#neuroimaging techniques

[drforambhuta]

I. Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease:

Symptoms associated with Parkinson's Disease encompass a broad array of motor and non-motor manifestations that can significantly affect an individual's well-being. Motor symptoms include tremors, characterized by rhythmic shaking in various body parts, bradykinesia, which results in slowed movement initiation and execution, rigidity causing stiffness in limbs and trunk, and postural instability leading to balance and coordination difficulties, increasing the risk of falls. Non-motor symptoms span cognitive impairment, mood disturbances like depression and anxiety, sleep disturbances, autonomic dysfunction impacting functions such as blood pressure regulation and digestion, as well as sensory abnormalities.

II. Causes of Parkinson's Disease:

The causes of Parkinson's Disease remain largely unclear, thought to arise from a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental factors. While most cases are sporadic, approximately 5-10% are familial, linked to mutations in genes like SNCA, LRRK2, PARKIN, and PINK1. Environmental factors such as exposure to pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, certain industrial chemicals, traumatic brain injury, and viral infections are also implicated.

III. Parkinson's Disease Diagnosis:

Diagnosing Parkinson's Disease relies primarily on clinical evaluation, including a detailed medical history, comprehensive physical examination, and assessment of both motor and non-motor symptoms. A diagnosis typically requires the presence of cardinal motor features along with a positive response to dopaminergic therapy. Neuroimaging techniques like MRI and PET scans may assist in excluding alternative diagnoses and monitoring disease progression.

IV. Treatment for Parkinson's Disease:

While Parkinson's Disease remains incurable, various treatment options aim to alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life. Pharmacotherapy, including levodopa, dopamine agonists, MAO-B inhibitors, and COMT inhibitors, is central to management, aiming to restore dopamine levels, manage motor fluctuations, and alleviate non-motor symptoms. In advanced cases resistant to medication, surgical interventions like deep brain stimulation (DBS) may be considered, involving the implantation of electrodes to modulate abnormal neuronal activity and alleviate symptoms.

Early detection and intervention in Parkinson's disease can help in managing the condition better. This can be achieved by undergoing regular health checkups. You can opt for a regular full body health checkup at Jaslok Hospital Mumbai, which is one of India's finest hospitals for the management of neurological conditions like Parkinson's disease.

[cannibalsmayhem]

TRANSABLEISM.

What is transableism ?

Transableism is characterized by the desire for a non-disabled individual to acquire a specific disability such as the loss of a sense or a limb (amputation, paralysis, blindness, deafness, etc.), thus placing them in a situation of disability.

The opposite of transabled is cisabled wich describes a person who does have that disability bodily.

Transableism is a new thing ?

No, ''transabled'' is a sociological and political term coined by Sean O'connor in 2004 in attempts to demedicalize disability desires and views them as healthy person's challenge to the stigma of disability as created by social norms. Researchers and transabled people use a variety of terms to describe it. some people refer to "apotemnophilia" a term that have been used the first time in a 1977 article by psychologists Gregg Furth and John Money. We do not recomand this term.

Then, In 2004 Michael First published the first clinical research in which he surveyed fifty-two people with the condition, a quarter of whom had undergone an amputation. Based on that work, First coined the term "body integrity identity disorder" (BIID) to express what he saw as more of an identity disorder than a paraphilia.

The newest term, ''xenomelia'' was established to acknowledge the neurologic component of the condition after neuroimaging studies showed structural changes to the right parietal lobe in individuals who desired amputation of their left lower limb, thus linking the part of the brain that processes sensory input from the affected limb. (McGeoch and others 2011).

Friendly reminder that a transabled person do not necessary experience body integrity identity dysphoria (BIID). People with BIID (dysphorics transableds) experience a suffering with a part of their body, such as a limb, and feel that removing or disabling that part of their body will relieve the discomfort. People with the condition may have intense feelings of envy toward amputees. They may pretend to be an amputee, both publicly and privately. Patients who experience the above symptoms consider them strange and abnormal.

Confusions.

Body dysmorphic disorder is sometimes confounded with disability desires. The two conditions may share a preoccupation with a specific part of one's body, but body dysmorphic disorder is typically concerned with the visual aspects of that part, which is never the case in disability desires. Also, the concerns in body dysmorphic disorders usually focus on facial parts, not on major limbs or sense.

WHY ?

A study conducted by Michael B. First on 52 aspiring or volunteer amputees shows that the main reason given is to regain their true identity, to correct an anatomical anomaly. It is difficult to establish precisely why this need manifests itself in transabled people, even if there are neurological and biological leads. The only difference between a transabled person and a transgender person would be the level of social acceptance of each phenomenon. As transgender people, the transition to the desired body in transabled people is associated with greater general well-being, and a significative decrease in suicidal and depressive thoughts.

It's a choice ?

No, feel the desire to acquire a physical deficit isn't a choice but start a process in order to acquire a disability is a choice. Just as for trans people, they do not choose to be trans but they choose (often the pressure of gender dysphoria) to transition.

