Project description
Breathing new life into burnout
Burnout is a common public health issue and is not limited to high-pressure jobs. It is marked by exhaustion, lower cognitive performance, and psychological stress. About one in five adults experiences burnout, with rates among healthcare workers reaching as high as 80 %. There are few effective treatments available. In this context, the EU-funded NEURO-BURN project aims to investigate whether controlled breathing can help. Researchers will combine neuroscience, psychology, and biomedical engineering to explore how breathing techniques affect brain activity, executive functions, and mental health. The team will use EEG scans, cognitive tasks, and clinical scales to find measurable benefits. Their work may lead to affordable treatments.
Objective
The goal of the research project is to investigate the neuromodulatory effects of controlled breathing (CB) interventions on enhancing cognition (i.e. executive functions (EF)) and mental well-being in individuals suffering from burnout disorder.
Burnout disorder, signified by debilitating psychological, cognitive, and physiological symptoms, is a growing concern in contemporary society. With an estimated average prevalence of around 20% in the general population and significantly higher rates in specific professional groups (e.g. up to 80% in healthcare workers), burnout disorder necessitates innovative intervention and treatment approaches.
The current multidisciplinary study intersects cognitive neuroscience, psychology, biomedical engineering, and health sciences to explore how CB can modulate brain oscillations and improve cognitive and mental health outcomes in burnout disorder.
The project will employ a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to examine CB’s impact on three key layers: (1) brain oscillations (i.e. electroencephalography (EEG) measurements), (2) cognition (i.e. standardised EF tasks), and (3) mental well-being (i.e. standardised scales). By utilising EEG, standardised EF tasks, and standardised mental well-being symptom scales, the study will assess pre- and post-intervention changes in neural activity, cognitive performance, and mental well-being.
The research findings will be grounded in a theoretical framework – the Free Energy Principle – allowing the formulation of further testable and falsifiable hypotheses and leading towards a structured methodology for investigating the specific mechanisms through which CB influences neurophysiological, cognitive, and psychological processes in burnout, and ensuring that the findings are robust and reproducible.
The project outcomes are expected to advance the scientific understanding of non-invasive neuromodulation via CB, offering accessible practical solutions for mental health improvement.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.4.1 - Widening participation and spreading excellence
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-WIDERA-2024-TALENTS-02
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
01513 Vilnius
Lithuania
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.