Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 18 August 2026 · From issue 23
A nose-to-brain circuit underlies anxiety regulation by nasal afferent frequency in mice
In mice, slow nasal airflow calms anxiety by activating a specific brain pathway.
Xinsong Guo, Mengyan Liu et al.
Breathing slowly through the nose can calm anxiety, and mice show why. Nerve cells in the nose send signals through a chain of brain areas, ending in a region that controls fear. Slow nasal airflow turned on a calming brain pathway and eased anxious behavior, while fast airflow made mice more anxious. Two weeks of slow nasal stimulation also reduced anxiety-like behavior in mice bred to be more anxious.
Shows a nose-to-brain pathway that changes anxiety behavior in mice, not yet tested in humans.
Mouse study only, using tools not usable in humans yet.
Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 19 August 2026. Retraction record: none. DOI resolves at doi.org. Metadata record found (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences). Read the source
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