When someone realize they are transabled ?

The disabled- desires comes very early in their life. Their first experiecs of such desires are felt in their childhood, around the age of 7 this study found.

Psychological therapy, psychopharmacological drugs and relaxation techniques had little effect and sometimes increased desire. They can reduces symptoms like depression, but not disability desires per se.

This study shows that the amputation of the healthy body part appears to result in remission of BIID and an impressive improvement of quality of life. 100% of transabled who had recived a surgical amputation confirm that it was helpful. With medication 73% pretended that this treatement for BIID was unhelpful and 60% confirm that therapy was unhelpful. Betweet those who recieved and didn't recieve an ambutation, those who didn't recievent it said that BIID had an extreme negative impact in their personal happinnes (17,2 in the Y-BOCS scale) in comparison, those who recieve an amputation affirmate that BIID had a extreme low effect in their personal life (3,2 on the Y-BOCS scale).

Psychotherapy was often supportive, but did not help diminishing BIID symptoms.

Those who didn't recieve an ambutation confirmate that BIID had severely disrupt their work counter a very neglectical effect (3,2 ON Y-BOCS scale) for those who recieve an amputation.

Several others studies: (1) (2) (3) shows that all transabled people who have successfully made the transition say they are very satisfied and happy.

In all cases quality of life was rated to be substantially increased, and no new disability desire emerged post-surgery. There is considerable support for the view that elective amputations can be ethically justified , even if long-term effects of the intervention still need to be assesse

Dangers for not letting a person acquire the desired handicap.

Amputations seem to be the only effective solution. Denying these people the only treatment that can cure their dysphoria will only prolong their suffering and many trans-capacitated individuals will therefore opt for dangerous solutions, such as turning to the black market, attempting to perform their own surgery, or injuring themselves severely enough that a doctor has no choice but to proceed with the amputation of an unwanted limb. It's like denying to a dysphoric transgender person the right to transition.

Why is not different from transgender people ?

Like transgender people, transabled people feel an internal identity that they seek to match with their body. The only difference between the two is the level of social acceptance, unlike transgender people, transabled people in addition to being even more stigmatized and marginalized by the ableist and cisableist society than transgender people, do not benefit from surgical intervention allowing them to obtain the desired body.

Anti-choice arguments.

Anti-choice authors in relation to transbled- surgical operations argue that these people are not autonomous, 'irrational', alienated by their conditionality and cannot make an informed choice. Elliott (2009, p. 159) summarizes the authors' position well (without adhering to it): "These objections focus on the nature of the 'wannabe's' belief that they should have a limb amputated, suggesting that because it is bizarre, irrational, and obsessive, they are unable to properly 'weigh' the information relevant to the decision, that these desires are not autonomous, and are not to be respected or followed. On the one hand, in light of previous data, this position is not scientifically supported and is based on prejudice and impression. Authors who support transabled-surgery argue that refusing it would be violating the first ethical principle of autonomy; if these people are rational and do not make their decision under coercion, their autonomy must be respected. On the other hand, this question of autonomy and rational choice rests on double standards. The very requirement of an explanation and a rational to justify this need obscures the fact that for many very important decisions in our lives, these explanations rationality are not required; for example, playing dangerous sports, having children, going on a humanitarian mission to a war-torn country, or simply choosing to live are not subject to the same questioning and the same requirement of rationality. As Gheen (2009, p. 99) argues, most of the choices we make do not have "rationality" and cannot be explained; we have needs and desires, we realize them, and no one demands evidence of rationality from these actions that sometimes have considerable impacts on our lives and the lives of others. Gheen argues that if this need of the transabled is considered irrational and illegitimate, it is because it goes outside the dominant norms.

Important barriers.

In addition to society's ableism and cisableism, the Hippocratic Oath, by which physicians pledge to "do no harm" to their patients, is the main barrier between a transabled person and his or her disability; practitioners cannot help individuals acquire an impairment that is presumed to have a "detrimental" effect on their lives (Johnston and Elliot, 2002). But an ethical question arises and a paradox emerges. Should we leave transabled dysphoric people in a state of severe suffering, causing them depressive symptoms and even suicidal ideas with the belief that amputation will have a "negative" impact on their lives, when we know that this is not true as datas we have seen previously, rather than allowing them to acquire the desired disability thus allowing their body dyphoria to remit and increasing their general well-being? If doctors commit themselves not to harm their patients isn't it paradoxical to refuse the only possible treatment, i.e. the medical acquisition of a handicap via a surgical intervention to someone, keeping them consequently in a state harmful to his mental health? In other words, the doctor refusing health care to someone who needs it is the equivalent of a health care professional refusing to allow a dysphoric transgender person to undergo a medical transition: it is bad from a moral point of view as well as from the point of view of the person's mental health and exposes them to the risk that she voluntarily injures themself or that they performs their own surgery with all the potential dangers on their life and their health that such a decision implies and opposes the fundamental freedom hard won by social movements to do what we want with our body.

