Associated publication:

Title: Respiration shapes the neural dynamics of successful remembering in humans

Author List: Esteban Bullón Tarrasó, Fabian Schwimmbeck, Marit Petzka, Tobias Staudigl, Bernhard P. Staresina & Thomas Schreiner

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.17.649286

Folders contain Matlab Code (i.e., code.zip), participants raw and segmented EEG and respiratory data (openData.zip) and auxiliary files and preprocessing checkpoints (i.e., auxiliary.zip) 

Data formats: .vhdr, .vmrk, .eeg, .mat, .m, .txt

## Unpacking the files 

- Download all ZIP files 
- Make sure you have an unpacking program installed. On Windows, we recommend [7-Zip](https://www.7-zip.org/), but Winrar or another unzip program will most likely work as well. 
- After downloading use the unpacking program to extract the content INSIDE the code folder

To run the code, you will need the following toolboxes:

-	Fieldtrip (https://www.fieldtriptoolbox.org/download/)
-	CircStat (https://github.com/circstat/circstat-matlab)
-	MVPA-Light (https://github.com/treder/MVPA-Light)
-	Boundedline (https://github.com/kakearney/boundedline-pkg/tree/master)
-	Daviolin (https://de.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/136524-daviolinplot-violin-and-raincloud-plots)

Abstract: Respiration has been shown to impact memory retrieval, yet the neural dynamics underlying this effect remain unclear. Here, we investigated how respiration shapes both behavioral and neural expressions of memory retrieval by re-analyzing an existing dataset where scalp electroencephalography and respiration recordings were acquired while participants (N = 18) performed an episodic memory task. Our results unveil that respiration influences retrieval-related power fluctuations in the ⍺/β band and concomitant memory reactivation. Specifically, we found that both key neural signatures of successful remembering were co-modulated during exhalation, with the strength of the interaction between respiration and reactivation processes being associated with memory performance. Together, these findings suggest that respiration may act as a scaffold for episodic memory retrieval in humans by coordinating the neural conditions that support effective remembering.