Motor patterns underlying speech or singing are different than Breathing at Rest

This is really really cool. This may also explain why some people who have lost their minds [reversible or not] and spontaneous speech and thought can still sing in response to listening to music [a different motor act with a different pattern of neural and muscle use than spontaneous speech.

In fact, singing requires participation of extra inspiratory and expiratory muscles to help support ventilation.

Exercise will also engage different and more muscles [limbs, etc] which will engage different neural pathways also affecting ventilation.

This is very helpful, if the ventilatory pathways at rest are damaged , as they are in Paula and in Kraepelin’s patients.

It is not helpful when one is tired and weak from additional illness or CO2 exposure.

In those cases, conserving energy is more helpful.

See past blogposts.