Pt: If you dont like us, just block! Feel free to ask for more information about the label.

Pt: DNI: Truscum, heavy religius, dahlia/winter, antiradqueer, anti transids, anti paras, anti muds, anti mspec, anti endos, anti profic, hypoharmful, non-good faith, anti cosang, anti therian, otherkin (etc), terfs, anti xenogenders or xenoids, pro-harrasment of any type, anti kink, anti agere/petre.

[loki-zen]

https://neurosciencenews.com/neuroimaging-asd-markers-27593/ this is dumb bc the autistic subjects were recruited solely from people already known to have genetic markers they didn't describe any step that actually suggests that these techniques would identify the majority of people with clinically defined autism

[cypresswarrior]

The basis of the MEG signal and origin of the brain's magnetic field.

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a neuroimaging technique that maps brain activity and records magnetic fields produced by neuronal electric currents in the brain through sensitive magnetometers. These fields result from current dipoles— currents with a specific position, orientation, and magnitude, in which about 50,000 active neurons are needed to generate a detectable signal.

[bpod-bpod]

Diving to Depths

The dentate gyrus is a part of the brain that contributes to the formation of memories. In individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, this is the first site known to undergo degenerative changes even before symptoms start to show. This sounds promising for detecting Alzheimer’s earlier, but this structure is only a few millimetres thick and hidden deep within the brain. To exploit this knowledge, we would need really powerful imaging techniques to detect microscopic changes. Here, researchers used a 16.4 Tesla MRI scanner – a much stronger magnetic field than currently used for human body imaging – to measure changes for example in neuron density and abnormal protein accumulation within the dentate gyrus from postmortem brains of cognitively normal individuals (left) and those with Alzheimer’s (right). Colours highlight neuron fibres in subregions, revealing differences. While this technology is far from ready for a clinical setting, it is a step in the right direction.

Written by Sophie Arthur

Image from work by Nien-Chu Shih and colleagues

USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in NeuroImage: Clinical, January 2023

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[maaarine]

Editorial: Is autism overdiagnosed? (Eric Fombonne, The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2023)

“That at least some of these community diagnoses are false positives was illustrated in one of our studies where, of 232 school-age children and adolescents with a pre-existing community diagnosis of ASD referred to our academic center for a neuroimaging study, only 47% met research criteria for ASD after an extensive diagnostic re-evaluation process (Duvall et al.,2022).

Yet, many were deemed to have been ‘meeting DSM criteria’ or ‘above the ADOS cut-off’ in prior records.

Overdiagnosis can result from shortcomings at either the diagnostic instrument or the diagnostic process levels.

With regard to diagnostic instrument, ADOS training workshops provide testers with a road map for organizing structured activities and social interactions designed to elicit diagnostically informative behaviors.

Techniques of test administration are straightforward to learn. However, scoring instructions are complex and necessitate a careful analysis and interpretation of the behaviors observed.

Even though the coding conventions are rigorously operationalized, a good deal of clinical judgment and experience remains necessary for the tester to accurately map observed behaviors to underlying autistic disturbances.

For example, children may talk repetitively about dinosaurs they saw during a recent museum visit which may be age-appropriate in young children; however, for this intense interest to be considered as excessive or ‘circumscribed’ requires that other features are demonstrated (odd quality, interference with demands, etc...).

Likewise, abnormal eye gaze is not specific to ASD and is observed across a number of other clinical conditions.

To count toward an ASD diagnosis, eye contact does not simply need to be absent or decreased but evidence of poor modulation in the dynamic context of a social interaction must be brought.

The issue is that many atypical behaviors that are linked to ASD are not specific to ASD.

Counting abnormal behaviors without establishing their specific autistic quality or nature is a source of overdiagnosis. (…)

For example, turn-taking in a conversation can be impaired in both ASD (Failure of normal back-and-forth conversation) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (Often talks excessively, Blurts out answers).

Ascribing a symptom to either disorder requires a clinical analysis and judgment about the mechanism underlying conversation difficulty (pragmatic deficit? orimpulsivity?) that comes with experience in general psychopathology.

Overdiagnosing may also occur due to deficiencies in the overall diagnostic process and formulation.

As Bishop & Lord articulated, the diagnostic decision process must transcend the results of any particular tool, even if the administration of that test is considered to be a gold standard.

Combination of findings from different observations across contexts, informants, and data collection procedures (direct observation, caregiver report, school evaluations, medical records,...) must be performed.

Discrepancies between test results are common; there is no simple algorithmic solution to resolve them and expert clinical judgment is necessary to that end. (…)

Many would argue that the priority is to provide access to services for children presenting with neurodevelopmental disorders and that the consequences of underdiagnosis are far more deleterious than those due to overdiagnosis.

It may be so but that does not mean that erroneously diagnosing a child with ASD is harmless.

