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Daily Paced Breathing Sessions Induce Left Orbitofrontal Volume Changes Linked to Cognitive Outcomes
Hyun Joo Yoo1, Andy Jeesu Kim1, Martin J Dahl1,2,3
1Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California.
Medrxiv : the Preprint Server for Health Sciences
|March 23, 2026
Summary
Breathing exercises enhance brain structure and function in older adults. Increased heart rate variability during training correlated with greater left orbitofrontal cortex volume, improving cognitive skills and resilience.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Physiology
- Psychology
Background:
- Oscillatory coupling between respiration, heart rate, and cortical function is crucial for physiological regulation but poorly understood in humans.
- Diminished respiratory heart rate variability (RespHRV) is a biomarker for reduced mental and physical health, seen in anxiety, depression, cardiovascular disease, and aging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cortical substrates coordinating rhythmic cardiovascular-respiratory coupling.
- To explore the relationship between breathing training, heart rate variability, and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) plasticity.
- To determine if OFC changes correlate with cognitive performance improvements.
Main Methods:
- Adults aged 50-70 (N=55) underwent 9-week breathing training (slow and random-paced).
- Heart rate oscillatory power during training was measured and correlated with left OFC volume changes.
- Cognitive performance (attention, executive function, memory) and pupil responses were assessed.
Main Results:
- Greater heart rate oscillatory power, especially in the upper low-frequency range (0.09-0.13 Hz), predicted increased left OFC volume.
- OFC volume increases were linked to improved attentional and executive performance.
- Improvements included reduced pupil reactivity to distractors and enhanced working and associative memory.
Conclusions:
- The left orbitofrontal cortex is a key site of cortical plasticity associated with rhythmic cardiovascular-respiratory engagement.
- Oscillatory body-brain coupling supports cognitive control processes like attentional filtering and memory updating.
- Breathing practices may enhance neurovisceral integration and cognitive resilience in aging through a frequency-general pathway.
Keywords:
agingbreathingcognitive controlheart rate variabilityorbitofrontal cortexstructural plasticityMore Related Videos
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