Respiration and brain activity are interlinked and form some cortical oscillations in the human brain. Breathing is an automatic function that controls the brain activity and its processes, but recent studies show that for better function of brain mechanism cognitive aspects of breathing have to be taken into consideration. Therapies like breath control and awareness have been practiced for centuries, but there is very little understanding of how it works on the brain and its efficacy. In a research article published by the Journal of Neurophysiology Jose L. Herrero, Simon Khuvis, Erin Yeagle, Moran Cerf, and Ashesh D. Mehta discusses volitional control and awareness of breathing to engage distinct but overlapping brain circuits.
This study recommends that breathing acts as an organizing higher ranking principle for neuronal oscillations in the brain and details structures of how cognitive factors impact automatic neuronal processes during introspective attention. This article links breathing and brain activity which has been practiced for years for various therapies by exploring neurophysiology behind it, using intracranial recordings in human beings.
