A brain oscillation between 19 and 45 Hz, never before reported, occurs in the human central thalamus only during REM sleep and wakefulness, disappearing during non-REM sleep. This oscillation also distinguishes REM sleep microstates, coinciding with bursts of eye movements. The finding suggests a distinct electrophysiological signature in the central thalamus that differentiates conscious states, offering a new target for studying thalamic roles in consciousness and for refining treatments for disorders of consciousness.
Six weeks of using a meditation-inspired, closed-loop mobile app called MediTrain improved sustained attention and working memory in healthy young adults. These cognitive gains were accompanied by positive changes in neural signatures of attentional control, specifically frontal theta inter-trial coherence and parietal P3b latency, as measured by electroencephalography. The findings suggest that delivering aspects of focused-attention meditation through a modern technology-based approach can enhance attention in a population where such improvement has proven difficult.
Advancing scientific research on consciousness is important for addressing clinical and ethical issues in neurology and mental health. To support this field, funding priorities must be set carefully, and challenges such as job creation and media misrepresentation need to be addressed.