The airway-brain axis: Connecting breath, brain, and behavior

The neural control of breathing is both dynamic and essential, ensuring life-sustaining gas exchange while protecting the respiratory system from harm. Peripheral neurons innervating the respiratory tract exhibit remarkable diversity, continuously relaying sensory feedback to the brain to regulate breathing, trigger protective reflexes such as coughing and sickness behaviors, and even influence emotional states. Understanding this airway-brain axis is especially critical given the increasing global burden of respiratory diseases, as it holds implications for both human health and broader brain-body interactions. Recent advances have mapped neuronal circuits, constructed cell atlases, and explored their roles in health and disease. This review synthesizes current knowledge of the functional organization of airway-brain circuits, highlights modern tools for dissecting these pathways, and discusses their relevance for therapeutic development. While many questions remain, ongoing research promises new insights into airway disease mechanisms and the neural basis of breathing-related behaviors.