of at least 120 minutes/week of high intensity exercise for the previous 2 years.
• Normal pulmonary function assessed by a resting forced expiratory volume in 1 second over forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) > 75% of predicted.
• Normal cognitive function assessed using the Montreal cognitive function test [18].
• Body mass index (BMI) ≤ 35 kg/m2.
• Females with a regular menstrual cycle that ranges from 21-35 days (eumenorrhea)

You may not qualify if…

• History of smoking or recreational smoking, cardiovascular disease, renal disease, pulmonary disease (including asthma or exercise-induced asthma), neurological disease, and metabolic disease.
• Are pregnant or could possibly be pregnant by self-report.
• Are color blind.
• Known allergy or hypersensitivity latex.
• Take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, stimulant medication, antibiotics, and chronically consume pain medication (Aleve, Tylenol, etc.).
• Resting blood pressure of > 130mmHg systolic or 90 mmHg diastolic and/or resting pulse rate of > 100 bpm.
• Females with irregular menstrual cycles (oligomenorrhea) that ranges from 36-90 days, and females with the absence of a menstrual cycle (amenorrhea).
• Taking birth control for the sole purpose of period cessation (eg., Mirena IUD)

Where it is running

• Multidisciplinary Engineering and Sciences Hall (MESH) — Bloomington, Indiana, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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