Control by Breathing Exploring cardiopulmonary techniques utilised by air breathing diving animals in response to altered gas mixes.
Abstract
Control by breathing is a growing body of research demonstrating the utility of specific respiratory techniques for modulating ventilation. Changes in breathing kinematics (duration/proportion of inhalation and exhalation, respiratory pauses, thoracic contraction/relaxation, tidal volume changes, and apnoea) resulting in improved physiological control, have been shown to affect the regulation of blood gases, thermoregulatory control, short-term management of infection, acute anxiety management, and induce hypometabolism. The potential utility of #control by breathing# to ameliorate the physiological impacts of changes in inhaled gas, conditions experienced by military divers and pilots, remains unexplored. Our aim is to use a multi-modal, multi-scale approach (from lung functiontests to molecular-level profiling of individual metabolites) to investigate the cardio-respiratory repertoire utilised by seals, an animal model regularly exposed to hyperoxia, hypoxia and hypercapnia, and understand their function in gas management and diving optimality. Utilising bespoke, world-leading facilities, we will use this model diving organism as a resource to uncover potential novel breathing techniques that may ameliorate the impact of hyperoxia, hypoxia and hypercapnia. We aim to then work with human freedivers, adept in volitional breathing techniques, to translate seal-derived techniques, to humans. Finally, through similar gas mix exposures as those presented to seals, we will assess the validity of seal-derived breathing techniques as #free# and #weightless# tools to improve diving performance, recovery, and safety. We hypothesise that adopting an altered breathing technique, derived from seals, that military personal could reduce the pathophysiological cost of the exposure, prolong performance capability, and reduce potentially recovery duration. In addition, the incorporation of several cutting-edge non-invasive measurement techniques in this research, such as the useof breathomics and wearable NIRS technology, would serve as an independent efficacy test of these novel technologies, e.g. to non-invasively measure aberrative physiological impacts from exhaled breath. This may also serve as a pilot exploration into breathomic analyses for in-dive or in-flight physiological/health monitoring through metabolic profiling.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Apr 11, 2024
- Source ID
- N629092412035
Entities
People
- Joseph Mcknight
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of St Andrews