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Performance Psychophysiology

Research Methods

At our lab, we investigate various non-invasive methods within our research. 

Here you can find an overview on our used methods, as well as corresponding published papers. 

Slow-paced breathing

Slow-paced breathing is a deliberate technique where you slow your breath to about six breaths per minute, usually with longer exhales, to voluntarily reduce your respiratory rate and enhance mind–body regulation. It reliably increases parasympathetic (vagal) activity and heart-rate variability, helping reduce stress and improve emotional well-being while strengthening cardiorespiratory coupling.


For more information, take a look at the following papers:  


  • Sevoz-Couche, C., & Laborde, S. (2022). Heart rate variability and slow-paced breathing:when coherence meets resonance. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 135, 104576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104576
  • Laborde, S., Allen, M. S., Borges, U., Dosseville, F., Hosang, T. J., Iskra, M., Mosley, E., Salvotti, C., Spolverato, L., Zammit, N., & Javelle, F. (2022). Effects of voluntary slow breathing on heart rate and heart rate variability: A systematic review and a meta-analysis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 138(104711), 104711. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104711
  • Laborde, S., Allen, M. S., Borges, U., Dosseville, F., Hosang, T. J., Iskra, M., Mosley, E., Salvotti, C., Spolverato, L., Zammit, N., & Javelle, F. (2022). Effects of voluntary slow breathing on heart rate and heart rate variability: A systematic review and a meta-analysis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 138(104711), 104711. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104711
  •  Laborde, S., Allen, M. S., Borges, U., Iskra, M., Zammit, N., You, M., Hosang, T., Mosley, E., & Dosseville, F. (2021). Psychophysiological effects of slow‐paced breathing at six cycles per minute with or without heart rate variability biofeedback. Psychophysiology. https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.13952
  • Laborde, S., Lentes, T., Hosang, T. J., Borges, U., Mosley, E., & Dosseville, F. (2019). Influence of Slow-Paced Breathing on Inhibition After Physical Exertion. Frontiers in Psychology, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01923
  • Laborde, S., Hosang, T., Mosley, E., & Dosseville, F. (2019). Influence of a 30-Day Slow-Paced Breathing Intervention Compared to Social Media Use on Subjective Sleep Quality and Cardiac Vagal Activity. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm8020193
  • Laborde, S., Ackermann, S., Borges, U., D'Agostini, M., Manon Giraudier, Iskra, M., Mosley, E., Ottaviani, C., Salvotti, C., Maximilian Schmaußer, Christoph Szeska, Ilse Van Diest, Ventura-Bort, C., Voigt, L., Wendt, J., & Mathias Weymar. (2023). Leveraging Vagally Mediated Heart Rate Variability as an Actionable, Noninvasive Biomarker for Self-Regulation: Assessment, Intervention, and Evaluation. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 10(2), 212–220. https://doi.org/10.1177/23727322231196789
  • Laborde, S., Zammit, N., Iskra, M., Mosley, E., Borges, U., Allen, M. S., & Javelle, F. (2022). The influence of breathing techniques on physical sport performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 17(2), 1–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/1750984x.2022.2145573 

Diving Reflex

The diving reflex is an automatic physiological response that occurs when the face (especially around the nose and cheeks) is submerged in water and breathing is held. This leads to activation of neural pathways that significantly increase cardiac vagal activity and slow the heart rate. 


For more information, take a look at the following paper:


  • Ackermann, S. P., Raab, M., Backschat, S., Smith, D. J. C., Javelle, F., & Laborde, S. (2022). The diving response and cardiac vagal activity: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Psychophysiology, 60(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.14183

Recovery Techniques

Recovery techniques are physical methods applied after exercise-induced fatigue (e.g., stretching, cold water immersion) that help the body return to a rested state faster by boosting parasympathetic nervous system activity, which can be measured with heart rate variability (vmHRV). 


For more information, take a look at the following paper:


  • Laborde, S., Wanders, J., Mosley, E., & Javelle, F. (2024). Influence of physical post-exercise recovery techniques on vagally-mediated heart rate variability: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging, 44(1), 14–35. https://doi.org/10.1111/cpf.12855

Light 

We analyze the affect of visible light exposure (different brightness and colors) on vagally-mediated heart rate variability. 

For more information on the influence of Bright blue versus warm-colored light on the vmHRV ...


... take a look at the following paper:


  • Martins, V., Allen, M. S., Borges, U., Laterza, P., Jackovič, M., Mosley, E., Javelle, F., & Laborde, S. (2025). Effects of light exposure on vagally-mediated heart rate variability: A systematic review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 176, 106241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106241

tVNS

tVNS stands for transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation. It is a non-invasive method that gently stimulates the vagus nerve using small electrical impulses applied to the skin, usually on the outer ear. In our tVNS experiments, HRV is being manipulated with the help of tVNS. We then observe how the HRV and specific mental functions change, compared to no application of tVNS. 


    For more information, take a look at the following papers:

    • Farmer, A. D., Strzelczyk, A., Finisguerra, A., Gourine, A. V., Gharabaghi, A., Hasan, A., Burger, A. M., Jaramillo, A. M., Mertens, A., Majid, A., Verkuil, B., Badran, B. W., Ventura-Bort, C., Gaul, C., Beste, C., Warren, C. M., Quintana, D. S., Hämmerer, D., Freri, E., & Frangos, E. (2021). International Consensus Based Review and Recommendations for Minimum Reporting Standards in Research on Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (Version 2020). Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2020.568051
    • Wolf, V., Kühnel, A., Teckentrup, V., Koenig, J., & Kroemer, N. B. (2021). Does transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation affect vagally mediated heart rate variability? A living and interactive Bayesian meta‐analysis. Psychophysiology. https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.13933

    tDCS & TMS

    Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS):
    tDCS is a non-invasive method that delivers a constant, low-intensity electrical current through electrodes on the scalp to subtly change the excitability of neurons beneath them. It doesn't directly trigger action potentials but makes brain cells more or less likely to fire, depending on the polarity of stimulation. 

    Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS):
    TMS uses brief magnetic pulses generated by a coil near the head to induce electrical currents in specific brain regions, directly influencing neural activity non-invasively. Because the magnetic field penetrates the skull, TMS can activate neurons more directly than tDCS.

    For more information, take a look at the following papers:


    • Schmaußer, M., Hoffmann, S., Raab, M., & Laborde, S. (2022). The effects of noninvasive brain stimulation on heart rate and heart rate variability: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Journal of Neuroscience Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/jnr.25062 

    •  Schmaußer, M., & Laborde, S. (2023). Tonic and phasic cardiac vagal activity predict cognitive-affective processing in an emotional stop-signal task. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 191, 9–18.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2023.06.008

    • Schmaußer, M., Raab, M., & Laborde, S. (2024). The dynamic role of the left dlPFC in neurovisceral integration: Differential effects of theta burst stimulation on vagally mediated heart rate variability and cognitive‐affective processing. Psychophysiology, 61(9). https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.14606