Huge study: 5 mental disorders share genetic links
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/medical/article/Huge-study-5-mental-disorders-share-genetic-links-4314131.php
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Understanding the human brain clock & related neuroscience
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Article: Huge study: 5 mental disorders share genetic links
Huge study: 5 mental disorders share genetic links
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/medical/article/Huge-study-5-mental-disorders-share-genetic-links-4314131.php
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Article: Why are older people less prone to mind wandering?
Why are older people less prone to mind wandering?
http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2013/02/why-are-older-people-less-prone-to-mind.html?m=1
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Neuropsychologia | Vol 51, Iss 2, Pgs 187-384, (January, 2013) | ScienceDirect.com
Special issue on how the brain processes time
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Article: InBrief: The Science of Early Childhood Development
InBrief: The Science of Early Childhood Development
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/briefs/inbrief_series/inbrief_the_science_of_ecd/
Article: Tapping into the power of mindfulness
Tapping into the power of mindfulness
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/feb/23/business/la-fi-meditation-management-20130224
Article: Mind over matter: Soccer's bid to train the brain
Mind over matter: Soccer's bid to train the brain
http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/26/sport/football/football-brain-mourinho-messi/
Article: Should Grandma Join Facebook? It May Give Her a Cognitive Boost, Study Finds
Should Grandma Join Facebook? It May Give Her a Cognitive Boost, Study Finds
http://uanews.org/story/should-grandma-join-facebook-it-may-give-her-a-cognitive-boost-study-finds
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Friday, February 22, 2013
Article: Three Radical New Brain-Mapping Tools Scientists Want Obama to Deliver
Three Radical New Brain-Mapping Tools Scientists Want Obama to Deliver
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/02/three-awesome-tools-scientists-may-use-to-map-your-brain-in-the-future/
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*****************************************
Kevin McGrew, Phd.Educational Psychologist
Institute for Applied Psychometrics
Director IAP
*****************************************
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Research Byte: More on mind wandering
> Title:
> Wandering Minds and Wavering Rhythms: Linking Mind Wandering and Behavioral Variability
>
> Authors:
> Seli, P; Cheyne, JA; Smilek, D
>
> Source:
> *JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY-HUMAN PERCEPTION AND PERFORMANCE*, 39 (1):1-5; FEB 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Mind wandering is a pervasive feature of human cognition often
> associated with the withdrawal of task-related executive control
> processes. Here, we explore the possibility that, in tasks requiring
> executive control to sustain consistent responding, moments of mind
> wandering could be associated with moments of increased behavioral
> variability. To test this possibility, we developed and administered a
> novel task (the metronome response task) in which participants were
> instructed to respond synchronously (via button presses) with the
> continuous rhythmic presentation of tones. We provide evidence
> (replicated across 2 independent samples) that response variability
> during the 5 trials preceding probe-caught reports of mind wandering
> (tuned-out and zoned-out mind wandering) is significantly greater than
> during the 5 trials preceding reports of on-task performance. These
> results suggest that, at least in some tasks, behavioral variability is
> an online marker of mind wandering.
>
> Wandering Minds and Wavering Rhythms: Linking Mind Wandering and Behavioral Variability
>
> Authors:
> Seli, P; Cheyne, JA; Smilek, D
>
> Source:
> *JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY-HUMAN PERCEPTION AND PERFORMANCE*, 39 (1):1-5; FEB 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Mind wandering is a pervasive feature of human cognition often
> associated with the withdrawal of task-related executive control
> processes. Here, we explore the possibility that, in tasks requiring
> executive control to sustain consistent responding, moments of mind
> wandering could be associated with moments of increased behavioral
> variability. To test this possibility, we developed and administered a
> novel task (the metronome response task) in which participants were
> instructed to respond synchronously (via button presses) with the
> continuous rhythmic presentation of tones. We provide evidence
> (replicated across 2 independent samples) that response variability
> during the 5 trials preceding probe-caught reports of mind wandering
> (tuned-out and zoned-out mind wandering) is significantly greater than
> during the 5 trials preceding reports of on-task performance. These
> results suggest that, at least in some tasks, behavioral variability is
> an online marker of mind wandering.
