Dynamic Mechanisms That Couple the Brain and Breathing to the External Environment

Brain and breathing activities are closely related. However, the exact neurophysiological mechanisms that couple the brain and breathing to stimuli in the external environment are not yet agreed upon. Our data support that synchronization and dynamic attunement are two key mechanisms that couple the brain and breathing to external periodic stimuli. First, we review the existing literature, which provides strong evidence for the synchronization of brain and breathing in terms of coherence, cross-frequency coupling and phase-based entrainment. Second, using EEG and breathing data, we show that both the lungs and brain attune the temporal structure of their power spectra to the periodic structure of external inputs. We highlight the role of a novel mechanism, dynamic attunement, in playing a key role in coordinating the tripartite temporal alignment of the brain, breathing and input dynamics across longer timescales like minutes. Overall, this perspective sheds light on the mechanisms of brain-breathing coupling and its alignment to stimuli in the external environment.