‘Yoga pill’ could one day stop anxiety attacks by targeting specific area of the brain: study

Yoga in a bottle?

Scientists have identified the specific part of the brain that controls conscious slow breathing and meditation techniques — and said the breakthrough could create a whole new class of anti-anxiety drugs they’re dubbing the “yoga pill.”

The pill could make a person suffering from a panic attack or anxiety automatically slow and deepen their breaths without them having to think and force themself to do the breathing exercise, neuroscientist Sung Han told the Los Angeles Times.

Han’s research — published in the scientific journal Nature Neuroscience earlier this week — marks a major discovery in the neuroscience field.

For the first time, the study identified the cluster of cells in the brain’s cortex that are responsible for conscious breath work rather than the automatic breathing humans and other animals do 24/7 without a thought. 

It also scientifically proves that breathing exercises, meditation and yoga help reduce anxiety and explains how it all works.

“As a scientist, finding something never known before is always exciting,” he told the LA Times. “This top-down breathing circuit has been a longstanding question in the neuroscience field. It’s exciting to find the neural mechanism to explain how the slowing down of breathing can control negative emotions, like anxiety and fear.”

The scientific development’s potential is huge, according to Han. It could mean the creation of new anti-anxiety drugs that are much more targeted than the ones currently available — and potentially with fewer side effects.

“It can, potentially, create a whole new class of drugs that can more specifically target anxiety disorder,” the neuroscientist told the newspaper.

The future drugs could mimic the experience and results of yoga and other meditative activities — hence why Han came up with the name “yoga pill.”

Anxiety medication currently on the market, such as Xanax, affects many areas of the brain that control different behaviors, but the drugs Han hopes to see in the future would only target the brain circuit responsible for controlled and conscious breathing, likely making it more foolproof and with fewer unintended effects.

As their next step, Han and his team are trying to locate the part of the brain that has the opposite effect, one that increases breathing speed and anxiety, he told the LA Times.

“To target the slow breathing circuit, we need to understand the opposite circuit, so we can avoid targeting it,” Han said. “To relieve the anxiety.”

The development and availability of a “yoga pill” is likely a decade away, but the scientist is hopeful it’ll be on the way soon.

“I cannot say that this discovery is directly connected to the discovery of the new medication,” Han told the outlet. “But I can say it’s a stepping stone. We now know the pathway. That’s exciting. That is the first step.”

More than 40 million adults in the US have an anxiety disorder, according to the National Alliance on Mental Health.