>
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Article: Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal - State requires dyslexia screening
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal - State requires dyslexia screening
http://djournal.com/view/full_story/21753840/article-State-requires-dyslexia-screening?instance=home_news_1st_left
Sent via Flipboard
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Sunday, February 17, 2013
Article: Obama Seeking to Boost Study of Human Brain
Obama Seeking to Boost Study of Human Brain
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/18/science/project-seeks-to-build-map-of-human-brain.html
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Article: Sharpen Your Powers of Attention
Sharpen Your Powers of Attention
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=sharpen-your-powers-attention
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Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Article: Ned the Neuron By Kizoom - Review
Ned the Neuron By Kizoom - Review
http://appables.blogspot.com/2013/01/ned-neuron-by-kizoom-review.html
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Article: Long-term Course of ADHD Diagnosed in Preschool Years Can be Chronic and Severe
Long-term Course of ADHD Diagnosed in Preschool Years Can be Chronic and Severe
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2013/long-term-course-of-adhd-diagnosed-in-preschool-years-can-be-chronic-and-severe.shtml
Sent via Flipboard
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Tweet from Kane_WMC_Lab (@Kane_WMC_Lab)
 | Kane_WMC_Lab (@Kane_WMC_Lab) |
Reading, engagement, and mind-wandering. CJEP, will be part of special section on mind-wandering (APA paywall): psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/2013-… | |
Download the official Twitter app here
Monday, February 11, 2013
Article: Using Your Head: What is the Future of Brain Health? (Interview Part 1)
Using Your Head: What is the Future of Brain Health? (Interview Part 1)
http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2013/02/11/using-your-head-what-is-the-future-of-brain-health-interview-part-1/
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Saturday, February 09, 2013
Friday, February 08, 2013
Thursday, February 07, 2013
Journal Alert: SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE---Mindfulness neuroscience
> Title:
> Special issue on mindfulness neuroscience
>
> Authors:
> Tang, YY; Posner, MI
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):1-3; SI JAN 2013
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 4-14 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700002
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Impact of meditation training on the default mode network during a restful state
>
> Authors:
> Taylor, VA; Daneault, V; Grant, J; Scavone, G; Breton, E; Roffe-Vidal,
> S; Courtemanche, J; Lavarenne, AS; Marrelec, G; Benali, H; Beauregard, M
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):4-14; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Mindfulness meditation has been shown to promote emotional stability.
> Moreover, during the processing of aversive and self-referential
> stimuli, mindful awareness is associated with reduced medial prefrontal
> cortex (MPFC) activity, a central default mode network (DMN) component.
> However, it remains unclear whether mindfulness practice influences
> functional connectivity between DMN regions and, if so, whether such
> impact persists beyond a state of meditation. Consequently, this study
> examined the effect of extensive mindfulness training on functional
> connectivity within the DMN during a restful state. Resting-state data
> were collected from 13 experienced meditators (with over 1000 h of
> training) and 11 beginner meditators (with no prior experience, trained
> for 1 week before the study) using functional magnetic resonance imaging
> (fMRI). Pairwise correlations and partial correlations were computed
> between DMN seed regions' time courses and were compared between groups
> utilizing a Bayesian sampling scheme. Relative to beginners, experienced
> meditators had weaker functional connectivity between DMN regions
> involved in self-referential processing and emotional appraisal. In
> addition, experienced meditators had increased connectivity between
> certain DMN regions (e.g. dorso-medial PFC and right inferior parietal
> lobule), compared to beginner meditators. These findings suggest that
> meditation training leads to functional connectivity changes between
> core DMN regions possibly reflecting strengthened present-moment
> awareness.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 15-26 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700003
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Mindfulness meditation training alters cortical representations of interoceptive attention
>
> Authors:
> Farb, NAS; Segal, ZV; Anderson, AK
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):15-26; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> One component of mindfulness training (MT) is the development of
> interoceptive attention (IA) to visceral bodily sensations, facilitated
> through daily practices such as breath monitoring. Using functional
> magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we examined experience-dependent
> functional plasticity in accessing interoceptive representations by
> comparing graduates of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course to a
> waitlisted control group. IA to respiratory sensations was contrasted
> against two visual tasks, controlling for attentional requirements
> non-specific to IA such as maintaining sensation and suppressing
> distraction. In anatomically partitioned analyses of insula activity, MT
> predicted greater IA-related activity in anterior dysgranular insula
> regions, consistent with greater integration of interoceptive sensation
> with external context. MT also predicted decreased recruitment of the
> dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) during IA, and altered functional
> connectivity between the DMPFC and the posterior insula, putative
> primary interoceptive cortex. Furthermore, meditation practice
> compliance predicted greater posterior insula and reduced visual pathway
> recruitment during IA. These findings suggest that interoceptive
> training modulates task-specific cortical recruitment, analogous to
> training-related plasticity observed in the external senses. Further,
> DMPFC modulation of IA networks may be an important mechanism by which
> MT alters information processing in the brain, increasing the
> contribution of interoception to perceptual experience.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 27-33 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700004
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> The effect of meditation on brain structure: cortical thickness mapping and diffusion tensor imaging
>
> Authors:
> Kang, DH; Jo, HJ; Jung, WH; Kim, SH; Jung, YH; Choi, CH; Lee, US; An,
> SC; Jang, JH; Kwon, JS
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):27-33; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> A convergent line of neuroscientific evidence suggests that meditation
> alters the functional and structural plasticity of distributed neural
> processes underlying attention and emotion. The purpose of this study
> was to examine the brain structural differences between a well-matched
> sample of long-term meditators and controls. We employed whole-brain
> cortical thickness analysis based on magnetic resonance imaging, and
> diffusion tensor imaging to quantify white matter integrity in the
> brains of 46 experienced meditators compared with 46 matched
> meditation-naive volunteers. Meditators, compared with controls, showed
> significantly greater cortical thickness in the anterior regions of the
> brain, located in frontal and temporal areas, including the medial
> prefrontal cortex, superior frontal cortex, temporal pole and the middle
> and interior temporal cortices. Significantly thinner cortical thickness
> was found in the posterior regions of the brain, located in the parietal
> and occipital areas, including the postcentral cortex, inferior parietal
> cortex, middle occipital cortex and posterior cingulate cortex.
