Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Dec 4;24(17):935-40.
doi: 10.1097/WNR.0000000000000008.

Increased oxygen load in the prefrontal cortex from mouth breathing: a vector-based near-infrared spectroscopy study

Masahiro Sano  1 , Sayaka Sano, Noriyuki Oka, Kayoko Yoshino, Toshinori Kato
Affiliations

Increased oxygen load in the prefrontal cortex from mouth breathing: a vector-based near-infrared spectroscopy study

Masahiro Sano et al. Neuroreport. .

Abstract

Individuals who habitually breathe through the mouth are more likely than nasal breathers to have sleep disorders and attention deficit hyperactive disorder. We hypothesized that brain hemodynamic responses in the prefrontal cortex might be different for mouth and nasal breathing. To test this hypothesis, we measured changes in oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin in the prefrontal cortex during mouth breathing and nasal breathing in healthy adults (n=9) using vector-based near-infrared spectroscopy. The angle k, calculated from changes in oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin and indicating the degree of oxygen exchange, was significantly higher during mouth breathing (P<0.05), indicating an increased oxygen load. Mouth breathing also caused a significant increase in deoxyhemoglobin, but oxyhemoglobin did not increase. This difference in oxygen load in the brain arising from different breathing routes can be evaluated quantitatively using vector-based near-infrared spectroscopy. Phase responses could help to provide an earlier and more reliable diagnosis of a patient's habitual breathing route than a patient interview.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
(a) Attachment of probes and taping: (1) BA10 probe, (2) respiratory rate probe, (A) nose taping, (B) mouth taping. (b) Polar coordinate plane for analysis of cerebral oxygenation. Phase numbers are shown in each octant. The relationship between cerebral oxygen exchange (ΔCOE) and cerebral blood volume (ΔCBV) can be detected by the trajectory of a vector. NIRS, near-infrared spectroscopy.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
(a) Trajectory of cerebral oxygen regulation vectors during nasal and mouth breathing. Time courses of changes in (b) deoxyhemoglobin (DeoxyHb) and (c) oxyhemoglobin (OxyHb). Average cumulative sums and SEM were calculated every 30 s during nasal and mouth breathing. Asterisks indicate significant differences (*P<0.05). ΔCBV, cerebral blood volume; ΔCOE, cerebral oxygen exchange. au, arbitary unit; ns, not significant.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Time courses of k for nasal and mouth breathing. Asterisks indicate significant differences (**P<0.05; *P<0.1).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Young T, Finn L, Kim H.Nasal obstruction as a risk factor for sleep-disordered breathing.J Allergy Clin Immunol 1997;99:757–762 - PubMed
    1. Jefferson Y.Mouth breathing: adverse effects on facial growth, health, academics, and behavior.Gen Dent 2010;58:18–25 - PubMed
    1. Harari D, Redlich M, Miri S, Hamud T, Gross M.The effect of mouth breathing versus nasal breathing on dentofacial and craniofacial development in orthodontic patients.Laryngoscope 2010;120:2089–2093 - PubMed
    1. Bakor SF, Pereira JC, Frascino S, Ladalardo TC, Pignatari SS, Weckx LL.Demineralization of teeth in mouth-breathing patients undergoing maxillary expansion.Braz J Otorhinolaryngol 2010;76:709–712 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Stancák A, Jr, Kuna M.EEG changes during forced alternate nostril breathing.Int J Psychophysiol 1994;18:75–79 - PubMed

Publication types