Search results for "Meditation"
showing 10 items of 149 documents
Audiovisual attention boosts letter-speech sound integration
2013
We studied attention effects on the integration of written and spoken syllables in fluent adult readers by using event-related brain potentials. Auditory consonant-vowel syllables, including consonant and frequency changes, were presented in synchrony with written syllables or their scrambled images. Participants responded to longer-duration auditory targets (auditory attention), longer-duration visual targets (visual attention), longer-duration auditory and visual targets (audiovisual attention), or counted backwards mentally. We found larger negative responses for spoken consonant changes when they were accompanied by written syllables than when they were accompanied by scrambled text. Th…
Psychobehavioral Effects of Meditation
2017
Meditation is an increasingly popular psychobehavioral therapy. Various meditation techniques in use make it hard to objectively scrutinize the psychological benefits. Therefore, in this study we set out to examine the effects of two fundamentally different meditative techniques, Zazen, ‘seated meditation’, in which the body and mind are calmed, and Tai Chi, ‘meditation in motion’, based on energetic martial art performance. The aim was to compare the effects of both techniques on personality structure, emotional intelligence, mood, and coping with stress. The study was conducted in 48 healthy volunteers, aged 39–50, divided into those practicing Zazen, Tai Chi, and the non-meditating contr…
Exploring Frequency-Dependent Brain Networks from Ongoing EEG Using Spatial ICA During Music Listening
2020
Recently, exploring brain activity based on functional networks during naturalistic stimuli especially music and video represents an attractive challenge because of the low signal-to-noise ratio in collected brain data. Although most efforts focusing on exploring the listening brain have been made through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), sensor-level electro- or magnetoencephalography (EEG/MEG) technique, little is known about how neural rhythms are involved in the brain network activity under naturalistic stimuli. This study exploited cortical oscillations through analysis of ongoing EEG and musical feature during freely listening to music. We used a data-driven method that co…
Mobile Phone Chips Reduce Increases in EEG Brain Activity Induced by Mobile Phone-Emitted Electromagnetic Fields
2018
Recent neurophysiological studies indicate that exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) generated by mobile phone radiation can exert effects on brain activity. One technical solution to reduce effects of EMFs in mobile phone use is provided in mobile phone chips that are applied to mobile phones or attached to their surfaces. To date, there are no systematical studies on the effects of mobile phone chip application on brain activity and the underlying neural mechanisms. The present study investigated whether mobile phone chips that are applied to mobile phones reduce effects of EMFs emitted by mobile phone radiation on electroencephalographic (EEG) brain activity in a laboratory study. T…
Personality modulates brain responses to emotion in music: Comparing whole-brain and regions-of-variance approaches
2019
AbstractWhether and how personality traits explain the individual variance in neural responses to emotion in music remains unclear. The sparse studies on this topic report inconsistent findings. The present study extends previous work using regions of variance (ROVs) as regions of interest, compared with whole-brain analysis. Fifty-five subjects listened to happy, sad, and fearful music during functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Personality was measured with the Big Five Questionnaire. Results confirmed previous observations of Neuroticism being positively related to activation during sad music, in the left inferior parietal lobe. In an exploratory analysis, Openness was positively relat…
POGLĄDY NA NAUKĘ JĘZYKA OBCEGO U OSÓB Z WYSOKĄ I NISKĄ GOTOWOŚCIĄ KOMUNIKACYJNĄ W JĘZYKU ANGIELSKIM
2019
Reflection is understood as an activity which enables the reproduction of past experiences, reflection and meditation about them and their evaluation. One of the most significant features shaping learner reflection may be willingness to communicate in a foreign language – one’s volitional readiness to enter a communicative event in this language. In spite of a wealth of research conducted in this area, it is still unclear why some students are willing to start communication in a foreign language, while others are adamant to avoid it. For the purpose of this paper a qualitative-quantitative study was performed, focusing on four students with very low levels of willingness to communicate in E…
The role of the brain in financial decisions : a viewpoint on neuroeconomics
2018
In this article, we explain the important role neuroscience plays in economic and financial environments. Hence, we present neuroeconomics as a way to describe how decision-making processes affect brain activity, focusing especially on the importance of economic and financial decisions. We answer some questions regarding the role of emotions in finance, the psychological factors present in financial markets, and how neuropsychological stimuli affect our economic decisions. We conclude by citing the main research in the area of neuroscience in financial decision-making processes, and highlight further research projects in these areas.
Advanced fluorescence microscopy for in vivo imaging of neuronal activity
2019
Brain function emerges from the coordinated activity, over time, of large neuronal populations placed in different brain regions. Understanding the relationships of these specific areas and disentangling the contributions of individual neurons to overall function remain central goals for neuroscience. In this scenario, fluorescence microscopy has been proved as the tool of choice for in vivo recording of brain activity. Optical advances combined with genetically encoded indicators allow a large flexibility in terms of spatiotemporal resolution and field of view while keeping invasiveness in living animals to a minimum. Here we describe the latest advancements in the field of linear and nonl…
Brief mindfulness session improves mood and increases salivary oxytocin in psychology students
2020
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) have been shown to be effective in increasing empathy in health professionals. Yet, more research is needed to analyse the specific influence of mindfulness exercises on biological variables involved in empathy, such as the biological system of oxytocin activity. In this study, we analyse the effects of a brief mindfulness session on positive and negative affect, state anxiety and salivary oxytocin (sOXT) in psychology students (N = 68). In the experimental group (n = 42), a mindfulness session was performed that included different guided meditation exercises. In the control group (n = 26), an emotion recognition exercise was carried out, along with a s…
Current neuroscientific research database findings of brain activity changes after hypnosis.
2021
Using multi-modal brain imaging techniques we found pronounced changes in neuronal activity after hypnotic trance induction whereby state changes seem to occur synchronously with the specific induction instructions. In clinical patients, hypnosis proved to be a powerful method in inhibiting the reaction of the fear circuitry structures. The aim of the present paper is to critically discuss the limitations of the current neuroscientific research database in the light of a debate in defining relevant hypnotic constructs and to suggest ideas for future research projects. We discuss the role of hypnotic suggestibility (HS), the impact of hypnotic inductions and the importance of the depth of hy…