> Moreover, in the region adjacent to the medial prefrontal cortex, both
> higher fractional anisotropy values and greater cortical thickness were
> observed. Our findings suggest that long-term meditators have structural
> differences in both gray and white matter.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 34-39 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700005
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Increased gray matter volume in the right angular and posterior parahippocampal gyri in loving-kindness meditators
>
> Authors:
> Leung, MK; Chan, CCH; Yin, J; Lee, CF; So, KF; Lee, TMC
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):34-39; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Previous voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies have revealed that
> meditation is associated with structural brain changes in regions
> underlying cognitive processes that are required for attention or
> mindfulness during meditation. This VBM study examined brain changes
> related to the practice of an emotion-oriented meditation:
> loving-kindness meditation (LKM). A 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
> scanner captured images of the brain structures of 25 men, 10 of whom
> had practiced LKM in the Theravada tradition for at least 5 years.
> Compared with novices, more gray matter volume was detected in the right
> angular and posterior parahippocampal gyri in LKM experts. The right
> angular gyrus has not been previously reported to have structural
> differences associated with meditation, and its specific role in mind
> and cognitive empathy theory suggests the uniqueness of this finding for
> LKM practice. These regions are important for affective regulation
> associated with empathic response, anxiety and mood. At the same time,
> gray matter volume in the left temporal lobe in the LKM experts appeared
> to be greater, an observation that has also been reported in previous
> MRI meditation studies on meditation styles other than LKM. Overall, the
> findings of our study suggest that experience in LKM may influence brain
> structures associated with affective regulation.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 40-47 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700006
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Neural correlates of focused attention during a brief mindfulness induction
>
> Authors:
> Dickenson, J; Berkman, ET; Arch, J; Lieberman, MD
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):40-47; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Mindfulness meditation-the practice of attending to present moment
> experience and allowing emotions and thoughts to pass without
> judgment-has shown to be beneficial in clinical populations across
> diverse outcomes. However, the basic neural mechanisms by which
> mindfulness operates and relates to everyday outcomes in novices remain
> unexplored. Focused attention is a common mindfulness induction where
> practitioners focus on specific physical sensations, typically the
> breath. The present study explores the neural mechanisms of this common
> mindfulness induction among novice practitioners. Healthy novice
> participants completed a brief task with both mindful attention [focused
> breathing (FB)] and control (unfocused attention) conditions during
> functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Relative to the control
> condition, FB recruited an attention network including parietal and
> prefrontal structures and trait-level mindfulness during this comparison
> also correlated with parietal activation. Results suggest that the
> neural mechanisms of a brief mindfulness induction are related to
> attention processes in novices and that trait mindfulness positively
> moderates this activation.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 48-55 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700007
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Compassion meditation enhances empathic accuracy and related neural activity
>
> Authors:
> Mascaro, JS; Rilling, JK; Negi, LT; Raison, CL
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):48-55; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> The ability to accurately infer others' mental states from facial
> expressions is important for optimal social functioning and is
> fundamentally impaired in social cognitive disorders such as autism.
