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.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
March 21, 2023
Adrien Martel, Nicolás Bruno, Ian H. Robertson et al.
preprint
Intentional and unintentional mind-wandering have distinct brain signatures measurable by scalp EEG. Theta-frequency activity best distinguishes on-task from off-task states, while alpha-frequency activity characterizes intentional task-unrelated thought compared to unintentional. These findings support the intentionality dimension of mind-wandering and suggest potential for real-time detection of maladaptive mind-wandering.
Neuroscience of Consciousness
January 1, 2026
Ralph Andrews, Paul M Dockree
A new framework called Rhythmic Embodied Perception (REP) proposes that breathing rhythms shape conscious experience by modulating brain activity. Slow respiratory cycles influence cortical oscillations, creating brief periods of low excitability during which sensory information is most likely to reach awareness. Volitional breath control can stabilize these dynamics by engaging neuromodulatory systems, extending these perceptual windows and enhancing attentional stability. The framework generates testable predictions, such as that respiratory phase should affect sensory detection and that slow-paced breathing should strengthen respiration-cortex coupling. It integrates neuroscience, theories of discrete perception, and yogic concepts of prana, positioning respiration as a trainable tool for shaping perception and attention.
Journal of pineal research
March 1, 2025
Emanuele R G Plini, Michael C Melnychuk, Paul M Dockree
Long-term meditators show greater pineal gland signal intensity on MRI and younger estimated brain age compared to non-meditators. More lifetime hours of meditation practice correlate with stronger pineal gland signal, though not directly with grey matter maintenance. Greater pineal signal and younger brain age are linked in meditators. The pineal gland produces melatonin, which regulates sleep and may protect against cognitive decline. Findings suggest meditation may influence subcortical brain structures and slow brain aging, possibly through melatonin's effects on sleep, immunity, inflammation, and neural regeneration.
medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences
March 5, 2024
Emanuele Rg Plini, Michael C Melnychuk, Paul M Dockree
preprint
Long-term meditators show greater structural integrity of the pineal gland and a younger estimated brain age compared to controls. Among meditators, more lifetime hours of practice are associated with higher pineal gland signal intensity, but not with brain-age maintenance. Greater pineal integrity and younger brain age are correlated in meditators. The findings suggest meditation may support pineal gland health and slow brain aging, possibly through melatonin's roles in sleep, immune function, and neural regeneration.