Neurofeedback
Scientists think sleep is the brain’s rinse cycle, when fluid percolating through the organ flushes out chemical waste that accumulated while we were awake. But what propels this circulation has been uncertain. A study of mice, reported today in Cell, suggests regular contractions of blood vessels in the brain, stimulated by the periodic release of …
A longitudinal study tracking 1,035 adults for six months following the October 7 attacks in Israel identifies four distinct psychological trajectories after mass trauma: resilience (54%), natural recovery (27%), chronic distress (18%), and delayed onset (2.5%). Researchers found that the dynamic trajectory of symptoms over time predicts long-term PTSD risk far more accurately than any …
A University of California, San Diego, study reveals a precise link between breathing and brain activity that could improve understanding of disorders in which breathing becomes dangerously disrupted (edit: or the effects of breath on brain activity!). Breathing is often measured in simple terms, such as how many breaths a person takes per minute. But …
If you live in the southern hemisphere, you know what time of year it is. That’s right, it’s winter! Cold temperatures and the lack of sunlight are all hallmarks of this time of year, along with fabulous road conditions and cold and flu season. As well, the season brings something even more sinister: Seasonal Affective …
Continue reading "Seasonal Affective Disorder: the reason for the feelings"
The vagus nerve is a modulator of intestinal immune homeostasis. The gastrointestinal tract is constantly confronted with food antigens, possible pathogens, and symbiotic intestinal microbiota that present a risk factor for intestinal inflammation (63). It is highly innervated by vagal fibers that connect the CNS with the intestinal immune system, making vagus a major component, …
Continue reading "vagus nerve: brain-gut axis in psychiatric and inflammatory disorders – part II"
The brain is the most complex and intricate part of the human body, and yet many of us don’t recognize just how many functions it carries out on a daily basis. Inside your head, there are approximately sixty trillion neural connections (pathways between brain cells), and while the brain represents only 2–2.5% of the body mass, it consumes …
Across a human life span, changes in cognition are expected to occur as individuals grow older. Most of the changes experienced in aging are related to a decline in fluid intelligence, defined as the capacity to solve problems and articulate ideas, to navigate new situations, and to acquire knowledge. On the other hand, crystallized intelligence, …
Continue reading "use it or lose it: neurofeedback brain training & cognitive aging"
High-quality sleep and adaptive cognitive emotional regulation strategies can help to promote resilience to depression and anxiety when faced with negative or stressful experiences, according to new research published in the scientific journal Cortex. The researchers were interested in understanding why some individuals experiencing chronic stress develop mental health problems, while others do not. They believed …
Elevated inflammation is a risk factor for many psychiatric (e.g., depression) and somatic conditions (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis). Inflammation is influenced by psychosocial processes such as emotion regulation. Characterization of which emotion regulation characteristics impact inflammation could help refine psychosocial interventions aimed at normalizing health-harming inflammatory activity for individuals with psychiatric and somatic illnesses. We systematically reviewed the …
Scientists have identified specific patterns of brain network reconfigurations that occur when people take both classical and non-classical psychedelic drugs. Their findings, published in NeuroImage, shed new light on how psychedelics affect the brain and consciousness. The authors behind the new study wanted to better understand the neurobiology of the psychedelic experience by examining the common …