At the individual level, carrying an ASD diagnosis may unduly constrain one individual’s range of social and educational experiences and have long-lasting effects on his/her/their identity formation.

At a population level, the unjustified use of intensive services raises concerns about equity and fairness in services access for children who have neurodevelopmental disorders other than autism and struggle to access support services that they need as much as their peers with ASD.”

[christiancorrea16]

Mapping human brain function is a longstanding goal of neuroscience that promises to inform the development of new treatments for brain disorders. Early maps of human brain function were based on locations of brain damage or brain stimulation that caused a change in function. Over time, this approach was largely replaced by technologies such as functional neuroimaging, which identify brain regions correlated with behaviors or symptoms. Despite their advantages, these technologies reveal correlation, not causation. This creates challenges for interpreting the data generated from these tools and using them to develop treatments for brain disorders. A return to causal mapping of human brain function based on brain lesions and brain stimulation is underway. New approaches can combine these causal sources of information with modern neuroimaging and electrophysiology techniques to gain new insights into the functions of specific brain areas. In this Review, we provide a definition of causality for translational research, propose a continuum along which to assess the relative strength of causal information from human brain mapping studies, and discuss recent advances in causal brain mapping and their relevance for developing treatments.

[fivehundredwords]

Alzheimer's Disease: biomarkers and neuroimaging markers cheatsheet for research articles

As Alzheimer's Disease (AD) research skews toward understanding the brain than the pathogenic proteins, studies exploring biomarkers and neuroimaging are hopeful toward developing a method for successful prevention of AD. A biomarker is a molecule, whose presence indicates abnormality or disease, and thus, is crucial in diagnostic procedures. Levels of certain molecules is notably altered in cerebrospinal fluid and in blood plasma, which helps in diagnosing the occurrence of AD. Neuroimaging involves the use of techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography to observe neuronal activity in the brain. This is good news, especially for AD, as the asymptomatic stage of the disease can be identified early enough.

Although the exact function and involvement in clinical practice is not profuse, altered concentrations of these biomarkers in plasma or cerebrospinal fluid encourage further research:

Amyloid and tau serve as the unsurprising biomarkers of AD pathology.

Neurofilament-light chain (NF-L) and visinin-like protein-1 (VILIP-1) are the most promising biomarkers of neuronal injury.

Post-synaptic protein neurogranin (Ng) and pre-synaptic proteins synaptosome-associated protein-25 (SNAP-25) and synaptotagmin-1 (Syt-1) are considered major biomarkers of synaptic injury.

Brain and CSF levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and increased levels of interleukin group of proteins (ILs) indicate intensified microglial response to neuroinflammation.

TREM2 receptor and YKL-40 glycoprotein are also reliable indicators of inflammation and impaired clearance of amyloid beta.

Heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (hFABP) could be a marker for pathology in blood vessels supplying the brain. Some vascular markers also show potential as markers of vascular injury in AD: von Willebrand factor (vWF) and monokine induced by γ-interferon (MIG, also known as CXCL-9).

Concentrations of TAR-DNA binding protein (TDP-43) in the brain and plasma and serum indicate, even contribute to, inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and neuronal/synaptic injury in AD.

Neuroimaging techniques reveal structural, functional, and diffusion-related activities of the neurons. To identify them, markers are tracked in images obtained. Each marker is determined with the activity and biochemistry of the group of/individual neurons being studied.

Structural MRI will show location and severity of atrophy which can be identified in grey scale images by applying programs that create analogous color grading.

Functional MRI relies on blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal which reflects changes in blood oxygenation levels in response to neural activity.

Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) focuses on diffusion of water molecules. A tensor model is applied to images obtained from DWI. The diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics thus obtained help in studying connectivity through structural integrity of white matter tracts.

Tractography involves 3-D reconstruction of white matter as observed in DWI, which provides a more detailed look into a patient’s neural networks.

In positron emission tomography (PET), markers are identified and labelled so their features or functions can be traced during this procedure to obtain a resulting PET scan. The imaging procedure is named according to its marker: amyloid-PET, tau-PET, FDG-PET, inflammation-PET, receptor-PET.

FDA approved drugs Galantamine, Rivastigmine, and Donepezil alleviate symptoms such as memory loss and confusion in mild to moderate AD, although their effects seem to be negligible. They also cause nausea and vomiting as side effects and are not suitable for every patient. Recently approved drugs, Aducanumab and Lecanemab focus on removing accumulated amyloid. Their effectiveness is still doubted on the basis of studies finding that targeting amyloid has little to do with curbing the actual progression of the disease.

bibliography -

Tarawneh R. Biomarkers: our path towards a cure for Alzheimer disease. Biomarker insights. 2020 Nov;15:1177271920976367.

