Prescribing calmness: Could a pill provide the benefits of yoga?

In today’s information age, anxiety and stress problems are more common than ever.

There may soon be a revolutionary pill for those with such disorders that simulates the calmness of a yoga practice.

Researchers have made significant progress in understanding how our brains regulate breathing, putting them on the path of creating this fascinating drug.

The key to overcoming stress and anxiety-related disorders, according to researchers, may lie in adjusting the complex brain network that connects our breathing patterns to our cognitive states.

The ‘yoga’ pill

A brain mechanism that immediately deflates anxiety has been discovered by researchers from the US’s Salk Institute.

The new study, published in the scientific journal Nature Neuroscience, lays out how the pathway regulates voluntary breathing and emotional regulation in mice brains.

Unlike automatic breathing, which occurs without conscious thought, voluntary breathing is conscious breathing.

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According to Sun Han, the study’s senior author, the discovery opens up the possibility of developing new drugs that would replicate the calming effects of yoga, meditation, or breath training.

“I want to use these findings to design a yoga pill. It may sound silly, and the translation of our work into a marketable drug will take years, but we now have a potentially targetable brain circuit for creating therapeutics that could instantly slow breathing and initiate a peaceful, meditative state,” Sung Han said.

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The brain and breathing

Although most breathing is automatic, it is well-known that our controlled breathing patterns can change how we feel.

Taking a deep breath can help humans and certain animals feel less stressed and anxious. This method is essential to practices like yoga and mindfulness.

However, little is understood about the precise mechanism of this, which parts of the brain are causing the respiration to slow, and why this activity is relaxing.

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According to scientists, only the brainstem’s subconscious breathing systems are fully understood at this time.

The objective of this research was to identify conscious top-down mechanisms that link breathing and emotional regulation.

To do this, a group of researchers examined connections between various brain regions by evaluating a brain connectivity database.

A possible breathing circuit was identified by the research, which connected the anterior cingulate cortex, a frontal region, to an intermediate brainstem place, which in turn connected to the medulla directly below.

According to earlier research, respiration is initiated by the medulla when it is active, but signals originating from a brainstem region are known to suppress this activity and delay breathing.

Scientists hypothesised that specific emotions or actions would cause the brainstem region to become active, which could reduce medulla activity and cause breathing to slow down.

They tested the hypothesis by recording the brain activity of mice under fear and anxiety-inducing situations and when their respiration was changed as they sniffed, were swimming, and drank.

Researchers discovered that mice were calmer and breathed more slowly when the connection between the cortex and the brainstem region was active. In anxiety-inducing situations, their respiration rates increased and their communication dropped.

By tracing this pathway, scientists were able to identify a cluster of neurones in the mouse brain’s frontal cortex that link to the brainstem and control vital processes like breathing.

According to researchers, this link allows mice to synchronise their breathing with their present emotional and behavioural states.

Further examination of the link identified a new group of molecules in the brain and cells that researchers think drugs could target.

Researchers say the findings could result in long-term remedies for those suffering from panic, stress, and anxiety disorders.

Now Han’s group is attempting to identify the circuit that causes anxiety instead, which is a quick breathing circuit.

“To target the slow breathing circuit, we need to understand the opposite circuit, so we can avoid targeting it,” Han told The Los Angeles Times. “To relieve the anxiety.”

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A possible game-changer

Xanax and Lexapro are common anti-anxiety medications that target several brain regions that regulate behaviour and mental processes.

This indicates why some people react differently to particular drugs and why they may cause unwanted reactions.

A drug is more effective and has fewer possible adverse effects when it more precisely targets a certain brain circuit.

Furthermore, using such medication may be a more effective way to treat anxiety in severe situations than practicing breathing techniques.

“If you’re in a panic, breathing techniques alone may not be sufficient to suppress anxiety,” Han told the LA Tiimes.

With inputs from agencies

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