Inconclusive evidence that breathing shapes pupil dynamics in humans: a systematic review.
Pflugers Arch
; 475(1): 119-137, 2023 01.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35871662
ABSTRACT
More than 50 years ago, it was proposed that breathing shapes pupil dynamics. This widespread idea is also the general understanding currently. However, there has been no attempt at synthesizing the progress on this topic since. We therefore conducted a systematic review of the literature on how breathing affects pupil dynamics in humans. We assessed the effect of breathing phase, depth, rate, and route (nose/mouth). We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, and conducted a systematic search of the scientific literature databases MEDLINE, Web of Science, and PsycInfo in November 2021. Thirty-one studies were included in the final analyses, and their quality was assessed with QualSyst. The study findings were summarized in a descriptive manner, and the strength of the evidence for each parameter was estimated following the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. The effect of breathing phase on pupil dynamics was rated as "low" (6 studies). The effect of breathing depth and breathing rate (6 and 20 studies respectively) were rated as "very low". Breathing route was not investigated by any of the included studies. Overall, we show that there is, at best, inconclusive evidence for an effect of breathing on pupil dynamics in humans. Finally, we suggest some possible confounders to be considered, and outstanding questions that need to be addressed, to answer this fundamental question. Trial registration This systematic review has been registered in the international prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO) under the registration number CRD42022285044.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Pupila
Tipo de estudo:
Systematic_reviews
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article