Brain Science
May 30, 2021
Omar Singleton, Max Newlon, Andres Fossas et al.
12 citations
Contemplative practitioners (long-term meditators and yoga practitioners) show higher levels of maturity development—a measure of adult self-development—than matched controls. Maturity development correlates with cortical thickness in the posterior cingulate, a brain region involved in self-referential and narrative processing. The study identifies a brain network including the posterior cingulate cortex, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, temporoparietal junction, and inferior frontal cortex as a primary neural correlate of maturity development.
Brain Science
September 23, 2022
C. Hammond, Aliyah Allick, Grace Park et al.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 45 fMRI studies comparing 1216 adolescent cannabis users with 1486 non-using typically developing youth found differences in brain activity during cognitive and emotional tasks. Cannabis users showed greater activation in the rostral medial prefrontal cortex and reduced activation in the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. Differences varied by sex, severity of cannabis use disorder, psychiatric comorbidity, and length of abstinence. The authors note that whether these brain activity differences stem from pre-existing factors, cannabis-induced changes, or both requires further study.
Brain Science
February 1, 2022
Marbella Pérez-Peña, Jessica Notermans, Olivier Desmedt et al.
An 8-week mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) improved self-reported body awareness but not an indirect measure of body awareness. The MBI reduced symptomatology, an effect mediated by regulatory and belief-related dimensions of body awareness. Multiple mediator models showed that improved body awareness alongside changes in experiential avoidance, rumination, self-efficacy, and self-discrepancy mediated the relationship between the MBI and reduced symptoms.
Brain Science
July 1, 2021
Suzanne Estaphan, A. Curpan, D. Khalifa et al.
Combining ketamine with social isolation in male albino rats produced long-lasting schizophrenia-like behaviors and brain oxidative stress, offering a potential animal model for chronic schizophrenia that mimics both positive and negative symptoms. Compared to controls and ketamine with social housing, the ketamine-plus-isolation group showed significantly fewer line crossings in the open field test, fewer open arm entries in the elevated plus maze, and lower spontaneous alternation in the Y-maze. It also increased malondialdehyde (MDA) and decreased glutathione peroxidase (GPx) levels in the hippocampus and cortex. Adding the antipsychotic aripiprazole reduced these schizophrenia-like symptoms, supporting the model's validity.
Brain Science
September 1, 2020
M. Izzetoglu, P. Shewokis, Kathryn Tsai et al.
A single session of loving-kindness meditation improved sustained attention in first-time meditators. Behavioral performance on the Stroop color word task showed significantly faster response times after meditation. Pulse pressure, a physiological measure, dropped significantly after the session. Functional near infrared spectroscopy revealed significant changes in oxygenated, deoxygenated, and total hemoglobin levels in the brain during task performance before and after meditation. The findings suggest that even a brief meditation practice can enhance cognitive, physiological, and behavioral outcomes in novices.
Brain Science
February 1, 2020
Sanne J. van der Steur, A. Batalla, M. Bossong
Frequent cannabis use, especially daily use, and the consumption of high-potency cannabis are associated with a higher risk of developing psychosis. Several genotypes moderate this impact, particularly those involved in dopamine function, such as AKT1. Cannabis use is also linked to an earlier onset of psychosis and an increased risk of transition in individuals at clinical high risk. Changing cannabis use behavior could be a harm reduction strategy to lower psychosis risk.
Brain Science
April 17, 2012
M. Solms, J. Panksepp
Consciousness may not originate in the higher brain but in lower brain affective experiences that code survival values, providing the energetic foundation for constructing higher forms of cognitive consciousness. This view aligns with Sigmund Freud's theoretical formulations. Perceptual experiences initially arose at the primary-process brainstem level as affective, then were elaborated by secondary learning and memory into tertiary-cognitive forms. Although individual neural activities are unconscious, primal sub-neocortical emotional networks may have served as the sentient scaffolding for perceptual and higher mental activities in the neocortex. The data supporting this neuro-psycho-evolutionary perspective is discussed in relation to classical psychoanalytical models.