ArticlePsychophysiology2026
Sighs Shape Respiratory Variability and Pupil Dynamics and Adapt to Sustained Attention Demands.
Article in Psychophysiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- When attention falters: Brain, breathing, and behavioral signals of lapses in interoceptive attention.Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience · 2026Article
- Sighs Shape Respiratory Variability and Pupil Dynamics and Adapt to Sustained Attention Demands.Psychophysiology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Sighs are spontaneous deep breaths thought to play a homeostatic role in respiratory control. Their relationship to respiratory variability has been repeatedly demonstrated. How sighs are related to task engagement, performance, structure and arousal has remained unclear. Presently, we investigated sigh behavior across two sustained attention tasks using respiratory belt recordings. Participants completed either a Gradual Contrast Change Detection task (dataset Grad) or a Paced Auditory Cue Entrainment task (dataset PACE), with subgroups performing the latter under spontaneous (NIB) or slow-paced (IB) breathing conditions. Sighs were identified as breaths at least twice the mean inspiratory volume (Vi). We analysed the total variability (coefficient of variation; CV) and structured variability (lag-1 autocorrelation; AR) of respiratory rate (RR) and Vi, their changes over the task, and around sigh events. In spontaneous breathing groups (Grad, NIB), sigh frequency was positively related to CV in both RR and Vi suggesting a relationship to overall variability, and negatively correlated to RR-AR, suggesting a relationship to the structure of the variability. Sigh frequency and CV increased over the task duration, while post-sigh dynamics showed decreased CV and increased Vi-AR, supporting sighs role in resetting the temporal structure. In IB group, sigh frequency was drastically reduced and no pre-post sigh changes were observed. Sighs were also associated with changes in pupil diameter, implicating involvement of the noradrenaline-mediated arousal system. Sighs were not related to any alterations in task performance or subjective engagement. Finally, stronger respiratory phase-locking to task timing was associated with higher sigh frequency and increased respiratory variability, suggesting that sigh behavior could be influenced by task dynamics. The lack of task performance differences should be clarified using demanding tasks which could draw out variability. These findings support a role of sighs with respect to respiratory variability, phase-locking behavior and pupil-linked arousal during prolonged cognitive tasks.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.