Cavedo E, Lista S, Khachaturian Z, Aisen P, Amouyel P, Herholz K, Jack Jr CR, Sperling R, Cummings J, Blennow K, O’Bryant S. The road ahead to cure Alzheimer’s disease: development of biological markers and neuroimaging methods for prevention trials across all stages and target populations. The journal of prevention of Alzheimer's disease. 2014 Dec;1(3):181.

Medications for Alzheimer's Disease Stanford Healthcare. Accessed 21-04-2023.

[mcatmemoranda]

Role of dementia screening – We do not routinely screen asymptomatic older adults for cognitive impairment. However, cognitive difficulty observed in a patient encounter, and family or patient concerns for memory and cognition, require thorough evaluation. (See 'Screening for dementia' above.)

●History – Family members or other informants who know the patient well are invaluable resources for providing an adequate history of cognitive and behavioral changes. A drug history is particularly important, as many medications may impact cognition in older patients. (See 'History' above.)

●Cognitive and neurologic examination – Adequate time should be arranged for a full assessment of cognitive function, followed by a complete physical examination, including neurologic examination.

A brief screening assessment such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) or Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is useful and may be sufficient cognitive assessment in some patients. (See 'Cognitive testing' above and 'Physical examination' above.)

●Depression screening – Depression is a common treatable comorbidity that may also masquerade as dementia. (See 'Screening for depression' above and 'Dementia mimics' above.)

●Laboratory testing – Screening for B12 deficiency and hypothyroidism is recommended for patients being evaluated for dementia. Other laboratory testing is performed selectively. (See 'Laboratory testing' above.)

Genetic testing for the apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 allele is not currently recommended, nor is genetic testing for other potential causes of dementia. (See 'Genetic testing' above.)

●Neuroimaging – A noncontrast MRI or head CT should be considered in the initial evaluation of all patients with dementia.

The purposes of structural imaging are to detect treatable causes of dementia and to differentiate among various dementia subtypes. (See 'Neuroimaging' above.)

●Diagnosis and ongoing assessment – History and examination along with limited laboratory testing and a neuroimaging study are usually sufficient to make a diagnosis of dementia and in most cases to identify a presumptive cause.

As most causes of dementia are progressive, a follow-up visit after several months can often confirm the original diagnosis, can offer ongoing treatment and monitoring, and, in some cases, may cause a clinician to reconsider the original diagnosis if the progression does not occur or is atypical. (See 'Criteria for dementia' above and 'Dementia syndromes' above.)

●Role of specialized testing – Other tests (neuropsychological assessment, advanced neuroimaging techniques, lumbar puncture [LP], and, rarely, brain biopsy) are performed in selected patients (such as those who are younger or have a rapidly progressive course) and when the presentation is otherwise atypical. (See "Early-onset dementia in adults" and 'Specialized testing in selected patients' above and "Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease", section on 'Differential diagnosis'.)

[dodgylogic]

hi, I saw on a post (the one discussing gender) that you said you’re a neuroscientist. if you don’t mind me asking, what do you do as one? i’m interested in the field.

thank you!!!

@colombianlitproject absolutely, no problem!!

I studied visual neuroscience and did a bunch of work on how human brains process visual information, which is more widely applicable than you think; whilst I was doing all the theoretical research around mechanisms and neural patterns, the lab I was in very succesfully turned that research into a new method for detecting cancer from bodyscans. I followed those projects up with a bit of work into early detection of Alzheimers. All of my projects involved a mix of neuroimaging techniques (fMRI, EEG, and TMS, the latter of which is wild -- "hey, you, let's give you temporary brain lesions for science") and behavioural experiments. I particularly recommend "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat" by Oliver Sacks as a good all-purpose intro to vision neuroscience

[donotdestroy]

The creative process of painting can be a complex interplay of various brain regions and cognitive functions. While the exact brain activity can vary from artist to artist, here are some general insights into what happens in the brain when artists paint:

1. Frontal Cortex Engagement: The frontal cortex, particularly the prefrontal cortex, is involved in planning, decision-making, and creativity. Artists use this part of the brain to conceptualize their artwork, plan the composition, and make creative choices.

2. Motor Skills and Coordination: Painting involves precise motor skills and hand-eye coordination. The brain's motor cortex and cerebellum are active as artists control their brushstrokes, apply paint, and manipulate tools.

3. Visual Processing: The occipital lobe, responsible for visual processing, is highly active when artists observe their subject matter or visualize their artistic vision. This region helps them perceive shapes, colors, and details.

4. Emotional and Expressive Elements: The limbic system, associated with emotions, can be engaged during the creative process. Artists often draw upon their emotions to infuse their work with feeling and expression.

5. Memory and Association: The brain's memory centers, such as the hippocampus, can be involved when artists recall references, past experiences, or techniques they've learned.

6. Reward System Activation: Creating art can activate the brain's reward system, including the release of dopamine, which can lead to feelings of satisfaction and pleasure when artists achieve their creative goals.

7. Flow State: Many artists experience a "flow state" when deeply engrossed in their work. This state is associated with increased activity in the prefrontal cortex and reduced activity in the part of the brain responsible for self-criticism, leading to a sense of timelessness and immersion in the creative process.