> While pharmacologic interventions have shown promise for enhancing
> empathic accuracy, little is known about the effects of behavioral
> interventions on empathic accuracy and related brain activity. This
> study employed a randomized, controlled and longitudinal design to
> investigate the effect of a secularized analytical compassion meditation
> program, cognitive-based compassion training (CBCT), on empathic
> accuracy. Twenty-one healthy participants received functional MRI scans
> while completing an empathic accuracy task, the Reading the Mind in the
> Eyes Test (RMET), both prior to and after completion of either CBCT or a
> health discussion control group. Upon completion of the study
> interventions, participants randomized to CBCT and were significantly
> more likely than control subjects to have increased scores on the RMET
> and increased neural activity in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and
> dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC). Moreover, changes in dmPFC and
> IFG activity from baseline to the post-intervention assessment were
> associated with changes in empathic accuracy. These findings suggest
> that CBCT may hold promise as a behavioral intervention for enhancing
> empathic accuracy and the neurobiology supporting it.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 56-64 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700008
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Psychological and neural mechanisms of trait mindfulness in reducing depression vulnerability
>
> Authors:
> Paul, NA; Stanton, SJ; Greeson, JM; Smoski, MJ; Wang, LH
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):56-64; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Mindfulness-based interventions are effective for reducing depressive
> symptoms. However, the psychological and neural mechanisms are unclear.
> This study examined which facets of trait mindfulness offer protection
> against negative bias and rumination, which are key risk factors for
> depression. Nineteen male volunteers completed a 2-day functional
> magnetic resonance imaging study. One day utilized a stress-induction
> task and the other day utilized a mindful breathing task. An emotional
> inhibition task was used to measure neural and behavioral changes
> related to state negative bias, defined by poorer performance in
> inhibiting negative relative to neutral stimuli. Associations among
> trait mindfulness [measured by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire
> (FFMQ)], trait rumination, and negative bias were examined.
> Non-reactivity scores on the FFMQ correlated negatively with rumination
> and negative bias following the stress induction. Non-reactivity was
> inversely correlated with insula activation during inhibition to
> negative stimuli after the mindful breathing task. Our results suggest
> non-reactivity to inner experience is the key facet of mindfulness that
> protects individuals from psychological risk for depression. Based on
> these results, mindfulness could reduce vulnerability to depression in
> at least two ways: (i) by buffering against trait rumination and
> negative bias and (ii) by reducing automatic emotional responding via
> the insula.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 65-72 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700009
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> MBSR vs aerobic exercise in social anxiety: fMRI of emotion regulation of negative self-beliefs
>
> Authors:
> Goldin, P; Ziv, M; Jazaieri, H; Hahn, K; Gross, JJ
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):65-72; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is thought to reduce emotional
> reactivity and enhance emotion regulation in patients with social
> anxiety disorder (SAD). The goal of this study was to examine the neural
> correlates of deploying attention to regulate responses to negative
> self-beliefs using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Participants
> were 56 patients with generalized SAD in a randomized controlled trial
> who were assigned to MBSR or a comparison aerobic exercise (AE) stress
> reduction program. Compared to AE, MBSR yielded greater (i) reductions
> in negative emotion when implementing regulation and (ii) increases in
> attention-related parietal cortical regions. Meditation practice was
> associated with decreases in negative emotion and social anxiety symptom
> severity, and increases in attention-related parietal cortex neural
> responses when implementing attention regulation of negative
> self-beliefs. Changes in attention regulation during MBSR may be an
> important psychological factor that helps to explain how mindfulness
> meditation training benefits patients with anxiety disorders.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 73-84 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700010
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Mindful attention reduces neural and self-reported cue-induced craving in smokers
>
> Authors:
> Westbrook, C; Creswell, JD; Tabibnia, G; Julson, E; Kober, H; Tindle, HA
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):73-84; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> An emerging body of research suggests that mindfulness-based
> interventions may be beneficial for smoking cessation and the treatment
> of other addictive disorders. One way that mindfulness may facilitate
> smoking cessation is through the reduction of craving to smoking cues.
