What is Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation? (Part 2) 
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A region at the front of the brain ‘lights up’ when we experience beauty in a piece of art or a musical excerpt, according to new research funded by the Wellcome Trust. The study, published today in the open access journal PLoS One, suggests that the one characteristic that all works of art, whatever their nature, have in common is that they lead to activity in that same region of the brain, and goes some way to supporting the views of David Hume and others that beauty lies in the beholder rather than in the object. Check the end of this report for a link to download this open access scientific study.
The positive effects of mindfulness meditation on pain and working memory may result from an improved ability to regulate a crucial brain wave called the alpha rhythm. This rhythm is thought to “turn down the volume” on distracting information, which suggests that a key value of meditation may be helping the brain deal with an often-overstimulating world. Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology report that modulation of the alpha rhythm in response to attention-directing cues was faster and significantly more enhanced among study participants who completed an eight-week mindfulness meditation program than in a control group.
United States scientists have found a correlation between increased circuit activity in the right side of the brain and the suffering of involuntary flashbacks by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) sufferers. The findings, published today, Thursday 28 October, in IOP Publishing’s Journal of Neural Engineering, reveal a clear difference between the communication circuitry of sufferers and the healthy.
The National Institutes of Health today awarded grants totaling $40 million to map the human brain’s connections in high resolution. Better understanding of such connectivity promises improved diagnosis and treatment of brain disorders. The grants are the first awarded under the Human Connectome Project. They will support two collaborating research consortia. The first will be led by researchers at Washington University, St. Louis, and the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. The other will be led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)/Harvard University, Boston, and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).
In a study of an experimental treatment for major depression, pretreatment testing to probe the function of a specific brain center predicted how patients would respond to ketamine, a medication that can lift depression rapidly in some people. The work suggests it may be possible to develop ways to use such assessments in the future, not only to better understand depression, but to guide treatment choices for individuals.
A series of imaging studies are revealing that the brain works differently in youth with bipolar disorder (BD) than in chronically irritable children who are often diagnosed with pediatric BD. “This suggests that chronically irritable children may suffer from a syndrome distinct from BD and may require different treatments,” said Ellen Leibenluft, M.D., chief of [...]
The current investigation utilized magnetoencephalography to map cortical hubs in tinnitus. Tinnitus is defined as an auditory perception in the absence of any physically identifiable source. Almost everyone will experience some form of auditory phantom perceptions such as tinnitus at least once in their lifetime; in most of the cases this sensation vanishes within seconds [...]
Brain stimulation therapies have received increased attention as of late. These treatments involve activating or touching the brain directly with electricity, magnets, or implants to treat depression and other disorders. One type of brain stimulation, Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES), was previously detailed in “What is CES?” Part 1 and Part 2. BMED Report even created [...]
Dr. M. Barry Sterman, along with Dr. Sarah H. Lisanby, discuss neurofeedback and other brain imaging and treatment modalities during a live interview on WNYC.org public radio. The radio segment entitled, “Please Explain: Neurofeedback,” is streamed online at no cost. Check the end of this report for a link to this interview. Bookmark on Delicious [...]
