ArticleFrontiers in human neuroscience2018
Breath of Life: The Respiratory Vagal Stimulation Model of Contemplative Activity.
Article in Frontiers in human neuroscience, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07464860 (A Box Breathing Intervention and the Surgical Stress Response in Older Adults Undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty), which is not on this map. Cited by 116 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Box Breathing Intervention and the Surgical Stress Response in Older Adults Undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized Controlled Feasibility Trial
Who cites it
116 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 275 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Comparative efficacy of traditional and modern mind-body exercises in middle-aged and older adults with knee osteoarthritis: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Physical relaxation for occupational stress in healthcare workers: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Journal of occupational health · 2021Pooled it
- Integrating Chair Yoga and Manual Therapy Into Hypertension Management: Effects on Autonomic Regulation, Muscle Viscoelasticity, and Mental Well-Being.Journal of clinical hypertension (Greenwich, Conn.) · 2026Trial
- The Impact of BWM-T Versus Brief Mindfulness Induction on Stress, Anxiety and Self-Efficacy in University Students: Immediate and Short-Term Outcomes of RCT on Psychological Well-Being and Autonomic Balance.Brain and behavior · 2026Trial
- Post-Exercise Controlled Breathing Enhances Cardiovascular Recovery and Autonomic Balance: A Randomised Crossover Study.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Trial
- Yoga-Based Group Intervention for Inpatients with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders-Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Outcomes of a Rater-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial.Schizophrenia bulletin · 2026Trial
- Impact of combined high-intensity bodyweight interval training and breathing exercise on cardiometabolic health in normal-weight middle-aged adults with hypertension.BMC public health · 2025Trial
- Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Training Can Improve Menopausal Symptoms and Psychological Well-Being in Women with a Diagnosis of Primary Breast Cancer: A Longitudinal Randomized Controlled Trial.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2025Trial
- Neurobiological and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of a Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing Technique Based on Neofunctional Psychotherapy: A Pilot RCT.Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress · 2024Trial
- Effects of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Training on Anxiety Reduction and Brain Activity: a Randomized Active-Controlled Study Using EEG.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2024Trial
- Clinical effectiveness of guided breathing exercises in reducing anxiety, stress, and depression in COVID-19 patients.Scientific reports · 2024Trial
- Autonomic nervous system activity correlates with peak experiences induced by DMT and predicts increases in well-being.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2024Trial
- Short-Term Effects of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback on Working Memory.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2024Trial
- Stress reduction experiments in daily life: Scaling from the lab to the world.Journal of experimental psychology. General · 2024Trial
- Effect of three modalities on emergence agitation among post-traumatic stress disorder patients undergoing laparoscopy: a randomized controlled study.BMC psychiatry · 2024Trial
- Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal.Cell reports. Medicine · 2023Trial
- Understanding mind-body disciplines: A pilot study of paced breathing and dynamic muscle contraction on autonomic nervous system reactivity.Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress · 2019Trial
- Acceptance versus reappraisal: Behavioral, autonomic, and neural effects.Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience · 2019Trial
- Yoga therapy for mental resilience in technology-driven occupational settings: A qualitative systematic review and thematic synthesis.Journal of Ayurveda and integrative medicine · 2026Review
56 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Contemplative practices, such as meditation and yoga, are increasingly popular among the general public and as topics of research. Beneficial effects associated with these practices have been found on physical health, mental health and cognitive performance. However, studies and theories that clarify the underlying mechanisms are lacking or scarce. This theoretical review aims to address and compensate this scarcity. We will show that various contemplative activities have in common that breathing is regulated or attentively guided. This respiratory discipline in turn could parsimoniously explain the physical and mental benefits of contemplative activities through changes in autonomic balance. We propose a neurophysiological model that explains how these specific respiration styles could operate, by phasically and tonically stimulating the vagal nerve: respiratory vagal nerve stimulation (rVNS). The vagal nerve, as a proponent of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), is the prime candidate in explaining the effects of contemplative practices on health, mental health and cognition. We will discuss implications and limitations of our model.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.