> The present work considers whether mindful attention can reduce
> self-reported and neural markers of cue-induced craving in treatment
> seeking smokers. Forty-seven (n = 47) meditation-naive treatment-seeking
> smokers (12-h abstinent from smoking) viewed and made ratings of smoking
> and neutral images while undergoing functional magnetic resonance
> imaging (fMRI). Participants were trained and instructed to view these
> images passively or with mindful attention. Results indicated that
> mindful attention reduced self-reported craving to smoking images, and
> reduced neural activity in a craving-related region of subgenual
> anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC). Moreover, a psychophysiological
> interaction analysis revealed that mindful attention reduced functional
> connectivity between sgACC and other craving-related regions compared to
> passively viewing smoking images, suggesting that mindfulness may
> decouple craving neurocircuitry when viewing smoking cues. These results
> provide an initial indication that mindful attention may describe a
> 'bottom-up' attention to one's present moment experience in ways that
> can help reduce subjective and neural reactivity to smoking cues in
> smokers.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 85-92 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700011
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Meditation, mindfulness and executive control: the importance of emotional acceptance and brain-based performance monitoring
>
> Authors:
> Teper, R; Inzlicht, M
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):85-92; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Previous studies have documented the positive effects of mindfulness
> meditation on executive control. What has been lacking, however, is an
> understanding of the mechanism underlying this effect. Some theorists
> have described mindfulness as embodying two facets-present moment
> awareness and emotional acceptance. Here, we examine how the effect of
> meditation practice on executive control manifests in the brain,
> suggesting that emotional acceptance and performance monitoring play
> important roles. We investigated the effect of meditation practice on
> executive control and measured the neural correlates of performance
> monitoring, specifically, the error-related negativity (ERN), a
> neurophysiological response that occurs within 100 ms of error
> commission. Meditators and controls completed a Stroop task, during
> which we recorded ERN amplitudes with electroencephalography. Meditators
> showed greater executive control (i.e. fewer errors), a higher ERN and
> more emotional acceptance than controls. Finally, mediation pathway
> models further revealed that meditation practice relates to greater
> executive control and that this effect can be accounted for by
> heightened emotional acceptance, and to a lesser extent, increased
> brain-based performance monitoring.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 93-99 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700012
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Dispositional mindfulness and the attenuation of neural responses to emotional stimuli
>
> Authors:
> Brown, KW; Goodman, RJ; Inzlicht, M
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):93-99; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Considerable research has disclosed how cognitive reappraisals and the
> modulation of emotional responses promote successful emotion regulation.
> Less research has examined how the early processing of emotion-relevant
> stimuli may create divergent emotional response consequences.
> Mindfulness-a receptive, non-evaluative form of attention-is theorized
> to foster emotion regulation, and the present study examined whether
> individual differences in mindfulness would modulate neural responses
> associated with the early processing of affective stimuli. Focus was on
> the late positive potential (LPP) of the event-related brain potential
> to visual stimuli varying in emotional valence and arousal. This study
> first found, replicating past research, that high arousal images,
> particularly of an unpleasant type, elicited larger LPP responses.
> Second, the study found that more mindful individuals showed lower LPP
> responses to high arousal unpleasant images, even after controlling for
> trait attentional control. Conversely, two traits contrasting with
> mindfulness-neuroticism and negative affectivity-were associated with
> higher LPP responses to high arousal unpleasant images. Finally,
> mindfulness was also associated with lower LPP responses to
> motivationally salient pleasant images (erotica). These findings suggest
> that mindfulness modulates neural responses in an early phase of
> affective processing, and contribute to understanding how this quality
> of attention may promote healthy emotional functioning.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 100-111 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700013
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Event-related delta, theta, alpha and gamma correlates to auditory oddball processing during Vipassana meditation
>
> Authors:
> Cahn, BR; Delorme, A; Polich, J
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):100-111; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Long-term Vipassana meditators sat in meditation vs. a control
> (instructed mind wandering) states for 25 min, electroencephalography
> (EEG) was recorded and condition order counterbalanced. For the last 4
> min, a three-stimulus auditory oddball series was presented during both
> meditation and control periods through headphones and no task imposed.
> Time-frequency analysis demonstrated that meditation relative to the
> control condition evinced decreased evoked delta (2-4 Hz) power to
> distracter stimuli concomitantly with a greater event-related reduction
> of late (500-900 ms) alpha-1 (8-10 Hz) activity, which indexed altered
> dynamics of attentional engagement to distracters. Additionally,
> standard stimuli were associated with increased early event-related
> alpha phase synchrony (inter-trial coherence) and evoked theta (4-8 Hz)
> phase synchrony, suggesting enhanced processing of the habituated
> standard background stimuli. Finally, during meditation, there was a
> greater differential early-evoked gamma power to the different stimulus
> classes. Correlation analysis indicated that this effect stemmed from a
> meditation state-related increase in early distracter-evoked gamma power
> and phase synchrony specific to longer-term expert practitioners. The
> findings suggest that Vipassana meditation evokes a brain state of
> enhanced perceptual clarity and decreased automated reactivity.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 112-117 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700014
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Mindfulness disposition and default-mode network connectivity in older adults
>
> Authors:
> Prakash, RS; De Leon, AA; Klatt, M; Malarkey, W; Patterson, B
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):112-117; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> An extensive body of research defines the default-mode network (DMN) to
> be one of the critical networks of the human brain, playing a pivotal
> functional role in processes of internal mentation. Alterations in the
> connectivity of this network as a function of aging have been found,
> with reductions associated with functional ramifications for the elderly
> population. This study examined associations between integrity of the
> DMN and trait levels of mindfulness disposition, defined by our ability
> to exert attentional and emotional control in the present moment, and,
> thereby, bring awareness to immediate experiences. Twenty-five older
> adults participated in the study and underwent a brief functional
> magnetic resonance imaging session and filled out questionnaires related
> to their overall health and mindfulness disposition. Mindfulness
> disposition was associated with greater connectivity of the DMN,
> specifically, in the dorsal posterior cingulate cortex and the
> precuneus. Mindfulness disposition, thus, explains variance in the
> connectivity of one of the more intrinsic networks of the human brain,
> known to be critical for promoting self-relevant mental explorations and
> building cognitive and affective control.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 118-120 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700015
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Tools of the trade: theory and method in mindfulness neuroscience
>
> Authors:
> Tang, YY; Posner, MI
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):118-120; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Mindfulness neuroscience is an emerging research field that investigates
> the underlying mechanisms of different mindfulness practices, different
> stages and different states of practice as well as different effects of
> practice over the lifespan. Mindfulness neuroscience research integrates
> theory and methods from eastern contemplative traditions, western
> psychology and neuroscience, and from neuroimaging techniques,
> physiological measures and behavioral tests. We here review several key
> theoretical and methodological challenges in the empirical study of
> mindfulness neuroscience and provide suggestions for overcoming these
> challenges.
