Psychotherapy, consciousness, and brain plasticity
Daniel eCollerton
Frontiers in Psychology May 22, 2014 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00548 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Neuroplasticity |
| Keywords | Consciousness Psychotherapy Emotion Plasticity Multivoxel pattern analysis |
| Key findings | Psychotherapy produces lasting changes in brain function localized to frontal, cingulate, and limbic circuits, and Multivoxel Pattern Analysis may distinguish between different states of consciousness. |
Abstract
Purely psychological treatments for emotional distress produce lasting, measureable, and reproducible changes in cognitive and emotional consciousness and brain function. How these changes come about illustrates the interplay between brain and consciousness. Studies of the effects of psychotherapy highlight the holistic nature of consciousness. Pre and post treatment functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging localises the brain changes following psychotherapy to frontal, cingulate, and limbic circuits, but emphasise that these areas support a wide range of conscious experiences. Multivoxel Pattern Analysis of distributed changes in function across these brain areas may be able to provide the ability to distinguish between different states of consciousness.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on neuroplasticity, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| A neurotrophic hypothesis of depression: role of synaptogenesis in the actions of NMDA receptor antagonists | 2012 | Review | |
| Towards an understanding of psychedelic-induced neuroplasticity. Review of preclinical and clinical studies | 2023 | Review | |
| Buddha's Brain: Neuroplasticity and Meditation [In the Spotlight] | 2008 | Review | |
| Neuroplasticity as a convergent mechanism of ketamine and classical psychedelics | 2021 | Review | |
| Psychedelics in Psychiatry: Neuroplastic, Immunomodulatory, and Neurotransmitter Mechanisms | 2020 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cites 3
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- Detecting Awareness in the Vegetative State Science September 7, 2006
- Dreaming and hallucinations - continuity or discontinuity? Perspectives from dementia with Lewy bodies. Consciousness and Cognition December 2011