Mindfulness breathing practice and heart rate patterns for memory

Researchers want to understand whether a simple daily mindfulness practice—focusing on your breath in a specific way—can help protect your memory and thinking as you age. This study will teach you mindfulness breathing exercises, some designed to create steady heartbeats and others designed to create more variable heartbeats. You'll receive real-time feedback about your heart rate during the practice, and researchers will check your memory, attention, and blood markers linked to Alzheimer's disease before and after the 10-week program.

Age-related memory problems and cognitive decline affect many people. Scientists have found that meditation may help protect the brain, but they don't yet understand how different types of breathing patterns—and the heart rate changes they create—might affect learning and memory. This study aims to fill that gap and find the best breathing approach for brain health.