>
> =
> Special issue on mindfulness neuroscience
>
> Authors:
> Tang, YY; Posner, MI
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):1-3; SI JAN 2013
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 4-14 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700002
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Impact of meditation training on the default mode network during a restful state
>
> Authors:
> Taylor, VA; Daneault, V; Grant, J; Scavone, G; Breton, E; Roffe-Vidal,
> S; Courtemanche, J; Lavarenne, AS; Marrelec, G; Benali, H; Beauregard, M
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):4-14; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Mindfulness meditation has been shown to promote emotional stability.
> Moreover, during the processing of aversive and self-referential
> stimuli, mindful awareness is associated with reduced medial prefrontal
> cortex (MPFC) activity, a central default mode network (DMN) component.
> However, it remains unclear whether mindfulness practice influences
> functional connectivity between DMN regions and, if so, whether such
> impact persists beyond a state of meditation. Consequently, this study
> examined the effect of extensive mindfulness training on functional
> connectivity within the DMN during a restful state. Resting-state data
> were collected from 13 experienced meditators (with over 1000 h of
> training) and 11 beginner meditators (with no prior experience, trained
> for 1 week before the study) using functional magnetic resonance imaging
> (fMRI). Pairwise correlations and partial correlations were computed
> between DMN seed regions' time courses and were compared between groups
> utilizing a Bayesian sampling scheme. Relative to beginners, experienced
> meditators had weaker functional connectivity between DMN regions
> involved in self-referential processing and emotional appraisal. In
> addition, experienced meditators had increased connectivity between
> certain DMN regions (e.g. dorso-medial PFC and right inferior parietal
> lobule), compared to beginner meditators. These findings suggest that
> meditation training leads to functional connectivity changes between
> core DMN regions possibly reflecting strengthened present-moment
> awareness.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 15-26 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700003
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Mindfulness meditation training alters cortical representations of interoceptive attention
>
> Authors:
> Farb, NAS; Segal, ZV; Anderson, AK
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):15-26; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> One component of mindfulness training (MT) is the development of
> interoceptive attention (IA) to visceral bodily sensations, facilitated
> through daily practices such as breath monitoring. Using functional
> magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we examined experience-dependent
> functional plasticity in accessing interoceptive representations by
> comparing graduates of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course to a
> waitlisted control group. IA to respiratory sensations was contrasted
> against two visual tasks, controlling for attentional requirements
> non-specific to IA such as maintaining sensation and suppressing
> distraction. In anatomically partitioned analyses of insula activity, MT
> predicted greater IA-related activity in anterior dysgranular insula
> regions, consistent with greater integration of interoceptive sensation
> with external context. MT also predicted decreased recruitment of the
> dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) during IA, and altered functional
> connectivity between the DMPFC and the posterior insula, putative
> primary interoceptive cortex. Furthermore, meditation practice
> compliance predicted greater posterior insula and reduced visual pathway
> recruitment during IA. These findings suggest that interoceptive
> training modulates task-specific cortical recruitment, analogous to
> training-related plasticity observed in the external senses. Further,
> DMPFC modulation of IA networks may be an important mechanism by which
> MT alters information processing in the brain, increasing the
> contribution of interoception to perceptual experience.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 27-33 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700004
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> The effect of meditation on brain structure: cortical thickness mapping and diffusion tensor imaging
>
> Authors:
> Kang, DH; Jo, HJ; Jung, WH; Kim, SH; Jung, YH; Choi, CH; Lee, US; An,
> SC; Jang, JH; Kwon, JS
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):27-33; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> A convergent line of neuroscientific evidence suggests that meditation
> alters the functional and structural plasticity of distributed neural
> processes underlying attention and emotion. The purpose of this study
> was to examine the brain structural differences between a well-matched
> sample of long-term meditators and controls. We employed whole-brain
> cortical thickness analysis based on magnetic resonance imaging, and
> diffusion tensor imaging to quantify white matter integrity in the
> brains of 46 experienced meditators compared with 46 matched
> meditation-naive volunteers. Meditators, compared with controls, showed
> significantly greater cortical thickness in the anterior regions of the
> brain, located in frontal and temporal areas, including the medial
> prefrontal cortex, superior frontal cortex, temporal pole and the middle
> and interior temporal cortices. Significantly thinner cortical thickness
> was found in the posterior regions of the brain, located in the parietal
> and occipital areas, including the postcentral cortex, inferior parietal
> cortex, middle occipital cortex and posterior cingulate cortex.
