Perception and neural processing of breathlessness

Breathlessness (dyspnea) is the threatening cardinal symptom in many prevalent respiratory diseases such as COPD and asthma, but also in other diseases including cancer, cardiac, neuromuscular, psychiatric and psychosomatic illnesses. Breathlessness often leads to avoidance of physical activity and is associated with severe disability as well as significant reductions in quality of life in millions of patients worldwide. This multidisciplinary PhD research project will examine the impact of neural and psychological mechanisms on the perception of breathlessness in healthy individuals and in patients with respiratory disease (e.g., COPD, asthma). Moreover, respective interrelations of these mechanisms with physical activity and other patient characteristics will be studied. The PhD student will carry out several studies that aim to assess these aspects in a rehabilitation context as well as in laboratory settings. A major focus is the assessment of neural activation patterns related to breathing as measured by evoked potentials in the EEG (128-channel EEG system and/or mobile 32-channel system). Other outcome measures will include exercise tests, physical activity measures, self-reports, questionnaires and peripheral psychophysiological responses (e.g., breathing patterns).