8. Problem-Solving: Artists often encounter challenges during painting, such as how to depict a particular texture or achieve a desired effect. This engages areas of the brain involved in problem-solving and creativity.

It's important to note that the brain's activity during painting can vary widely depending on the artist's style, subject matter, and personal approach to the creative process. Additionally, neuroimaging studies on artists are ongoing, and our understanding of the neural processes involved in art creation continues to evolve.

[lovelypol]

Brain Mapping Instruments Market Projected to Double by 2033, Reaching $4.5 Billion with a 7.8% CAGR

Brain Mapping Instruments Market : Brain mapping instruments are revolutionizing neuroscience by providing detailed insights into the structure and function of the human brain. These advanced devices use non-invasive techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and magnetoencephalography (MEG) to map brain activity and identify regions associated with cognitive functions, emotions, and motor skills. As brain mapping technology continues to advance, it holds the potential to transform clinical practices by helping diagnose neurological disorders, plan surgical interventions, and better understand complex brain networks.

To Request Sample Report : https://www.globalinsightservices.com/request-sample/?id=GIS32202 &utm_source=SnehaPatil&utm_medium=Article

The growing demand for brain mapping instruments is driven by the rising prevalence of neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, and brain injuries. Healthcare providers and researchers are increasingly relying on these tools to provide more precise diagnoses and improve treatment outcomes. Brain mapping can also be used in cognitive neuroscience research to study how the brain processes information, forms memories, and reacts to stimuli, paving the way for breakthroughs in mental health treatments, cognitive enhancement, and personalized medicine.

With continuous advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning, brain mapping instruments are becoming more sophisticated. These technologies are enabling real-time analysis of brain data, improving the accuracy of diagnoses and therapeutic interventions. As more clinical and research applications are discovered, the market for brain mapping instruments is poised for significant growth. The future of brain mapping holds the promise of not only treating neurological disorders but also enhancing our understanding of human consciousness and cognition, with profound implications for neuroscience and mental health.

#BrainMapping #Neuroscience #EEG #FMRI #MentalHealthTech #Neuroimaging #MedicalDevices #BrainResearch #CognitiveScience #NeurologicalDisorders #HealthcareInnovation #AIinHealthcare #Neurotechnology #BrainHealth #PersonalizedMedicine

[enetarch-alzheimers]

Article: Multimodal neuroimaging-based prediction of Parkinson’s disease with mild cognitive impairment using machine learning technique

Multimodal neuroimaging-based prediction of Parkinson’s disease with mild cognitive impairment using machine learning technique

[affectiondeficitdisorder]

Love Addiction as Anxiety Disorder

So I was talking to a robot earlier — Claude, specifically, the Anthropic AI chatbot — about the latest neuroimaging studies in the area of love addiction. Because when I am looking up peer-reviewed medical studies, I like to have an infinitely patient artificial intelligence there to explain it to me slowly.

I can go over the technicalities of it, like how when separated from their romantic interest the addict sees an increased cortisol release, making the amygdala signal threat/danger, which relates to Corticotropin-Releasing Factor... blah blah science. The point for me is, these studies show how chemically closely love addiction responses are to anxiety responses. You’re talking to someone who lived on anti-anxiety meds for years, after all. Xanax was my favorite boyfriend until I discovered that it is just as addictive as, well, boys.

This stress interaction, says Claude, helps explain why love addiction can be self-perpetuating: stress drives seeking closeness, but the heightened attachment system creates more sensitivity to stress, particularly around the relationship. Then Claude gave an example: “When I feel stressed, I compulsively check their social media" or "When they don't respond right away, I panic and send multiple messages."

The robot said that. The AI understands “when they don’t respond right away, I panic and send multiple messages.” This machine knows me better than most of my therapists, plus my immediate family! I asked it to elaborate. It responded:

This pattern is a classic example of how the stress-attachment system goes into overdrive in love addiction. Let me break down what's happening. When someone doesn't get a response to their message, several things happen in rapid succession:

1. The brain perceives this "digital silence" as a threat to the attachment bond. It might seem minor to others, but to someone experiencing love addiction, it triggers the same brain circuits as actual abandonment. Their amygdala (fear center) activates, and stress hormones start flooding their system.

2. This sets off what therapists call "catastrophic thinking":

- "They're ignoring me"

- "They found someone else"

- "They don't care about me anymore"

- "I must have done something wrong"

3. The anxiety builds quickly because there's uncertainty. Studies show that uncertainty actually creates more anxiety than knowing something bad for sure. The brain fills this information void with worst-case scenarios.