> Moreover, in the region adjacent to the medial prefrontal cortex, both
> higher fractional anisotropy values and greater cortical thickness were
> observed. Our findings suggest that long-term meditators have structural
> differences in both gray and white matter.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 34-39 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700005
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Increased gray matter volume in the right angular and posterior parahippocampal gyri in loving-kindness meditators
>
> Authors:
> Leung, MK; Chan, CCH; Yin, J; Lee, CF; So, KF; Lee, TMC
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):34-39; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Previous voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies have revealed that
> meditation is associated with structural brain changes in regions
> underlying cognitive processes that are required for attention or
> mindfulness during meditation. This VBM study examined brain changes
> related to the practice of an emotion-oriented meditation:
> loving-kindness meditation (LKM). A 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
> scanner captured images of the brain structures of 25 men, 10 of whom
> had practiced LKM in the Theravada tradition for at least 5 years.
> Compared with novices, more gray matter volume was detected in the right
> angular and posterior parahippocampal gyri in LKM experts. The right
> angular gyrus has not been previously reported to have structural
> differences associated with meditation, and its specific role in mind
> and cognitive empathy theory suggests the uniqueness of this finding for
> LKM practice. These regions are important for affective regulation
> associated with empathic response, anxiety and mood. At the same time,
> gray matter volume in the left temporal lobe in the LKM experts appeared
> to be greater, an observation that has also been reported in previous
> MRI meditation studies on meditation styles other than LKM. Overall, the
> findings of our study suggest that experience in LKM may influence brain
> structures associated with affective regulation.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 40-47 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700006
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Neural correlates of focused attention during a brief mindfulness induction
>
> Authors:
> Dickenson, J; Berkman, ET; Arch, J; Lieberman, MD
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):40-47; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Mindfulness meditation-the practice of attending to present moment
> experience and allowing emotions and thoughts to pass without
> judgment-has shown to be beneficial in clinical populations across
> diverse outcomes. However, the basic neural mechanisms by which
> mindfulness operates and relates to everyday outcomes in novices remain
> unexplored. Focused attention is a common mindfulness induction where
> practitioners focus on specific physical sensations, typically the
> breath. The present study explores the neural mechanisms of this common
> mindfulness induction among novice practitioners. Healthy novice
> participants completed a brief task with both mindful attention [focused
> breathing (FB)] and control (unfocused attention) conditions during
> functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Relative to the control
> condition, FB recruited an attention network including parietal and
> prefrontal structures and trait-level mindfulness during this comparison
> also correlated with parietal activation. Results suggest that the
> neural mechanisms of a brief mindfulness induction are related to
> attention processes in novices and that trait mindfulness positively
> moderates this activation.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 48-55 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700007
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Compassion meditation enhances empathic accuracy and related neural activity
>
> Authors:
> Mascaro, JS; Rilling, JK; Negi, LT; Raison, CL
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):48-55; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> The ability to accurately infer others' mental states from facial
> expressions is important for optimal social functioning and is
> fundamentally impaired in social cognitive disorders such as autism.
