EEG Abnormalities In Patients With Panic Disorder

On August 30, 2010, in Anxiety, QEEG, by Christopher Fisher, PhD
An EEG of a patient with panic disorder

Since the 1980s, a high EEG abnormality rate has been reported for patients with panic disorder. However, how the EEG abnormalities are related to the clinical features and pathology of these patients has yet to be clarified. On the other hand, the risk of diagnosing panic disorder as epilepsy has been pointed out. In this study, researchers investigated whether or not EEG abnormalities are related to the 13 symptoms in the DSM-IV criteria for a diagnosis of panic attacks. Check the end of this report for a link to download this open access study.

Social Rejection Really Does Get Under Our Skin

On August 9, 2010, in Brain Imaging, Psychology, by Christopher Fisher, PhD
fmri image of the brain

Everyone experiences social stress, whether it is nervousness over a job interview, difficulty meeting people at parties, or angst over giving a speech. In a new report, UCLA researchers have discovered that how your brain responds to social stressors can influence the body’s immune system in ways that may negatively affect health. The study appears in the current online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Meditation Acutely Improves Psychomotor Vigilance And May Decrease Sleep Needs

On July 30, 2010, in Meditation, by Christopher Fisher, PhD
man-meditating outdoors

A number of benefits from meditation have been claimed by those who practice various traditions, but few have been well tested in scientifically controlled studies. Among these claims are improved performance and decreased sleep need. Therefore, in these studies we assess whether meditation leads to an immediate performance improvement on a well validated psychomotor vigilance task (PVT), and second, whether longer bouts of meditation may alter sleep need. Check the end of this report for a link to download this open access study.

The World Appears Grey When You Feel Blue

On July 22, 2010, in Mental Health, by Christopher Fisher, PhD
Anxious and Depressed Man

Regardless of culture, language, era, or individual artist, the arts consistently depict depression using darkness. Scientific findings now lend empirical support to this representation of depression that everything looks gray when you feel blue. Researchers at the University of Freiburg in Germany showed previously that people with depression have difficulty detecting black-and-white contrast differences.

American Academy Of Pediatrics Level 2 Treatment Recommendations For ADHD Do Not Apply to Neurofeedback

teenage boy in close-up during EEG biofeedback therapy session

There has been much excitement surrounding the recent positive developments for neurofeedback (EEG-biofeedback) for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In the past week, news circulated that American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) endorsed neurofeedback for ADHD. Although I was also excited about this potentially important development for the field of neurofeedback and children with attentional disorders and posted an article to this effect, I found no evidence in AAP’s original announcement that Level 2 (“good evidence”) recommendations applied to neurofeedback.

Can Blocking A Frown Keep Bad Feelings At Bay?

On July 20, 2010, in Psychophysiology, by Christopher Fisher, PhD
young women deep in thought

Your facial expression may tell the world what you are thinking or feeling. But it also affects your ability to understand written language related to emotions, according to research published in the July issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The interactions of facial expression, thoughts, and emotions have intrigued scientists for more than a century, says the study’s first author, University of Wisconsin-Madison psychology Ph.D. candidate David Havas.

New Research On A Hidden Lobe Of The Brain Called The Insula

On July 8, 2010, in Neuroscience, by Christopher Fisher, PhD
Insula Region of the brain

A scientist at Barrow Neurological Institute is leading the global discussion and research on a hidden lobe of the brain called the insula. A.D. “Bud” Craig, PhD, who began studying the often-ignored lobe more than two decades ago, has organized and edited a special edition of the journal Brain Structure and Function dedicated to the emerging medical and scientific interest in the insula. Check the end of this report for a link to download articles from this special edition. As of this writing, all articles were available for download. While some articles are “open access,” many are not, so readers should quickly download these while the publisher provides them free of charge.

Army Looks To Biofeedback, Yoga, And Acupuncture To Treat Pain

U.S. Marine exercising

The Army’s health-care system may soon see changes in how Soldiers are treated for pain, according to a report released by the Army’s surgeon general Wednesday which recommends 109 changes. The Pain Management Task Force’s final report, which was initiated by Lt. Gen. Eric B. Schoomaker in August of 2009, addresses the lack of a comprehensive pain-management strategy across the Army, and suggests alternative treatments to medication such as acupuncture, meditation, biofeedback, and yoga.

New Psychological Intervention Program For Those With Bowel Diseases

Young girls talking

Disease is a private matter to many of us. For many reasons, we want to keep it to ourselves, and no cluster of disorders challenges patients’ need for privacy more than inflammatory bowel disease. Teenagers with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, often have serious trouble coping with the disorders. But [...]

Scientists Probe Formation Of Auditory Memories

Energy Waves

New research uses “noise,” sound waves formed from many thousands of completely unpredictable random numbers played as a sound, to probe how the human brain acquires auditory memories. The study, published by Cell Press in the May 27 issue of the journal Neuron, reveals that learning new sounds is quick, robust, and long-lasting, resembling a [...]

Mom’s Voice Works As Well As A Hug For Comfort

On May 17, 2010, in Psychophysiology, by Christopher Fisher, PhD
Phone

“Reach out and touch someone” – good advertising slogan, or evolutionary imperative? How about both? What Madison Avenue knew decades ago has been observed in brain chemistry. A simple phone call from mom can calm frayed nerves by sparking the release of a powerful stress-quelling hormone, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Excellent Free eBook: Brain Facts – A Primer On The Brain And Nervous System

On March 18, 2010, in Resources, by Christopher Fisher, PhD
Brain Facts ebook

Readers interested in central nervous system physiology may want to check out an excellent PDF ebook that, as the name implies, provides an overview of the human brain and nervous system. This ebook is published by and provided free of charge courtesy of The Society for Neuroscience. The quality and overall production of this 80-page [...]

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