4. Then comes the compulsive responding:

- Sending follow-up messages

- Trying different communication channels (text, call, social media)

- Making up reasons to contact them ("Just checking if you got my message")

- Over-apologizing for previous messages

- Alternating between expressing worry and anger

This behavior often comes with intense physical symptoms:

- Racing heart

- Difficulty concentrating

- Checking the phone constantly

- Inability to sleep or eat

- Feeling physically sick with worry

The cruel irony is that this pattern often creates exactly what the person fears - it can overwhelm their partner and damage the relationship, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

That is concise, it is accurate, it is insightful… I wish I had written it. AI wrote it. I understand how people are falling in love with their chatbots. They really do get us.

Actually, AI sex dolls and fantasy chatbots are going to be a scourge on sex/love addicts and potential sex/love addicts everywhere and we should be afraid, very very afraid. I will write about that when we know more. But before our robot overlords harvest us for our mineral content, we should at least pick their brains. Claude helpfully asked me:

Would you like me to explain some specific techniques therapists use to help people manage these moments of panic? Here's how therapists help people handle those intense moments when they're tempted to send multiple messages:

Immediate Coping Strategies:

- The "5-4-3-2-1 Ground": Name 5 things you see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you hear, 2 things you smell, 1 thing you taste. This interrupts the panic spiral and brings you back to the present.

- Put the phone in another room for 20 minutes. Not forever, just creating a small buffer zone.

- Write the messages you want to send in a private note app instead. This gives the emotional release without the relationship consequences.

Building Longer-term Skills:

- Learning to recognize body signals that panic is building (tight chest, racing thoughts) before hitting "send"

- Creating a "panic playlist" of specific activities to do when the urge hits, like taking a walk or calling a friend

- Practicing self-soothing statements: "They were responsive earlier today," "They have their own life," "This discomfort will pass"

Changing Thought Patterns:

- Questioning assumptions: "What actual evidence do I have that something's wrong?"

- Exploring alternative explanations: "Maybe they're in a meeting," "Their phone might be dead"

- Building tolerance for uncertainty: "I can handle not knowing for a while"

The most effective approach usually combines these immediate tools with deeper work on attachment security. Many people find it helpful to have a "support buddy," someone they can contact instead of sending multiple messages to their romantic interest.

In 12-step world, that “support buddy” is usually your sponsor. These are wonderful suggestions, and a great addition to my advice on surviving withdrawal. I would extrapolate some of them to use for any addictive craving: drink, drug, cigarette, bet, purchase… some AA old-timers use a “ground” method they call the Coffee Cup Meditation: “I am drinking my coffee, while I am drinking my coffee, while I am drinking my coffee…” AA was always very big on coffee. 

It may comfort you to know that I have not spiraled and sent multiple messages to anyone in a long time. Not saying it will never happen, but one day at a time I have respite in that area, and I am grateful. I can even sit down and read a book. I’m thinking of re-reading Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot, actually.

[vipassana4u]

Scientific Research on the Effects of Vipassana Meditation

Vipassana meditation, often referred to as insight meditation, is one of the oldest forms of meditation rooted in Buddhist tradition. In recent years, it has gained popularity in the West, leading to a growing body of scientific research aimed at understanding its effects on brain function, mental health, and overall well-being. This article reviews key studies that highlight the physiological and psychological benefits of Vipassana meditation.

1. Understanding the Neurophysiological Mechanisms

Research into the neurophysiological effects of meditation has increased significantly, with neuroimaging techniques like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) providing insights into how meditation alters brain function. A notable study conducted by Zeidan et al. (2010) investigated the impact of mindfulness meditation, which shares similarities with Vipassana, on cognitive performance and brain function. The researchers found that just four days of meditation training improved participants' attention and cognitive flexibility, and increased activation in brain areas associated with attention and emotional regulation.

In a similar vein, a study by Desbordes et al. (2012) examined the effects of an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction program, which includes Vipassana techniques. The researchers observed changes in brain activity, particularly in the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in decision-making and emotional regulation. This suggests that Vipassana meditation can lead to enhanced brain function, potentially contributing to improved emotional health.

2. Effects on Mental Health

A substantial body of evidence supports the idea that Vipassana meditation can have positive effects on mental health. One of the most comprehensive studies was conducted by Goyal et al. (2014), which reviewed 47 studies on mindfulness meditation, including Vipassana. The meta-analysis found moderate evidence that mindfulness meditation can significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and pain. Participants who engaged in Vipassana meditation reported lower levels of distress and improved mental health outcomes compared to control groups.

Furthermore, a study by Khalsa et al. (2014) highlighted the impact of mindfulness meditation on anxiety and depression in veterans. The participants engaged in a mindfulness-based intervention that included Vipassana techniques. Results showed significant reductions in anxiety and depression symptoms, leading researchers to conclude that Vipassana can be an effective therapeutic approach for individuals experiencing mental health challenges.

3. Enhancing Emotional Regulation

One of the central tenets of Vipassana meditation is the cultivation of mindfulness, which promotes awareness and acceptance of thoughts and emotions. Research by Keng et al. (2011) suggests that mindfulness meditation, including Vipassana, enhances emotional regulation by fostering a non-reactive awareness of one’s thoughts and feelings. This ability to observe without judgment can reduce emotional reactivity and promote greater psychological resilience.

