The respiratory resistance sensitivity task: An automated method for quantifying respiratory interoception and metacognition

TY - JOUR

T1 - The respiratory resistance sensitivity task:

T2 - An automated method for quantifying respiratory interoception and metacognition

AU - Nikolova, Niia

AU - Harrison, Olivia

AU - Toohey, Sophie

AU - Brændholt, Malthe

AU - Legrand, Nicolas

AU - Correa, Camile

AU - Vejlø, Melina

AU - Jensen, Martin Snejbjerg

AU - Fardo, Francesca

AU - Allen, Micah

PY - 2022/4

Y1 - 2022/4

N2 - The ability to sense, monitor, and control respiration – e.g., respiratory interoception (henceforth, respiroception) is a core homeostatic ability. Beyond the regulation of gas exchange, enhanced awareness of respiratory sensations is directly related to psychiatric symptoms such as panic and anxiety. Indeed, chronic breathlessness (dyspnea) is associated with a fourfold increase in the risk of developing depression and anxiety, and the regulation of the breath is a key aspect of many mindfulness-based approaches to the treatment of mental illness. Physiologically speaking, the ability to accurately monitor respiratory sensations is important for optimizing cardiorespiratory function during athletic exertion, and can be a key indicator of illness. Given the important role of respiroception in mental and physical health, it is unsurprising that there is increased interest in the quantification of respiratory psychophysiology across different perceptual and metacognitive levels of the psychological hierarchy. Compared to other more popular modalities of interoception, such as in the cardiac domain, there are relatively few methods available for measuring aspects of respiroception. Existing inspiratory loading tasks are difficult to administer and frequently require expensive medical equipment, or offer poor granularity in their quantification of respiratory-related perceptual ability. To facilitate the study of respiroception, we here present a new, fully automated and computer-controlled apparatus and psychophysiological method, which can flexibly and easily measure respiratory-related interoceptive sensitivity, bias and metacognition, in as little as 30 min of testing, using easy to make 3D printable parts.

AB - The ability to sense, monitor, and control respiration – e.g., respiratory interoception (henceforth, respiroception) is a core homeostatic ability. Beyond the regulation of gas exchange, enhanced awareness of respiratory sensations is directly related to psychiatric symptoms such as panic and anxiety. Indeed, chronic breathlessness (dyspnea) is associated with a fourfold increase in the risk of developing depression and anxiety, and the regulation of the breath is a key aspect of many mindfulness-based approaches to the treatment of mental illness. Physiologically speaking, the ability to accurately monitor respiratory sensations is important for optimizing cardiorespiratory function during athletic exertion, and can be a key indicator of illness. Given the important role of respiroception in mental and physical health, it is unsurprising that there is increased interest in the quantification of respiratory psychophysiology across different perceptual and metacognitive levels of the psychological hierarchy. Compared to other more popular modalities of interoception, such as in the cardiac domain, there are relatively few methods available for measuring aspects of respiroception. Existing inspiratory loading tasks are difficult to administer and frequently require expensive medical equipment, or offer poor granularity in their quantification of respiratory-related perceptual ability. To facilitate the study of respiroception, we here present a new, fully automated and computer-controlled apparatus and psychophysiological method, which can flexibly and easily measure respiratory-related interoceptive sensitivity, bias and metacognition, in as little as 30 min of testing, using easy to make 3D printable parts.

KW - Respiration

KW - Interoception

KW - Metacognition

KW - Psychophysics

KW - DEPRESSION

KW - PANIC DISORDER

KW - ANXIETY

KW - DYSPNEA

KW - REACTIVITY

KW - RESISTIVE LOADS

KW - FEAR

KW - PERCEPTION

KW - 35-PERCENT CARBON-DIOXIDE

KW - BRAIN

KW - Interoception/physiology

KW - Heart Rate/physiology

KW - Respiratory Rate

KW - Awareness

KW - Humans

KW - Metacognition/physiology

KW - Dyspnea

KW - Anxiety

U2 - 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108325

DO - 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108325

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35358604

SN - 0301-0511

VL - 170

JO - Biological Psychology

JF - Biological Psychology

M1 - 108325

ER -