Are there sleep secrets hidden in the deepest parts of the brain that science has yet to uncover?
Hackensack Meridian Team health and its Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) have published a new detailed study examining the brain and found that, unlike light sleep or quiet wakefulness, breathing patterns and brain activity are more independent of each other during the deepest sleep.
This study neuroscience journal In January, they collaborated with a team led by CDI author Dr. Bong Mi Gu, also from Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. The research team includes Dr. Korsum Dedar and Elliott Newberg, who recently moved to the CDI from the Neuroscience Institute at Hackensack Meridian JFK University Medical Center.
This paper focuses on the basal ganglia, a collection of neurons responsible for motor control and other roles. Of most interest to scientists is a small region called the substantia nigra, which controls movement and produces dopamine, among other functions. Scientists say the relationship between these structures and sleep, and how they relate to each other’s rhythms, has not been extensively studied until now.
“This study provides for the first time a detailed characterization of respiratory neural connections across multiple states, including rest-wake, non-REM sleep, REM sleep, and anesthesia, in the substantia nigra and primary motor cortex, which have not been studied previously.”” writes the author.
The researchers measured the mice’s sleep cycles and compared their brain’s electrical activity and breathing, as well as the time lag between the two. They also evaluated mice under ketamine anesthesia as well as awake mice.
Scientists have found that there are nuances and differences in every state. One consistent thread, however, was that in the deepest non-REM sleep, breathing occurs almost independently of brain waves, with “slow delta” activity particularly evident in the deepest parts of sleep.
”The strength of respiratory and neural connections varied across multiple states, including NREM sleep, REM sleep, quiet wakefulness, and anesthesia, and was directly related to delta power, a characteristic of NREM sleep.” writes the author.
This conclusion could pave the way for a deeper understanding of how sleep works, and could be useful for some disease conditions, the researchers found.
”These findings provide new insights into how the brain’s internal state interacts with peripheral rhythms such as breathing, with important functional implications for both sleep and anesthesia.” the scientists wrote.
”moreover” they added.Elucidating the mechanisms underlying respiratory and neural connections, particularly within basal ganglia circuits, will elucidate pathophysiology such as Parkinson’s disease, where both sleep and breathing are commonly disrupted.. ”
sauce:
Hackensack Meridian Health
Reference magazines:
Dedar, K. Others. (2026). Dynamic respiratory neural connections in the substantia nigra during sleep and anesthesia. Journal of Neuroscience. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1154-25.2025. https://www.jneurosci.org/content/46/2/e1154252025