Moreover, a study by Creswell et al. (2016) examined the effects of mindfulness meditation on stress responses. The researchers found that individuals who practiced mindfulness showed reduced activity in the amygdala, the brain region responsible for processing fear and emotional responses. This finding indicates that Vipassana meditation can help individuals develop healthier responses to stress and anxiety, leading to improved emotional well-being.

4. Overall Well-Being and Quality of Life

Research has also explored how Vipassana meditation contributes to overall well-being and quality of life. A study by Shapiro et al. (2008) examined the effects of mindfulness meditation on quality of life in individuals with chronic illness. Participants who practiced Vipassana reported enhanced quality of life, including improvements in physical and emotional well-being. The findings suggest that meditation can serve as a valuable complementary approach to traditional medical treatments, fostering resilience and coping mechanisms in the face of health challenges.

Additionally, a longitudinal study by Chiesa and Serretti (2009) explored the long-term effects of mindfulness meditation, including Vipassana, on well-being. The researchers found that consistent meditation practice was associated with greater life satisfaction, increased positive affect, and decreased negative affect. These results underscore the potential of Vipassana meditation to enhance overall well-being over time.

5. Mechanisms of Change

Understanding the mechanisms through which Vipassana meditation promotes these benefits is essential for both researchers and practitioners. Studies suggest that mindfulness practices alter brain structure and function, leading to neuroplastic changes. For instance, research by Hölzel et al. (2011) indicated that mindfulness meditation, which encompasses Vipassana techniques, can increase gray matter density in brain regions associated with memory, sense of self, empathy, and stress regulation.

Furthermore, the practice of Vipassana meditation encourages a shift in perspective, fostering a greater sense of connectedness and compassion toward oneself and others. This can lead to improved interpersonal relationships and social support, which are crucial factors for mental health and well-being.

Conclusion

The scientific research surrounding Vipassana meditation provides compelling evidence of its positive effects on brain function, mental health, and overall well-being. Studies have shown that Vipassana can enhance cognitive performance, improve emotional regulation, and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Moreover, the practice fosters a greater sense of resilience and life satisfaction, contributing to a higher quality of life.

As the body of research continues to grow, it is becoming increasingly clear that Vipassana meditation offers valuable tools for enhancing mental health and well-being in our fast-paced, stress-laden modern world. Future studies may further elucidate the specific mechanisms at play, paving the way for integrating Vipassana meditation into therapeutic practices and promoting its adoption in various settings.

[mindorabydisha]

Why is Mandala art helpful for mental health? Research Evidence

I recently started doing mandala art painting and I'm aware that it has a lot of therapeutic benefits for our mental health and I would like to share with research evidence.

Recent research highlights several psychological benefits of mandala painting:

1. Anxiety and Stress Reduction: A study published in the Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association found that colouring mandalas significantly reduced anxiety levels in participants compared to colouring other designs or free-form colouring  .

 Another study reported that mandala colouring led to greater reductions in stress than free-form colouring or colouring plaid designs, indicating the specific benefits of the structured and symmetrical nature of mandalas .

2. Mindfulness and Flow: Mandala painting is often linked with increased mindfulness and flow states. A study involving augmented reality (AR) mandala colouring activities indicated that while short-term sessions might not significantly improve mindfulness, they do enhance flow, which is a state of deep absorption and focus that can improve mental well-being.

Mandala painting encourages mindfulness by requiring focused attention and present-moment awareness. This can help reduce ruminative thoughts and improve concentration .

3. Altering States of Consciousness: Creating mandalas can lead to an altered state of consciousness, characterized by changes in time perception, increased positive feelings, and a sense of self-agency. This meditative practice helps individuals achieve deeper self-knowledge and psychological integration.

4. Therapeutic Benefits in Educational Settings: Mandala art therapy has been effectively used to address depression, anxiety, and stress among university students, enhancing their resilience during the transitional phase from adolescence to adulthood. The therapy sessions help in reducing negative emotional states and improving overall psychological well-being.

5. Therapeutic Use in Clinical Settings: In clinical settings, mandala painting has been used as a therapeutic intervention for individuals with various psychological conditions, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety disorders. It has been found to provide a non-verbal outlet for expression and emotional processing .

6. Neuropsychological Effects: Studies utilizing neuroimaging techniques have observed changes in brain activity associated with relaxation and emotional regulation when participants engage in mandala coloring, suggesting a neurobiological basis for its calming effects .

Overall, mandala painting is a valuable tool for promoting mental health, offering a simple yet effective way to alleviate anxiety, enhance mindfulness, and support emotional resilience. These findings highlight its potential as a valuable tool in both therapeutic settings and self-care routines.

"Start your self care routine with mandala art"

Thank you for reading

Disha Arunagiri

Counselling Psychologist

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