Neurofeedback
A comprehensive approach that examines the intersection of multiple biological processes is necessary to elucidate the development of stress-related disorders. In a new study, investigators from McLean Hospital, a member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, working with colleagues at The University of Texas at Austin and Lieber Institute for Brain Development, uncovered both shared and distinct …
Continue reading "molecular changes in the brain with PTSD & depression"
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 …
The vagus nerve represents the main component of the parasympathetic nervous system, which oversees a vast array of crucial bodily functions, including control of mood, immune response, digestion, and heart rate. It establishes one of the connections between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract and sends information about the state of the inner organs to …
Continue reading "vagus nerve: brain-gut axis in psychiatric and inflammatory disorders – part I"
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"
Psychiatric and neurological diseases are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality globally. Despite their shared neural origin, they have distinct underlying pathogenic entities and are classified separately in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). However, the degree to which they share an etiological basis and genetic influences is unclear. Psychiatric disorders have a neurobiological …
Continue reading "nature or nurture: neurobiology and psychiatry overlap"
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 …
In part III of our article on vagus physiology, we look at the treatment for these, until recently, little-known but critically important and widespread conditions of the vagus nerve which are the root cause of many illnesses for millions of people worldwide. In parts I and II of this article, we have laid a basic …
Students whose brainwaves are more in sync with their classmates and teacher are likely to learn better than those lacking this “brain-to-brain synchrony,” shows a new study by a team of psychology and education researchers. The findings, which appear in the journal Psychological Science, offer new insights into the learning process. “This is the first study …
How does the developing embryo know where to put the features of the face, the limbs, fingers, organs, bones and all those other amazing facets of our physiology? It has to do with the body’s innate bioelectrical system, says Professor Michael Levin from Tufts University in the US. In a fascinating experiment, Levin showed that …
Continue reading "software of life: bioelectric controls in a unique reprogrammable medium"
Neurosoma 