Brain and cognition
December 1, 2011
Valdas Noreika, Leila Jylhänkangas, Levente Móró et al.
62 citations
Subjective experiences can occur even when a person appears unresponsive under sedation. In a nonsurgical setting, participants given dexmedetomidine, propofol, sevoflurane, or xenon recalled having subjective experiences in almost 60% of sessions after regaining responsiveness. During dexmedetomidine sessions, such experiences were linked to shallower sedation depth as measured by an EEG-based monitor. The findings indicate that unresponsiveness does not guarantee absence of consciousness, and studies on phenomenal consciousness under anesthetics should assess subjective states through post-recovery interviews.
Brain and cognition
May 27, 2025
Steven Wickens, Gummersall Timothy, Brown Trevor
4 citations
A meta-analysis of eight sham-controlled randomized trials found that combining mindfulness practices with active transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) produces a small but significant increase in self-reported mindfulness compared to mindfulness with sham stimulation. The effect size was small (standardized mean difference = 0.24). Most studies used 2 mA anodal stimulation to the prefrontal cortex. The findings suggest that tDCS can augment the benefits of mindfulness practice, supporting a synergistic multimodal approach.
Brain and cognition
August 1, 2023
Etzel Cardeña, Lena Lindström, Philippe Goldin et al.
4 citations
Automatic writing, whether occurring spontaneously or induced by hypnosis, reduces the sense of control and agency compared to copying symbols. In a functional MRI study of one spontaneous automatic writer and four highly hypnotizable individuals, automatic writing was associated with decreased brain activity in regions linked to the sense of agency, including the left premotor cortex and insula, right premotor cortex, and supplemental motor area. Increased activity was observed in the left and right temporoparietal junctions and occipital lobes. The highly hypnotizable individuals showed widespread decreases in brain activity and increases in frontal and parietal regions compared to the spontaneous writer. Spontaneous and induced automatic writing had similar effects on the subjective experience of agency but only partly overlapping effects on cortical activity.
Brain and cognition
April 1, 2012
Zoë D Théodoridou, Lazaros C Triarhou
2 citations
Christfried Jakob, a neurobiologist active from 1930 to 1949, argued that philosophy must be integrated with biology, especially neurobiology, to understand consciousness. He is considered an early figure in neurophilosophy, focusing on the neurobiogenetic, neurodynamic, and neuropsychogenetic foundations of consciousness. His ideas share common ground with thinkers such as Kant, James, Husserl, Bergson, Piaget, and Quine, and also align with aspects of cybernetics and neurophenomenology. Jakob advocated for interdisciplinary science as essential to solving the mystery of consciousness.