biostudies-literatureArthurs JWNIDDK NIH HHSNIDA NIH HHSNHLBI NIH HHSU.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Heart, Lung, and Blood InstituteU.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute on Drug Abuse963https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC9944916biostudies-literatureUnknown14(1)Breathing is regulated automatically by neural circuits in the medulla to maintain homeostasis, but breathing is also modified by behavior and emotion. Mice have rapid breathing patterns that are unique to the awake state and distinct from those driven by automatic reflexes. Activation of medullary neurons that control automatic breathing does not reproduce these rapid breathing patterns. By manipulating transcriptionally defined neurons in the parabrachial nucleus, we identify a subset of neurons that express the Tac1, but not Calca, gene that exerts potent and precise conditional control of breathing in the awake, but not anesthetized, state via projections to the ventral intermediate reticular zone of the medulla. Activating these neurons drives breathing to frequencies that match the pNature communicationsParabrachial tachykinin1-expressing neurons involved in state-dependent breathing control.PMC9944916R01 DA024908R00-HL145004R00 HL145004R01-DA24908R01-HL166317T32 DK007247R01 HL166317Baertsch NABowen AJPalmiter RDArthurs JWfalseParabrachial tachykinin1-expressing neurons involved in state-dependent breathing control.Breathing is regulated automatically by neural circuits in the medulla to maintain homeostasis, but breathing is also modified by behavior and emotion. Mice have rapid breathing patterns that are unique to the awake state and distinct from those driven by automatic reflexes. Activation of medullary neurons that control automatic breathing does not reproduce these rapid breathing patterns. By manipulating transcriptionally defined neurons in the parabrachial nucleus, we identify a subset of neurons that express the Tac1, but not Calca, gene that exerts potent and precise conditional control of breathing in the awake, but not anesthetized, state via projections to the ventral intermediate reticular zone of the medulla. Activating these neurons drives breathing to frequencies that match the p2023-01-01T00:00:00Z2023 Feb2026-03-31T10:37:48.974Z2025-04-04T19:00:28.407ZS-EPMC99449163681060110.1038/s41467-023-36603-z