Study discovers how the brain can control meditative thoughts

There’s a specific part of the brain that controls the meditation techniques and the slow breathing in us. A recent study led by neuroscientist Sung Han states that a new type of anti-anxiety drugs can help in combatting anxiety. Known as the yoga pill, this anti-anxiety drug can initiate slow breathing and calmness in people suffering from anxiety or a panic attack. 

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, lead of the study, neuroscientist Sung Han said, “This top-down breathing circuit has been a longstanding question in the neuroscience field. It’s exciting to find the neural mechanism to explain how the slowing down of breathing can control negative emotions, like anxiety and fear.”

The study is a breakthrough in the field of neuroscience as it discovers a cluster of cells in the brain’s cortex that helps in initiating conscious breathing techniques, instead of the normal breathing that humans and other animals do without a thought.

The study is a wake-up call:
The study reveals the technicalities of deep breathing and meditation techniques and how the calming process starts from certain cluster of brain cells. This can further help in creation of new anti-anxiety drugs that can have a more targeted approach in treating anxiety with potentially less side effects. This anti-anxiety pill can mimic the effects that yoga and meditation have on the mind and body – hence, Sung Han referred to it as the yoga pill.

Anxiety meditation such as Xanax affects different behaviours. Instead, the yoga pill can only target the brain circuit that is responsible for controlled and conscious breathing and help address anxiety and panic attacks more effectively.

What is yoga pill?
While development and availability of the yoga pill will still take some more time, the study helps in paving the way for it. “To target the slow breathing circuit, we need to understand the opposite circuit, so we can avoid targeting it to relieve the anxiety. I cannot say that this discovery is directly connected to the discovery of the new medication, But I can say it’s a stepping stone. We now know the pathway. That’s exciting. That is the first step,” said Sung Han.