How does breathing alter the brain? Inside the science of sighs with a world-leading neuroscientist

Professor Jack Feldman, a leading neuroscientist specializing in breathing and the brain, recently visited Israel to speak at the Hebrew University's IMRIC Conference. His research, including the discovery of the preBötzinger complex, highlights that breathing is not merely an automatic bodily function but actively influences brainwaves, memory, and emotional states. Feldman explained that a tiny cluster of neurons in the brainstem controls sighing, an involuntary "physiological sigh" that occurs every five minutes on average to re-inflate alveoli and maintain lung health. His work with rodents suggests that controlled slow breathing can significantly reduce fear responses and promote calmness, indicating that "breathwork can also make humans calmer; breathing changes everything in the brain." Feldman aims to understand the brain and influence human health through others, suggesting that consistent breathwork may help reduce depression and potentially improve cognition in early-stage Parkinson's or dementia patients.