title: Voluntary breath holding affects spontaneous brain activity measured by magnetoencephalography.
abstract: Spontaneous brain activity was measured by multichannel magnetoencephalography (MEG) during voluntary breath holds. Significant changes in the activity are limited to the alpha rhythm: 0.25 Hz frequency increase and narrowing of the peak. The area of alpha activity shifts slightly toward (fronto-) temporal. The topography of other rhythms is unaffected by breath holding. Electroencephalographic (EEG; 36 channels maximal) recordings generally made simultaneously with the MEG recordings show similar effects. However, EEG was inadequate to reveal the small topographic differences. Systemic hypercapnia caused by a long breath hold is unlikely to play an important role in producing the observed effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Schellart
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Reits
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000513:Alpha Rhythm; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D015225:Magnetoencephalography; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012119:Respiration