Breathing could be the "driver" that helps coordinate brain processes involved in consolidating memory during sleep -- similar to how a conductor coordinates various instruments in an orchestra to produce a symphony, a new study has found.

During sleep, the brain integrates or "consolidates" new information learned throughout the day with prior knowledge, storing it for long-term use.

According to the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, breathing rhythms during sleep are linked to "slow spindles" brain waves in the hippocampus-- an area of the brain responsible for memory and learning. These brain waves occur during the non-rapid eye movement (NREM) phase of sleep.

While slow spindles have previously been shown to play a role in memory, the underlying driver of this process was unknown, said researchers at Northwestern University in the US.

These findings have important implications for conditions like sleep apnea, which disrupt breathing during sleep and are associated with poor memory consolidation, the researchers added.

"To strengthen memories, three special neural oscillations emerge and synchronise in the hippocampus during sleep, but they were thought to occur at random times," said study senior author Christina Zelano, a professor of neurology at Northwestern University.

"We discovered that these oscillations are coordinated by breathing rhythms," she said. The team analysed activity in the hippocampus of six patients with epilepsy during nights that were entirely free of seizures.

They found that slow spindle activity in the hippocampus occurred at specific points in the breathing cycle, suggesting that breathing is a critical rhythm for proper memory consolidation during sleep.

"Memory consolidation relies on the orchestration of brain waves during sleep, and we show that this process is closely timed to breathing," said author Andrew Sheriff, a postdoctoral researcher in Zelano's lab.

The study suggests that people with disrupted breathing during sleep should seek treatment for the condition, Sheriff said.

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