Coupling of respiration and attention via the locus coeruleus: Effects of meditation and pranayama
Psychophysiology April 22, 2018 Michael Christopher Melnychuk, Paul M. Dockree, Redmond G. O'Connell et al. 117 citations
The locus coeruleus (LC), a small brain nucleus, regulates both attention and respiration. Optimal attention requires LC activity to match task demands, while LC neurons also respond to carbon dioxide levels, causing respiratory-linked fluctuations in LC activity. This overlap may synchronize breathing and attention, creating subtle oscillations that aid attentional flexibility but can also destabilize it. The authors present original findings of respiration-LC coupling using fMRI and pupil dilation, show that respiratory phase relates to attentional performance, and offer a mathematical model of this coupling. They propose that meditation and pranayama practices enhance attention, emotion, and physiology partly through the LC's role as a nexus in this coupled system.