Effects of breathing on brain, body and their coupling in elite adolescent ice hockey players
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN14521276 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN14521276 |
| Sponsors | South Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences, University of Chieti-Pescara |
| Funder | South-Eastern University of Applied Sciences |
- Submission date
- 18/06/2026
- Registration date
- 24/06/2026
- Last edited
- 22/06/2026
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Overall study status
- Ongoing
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
There is a lack of evidence in current research literature containing acute effects of breathing on neurophysiological mechanisms, especially on elite level athletes. Also, this study builds a neurophysiological foundation to more comprehensively understand the synchronization of brain – body connection for deeper research of human performance in the future.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of controlled breathing on brain activity, autonomic function, and their coupling in ice hockey players. The study aims to identify neurophysiological mechanisms how breathing phases are coupled with brain activity in different brain regions, especially alpha power (8-12 Hz) & beta (12-30 Hz) and how breathing
may enhance subjective emotional regulation, attentional balance, and physiological recovery.
Who can participate?
35 healthy male volunteers aged 15–20 years will be recruited for the study. All participants will be elite junior ice hockey players competing at the highest/ second highest national level in Finland. All participants will receive standardized information about the study.
What does the study involve?
Each participant will complete two experimental conditions during a single session: normal spontaneous breathing and a guided slow breathing condition. The order of conditions will be randomized to control for sequence effects. Guided breathing will be self-paced and characterized by a longer exhalation than inhalation, without external pacing (e.g. metronome), to enhance ecological validity and preserve natural breathing patterns. Both conditions will be performed in the same seated posture with eyes open. Participants will sit approximately 2.5 meters from a wall-mounted fixation cross to control visual input. Total duration of study is 1,5h.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Very low to no risk of irritation with use of electrode gel. There will be no direct benefit to participants as the devices will not be used diagnostically.
Where is the study run from?
All measurements will be conducted at Xamk’s Active Life Lab and Vierumäki Sport Institute (Finland).
When is the study starting and how long is it expecting to run for?
May 2026 to December 2026.
Who is funding the study?
Study is funded by South Eastern University of Applied Sciences (XAMK) (Finland).
Who is the main contact?
Jaakko Heikkilä, jaakko.heikkila@xamk.fi
Contact information
Public, Scientific, Principal investigator
Raviradantie 22
Mikkeli
50100
Finland
 ORCID ID |
0009-0001-6480-2083 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +358 504755926 |
| jaakko.heikkila@xamk.fi |
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Allocation | Randomized controlled trial |
| Masking | Open (masking not used) |
| Control | Active |
| Assignment | Crossover |
| Purpose | Basic science |
| Participant information sheet | 49744 PIS Finnish.pdf |
| Scientific title | Effects of breathing on brain, body and their coupling in elite adolescent ice hockey players |
| Study objectives | The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of controlled breathing on brain activity, autonomic function, and their coupling in ice hockey players. The study aims to identify neurophysiological mechanisms how breathing phases are coupled with brain activity in different brain regions, especially alpha power (8-12 Hz) & beta (12-30 Hz) and how breathing may enhance subjective emotional regulation, attentional balance, and physiological recovery. |
| Ethics approval(s) |
Approved 10/04/2026, Ethics board of South Eastern University of Applied Sciences (Patteristonkatu 3D, Mikkeli, 50100, Finland; +358 405469262; johanna.hirvonen@xamk.fi), ref: 2/2026 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Effects of deep breathing on brain activity, autonomic nervous system function, affective wellbeing, and brain–body coupling in healthy adolescents. |
| Intervention | Methodically this study will use EEG-measurements for brain signal oscillations (frontal, central, parietal, occipital), ECG for measuring cardiac signal, heart rate variability (HRV) and breathing will be monitored by piezoelectric respiration belt. All equipment will be connected to Enobio 20ch EEG device and analyses conducted in Python (Jyputer notebook, MNE) Within design study, participants will have two consecutive nose breathing conditions (natural vs. deep) in computer randomized order with washout period (2min) between conditions. Both condition phases include 3min stabilization phase, 5min intervention and 5min follow-up phase (total 13min). State questionnaires (Warr, VAS) after both conditions, trait questionnaires (backround, IPIP-20, MAIA-2) before, after and during washout. Respiration phase-dependent modulation of EEG alpha power (8–12 Hz) will be quantified using the modulation index (MI). This will be complemented by respiration-specific metrics (e.g., peak-to-trough difference, phase-binned alpha power) and integrated with cardiac variables (HR, RMSSD, HF, LF, SDNN) to characterize brain–body coupling. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
|
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
|
| Completion date | 31/12/2026 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | |
|---|---|
| Age group | Mixed |
| Lower age limit | 15 Years |
| Upper age limit | 20 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 35 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Healthy volunteer 2. Male or female 3. Adolescent 15-20 years old 4. Elite ice hockey players (highest or second highest junior league in Finland) |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Chronical arrhythmia or user of medicines that will affect on heart rate (diabetes care containing insulin, thyroxine, psychotropic drugs, tricyclic antidepressants, clozapine) 2. Participants will be informed to reduce caffeine and nicotine intake 3h, intensive sports 12h and alcohol 24h before measurement 3. Participants which don’t understand clearly Finnish or English will be excluded from the study |
| Date of first enrolment | 05/05/2026 |
| Date of final enrolment | 31/08/2026 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Finland
Study participating centres
Mikkeli
50100
Finland
Vierumäki
19120
Finland
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
|---|
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participant information sheet | in Finnish | 22/06/2026 | No | Yes |
Additional files
- 49744 PIS Finnish.pdf
- in Finnish
Editorial Notes
22/06/2026: Trial's existence confirmed by Ethics board of South Eastern University of Applied Sciences.