> While pharmacologic interventions have shown promise for enhancing
> empathic accuracy, little is known about the effects of behavioral
> interventions on empathic accuracy and related brain activity. This
> study employed a randomized, controlled and longitudinal design to
> investigate the effect of a secularized analytical compassion meditation
> program, cognitive-based compassion training (CBCT), on empathic
> accuracy. Twenty-one healthy participants received functional MRI scans
> while completing an empathic accuracy task, the Reading the Mind in the
> Eyes Test (RMET), both prior to and after completion of either CBCT or a
> health discussion control group. Upon completion of the study
> interventions, participants randomized to CBCT and were significantly
> more likely than control subjects to have increased scores on the RMET
> and increased neural activity in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and
> dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC). Moreover, changes in dmPFC and
> IFG activity from baseline to the post-intervention assessment were
> associated with changes in empathic accuracy. These findings suggest
> that CBCT may hold promise as a behavioral intervention for enhancing
> empathic accuracy and the neurobiology supporting it.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 56-64 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700008
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Psychological and neural mechanisms of trait mindfulness in reducing depression vulnerability
>
> Authors:
> Paul, NA; Stanton, SJ; Greeson, JM; Smoski, MJ; Wang, LH
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):56-64; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Mindfulness-based interventions are effective for reducing depressive
> symptoms. However, the psychological and neural mechanisms are unclear.
> This study examined which facets of trait mindfulness offer protection
> against negative bias and rumination, which are key risk factors for
> depression. Nineteen male volunteers completed a 2-day functional
> magnetic resonance imaging study. One day utilized a stress-induction
> task and the other day utilized a mindful breathing task. An emotional
> inhibition task was used to measure neural and behavioral changes
> related to state negative bias, defined by poorer performance in
> inhibiting negative relative to neutral stimuli. Associations among
> trait mindfulness [measured by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire
> (FFMQ)], trait rumination, and negative bias were examined.
> Non-reactivity scores on the FFMQ correlated negatively with rumination
> and negative bias following the stress induction. Non-reactivity was
> inversely correlated with insula activation during inhibition to
> negative stimuli after the mindful breathing task. Our results suggest
> non-reactivity to inner experience is the key facet of mindfulness that
> protects individuals from psychological risk for depression. Based on
> these results, mindfulness could reduce vulnerability to depression in
> at least two ways: (i) by buffering against trait rumination and
> negative bias and (ii) by reducing automatic emotional responding via
> the insula.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 65-72 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700009
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> MBSR vs aerobic exercise in social anxiety: fMRI of emotion regulation of negative self-beliefs
>
> Authors:
> Goldin, P; Ziv, M; Jazaieri, H; Hahn, K; Gross, JJ
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):65-72; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is thought to reduce emotional
> reactivity and enhance emotion regulation in patients with social
> anxiety disorder (SAD). The goal of this study was to examine the neural
> correlates of deploying attention to regulate responses to negative
> self-beliefs using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Participants
> were 56 patients with generalized SAD in a randomized controlled trial
> who were assigned to MBSR or a comparison aerobic exercise (AE) stress
> reduction program. Compared to AE, MBSR yielded greater (i) reductions
> in negative emotion when implementing regulation and (ii) increases in
> attention-related parietal cortical regions. Meditation practice was
> associated with decreases in negative emotion and social anxiety symptom
> severity, and increases in attention-related parietal cortex neural
> responses when implementing attention regulation of negative
> self-beliefs. Changes in attention regulation during MBSR may be an
> important psychological factor that helps to explain how mindfulness
> meditation training benefits patients with anxiety disorders.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 73-84 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700010
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Mindful attention reduces neural and self-reported cue-induced craving in smokers
>
> Authors:
> Westbrook, C; Creswell, JD; Tabibnia, G; Julson, E; Kober, H; Tindle, HA
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):73-84; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> An emerging body of research suggests that mindfulness-based
> interventions may be beneficial for smoking cessation and the treatment
> of other addictive disorders. One way that mindfulness may facilitate
> smoking cessation is through the reduction of craving to smoking cues.
> The present work considers whether mindful attention can reduce
> self-reported and neural markers of cue-induced craving in treatment
> seeking smokers. Forty-seven (n = 47) meditation-naive treatment-seeking
> smokers (12-h abstinent from smoking) viewed and made ratings of smoking
> and neutral images while undergoing functional magnetic resonance
> imaging (fMRI). Participants were trained and instructed to view these
> images passively or with mindful attention. Results indicated that
> mindful attention reduced self-reported craving to smoking images, and
> reduced neural activity in a craving-related region of subgenual
> anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC). Moreover, a psychophysiological
> interaction analysis revealed that mindful attention reduced functional
> connectivity between sgACC and other craving-related regions compared to
> passively viewing smoking images, suggesting that mindfulness may
> decouple craving neurocircuitry when viewing smoking cues. These results
> provide an initial indication that mindful attention may describe a
> 'bottom-up' attention to one's present moment experience in ways that
> can help reduce subjective and neural reactivity to smoking cues in
> smokers.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 85-92 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700011
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Meditation, mindfulness and executive control: the importance of emotional acceptance and brain-based performance monitoring
>
> Authors:
> Teper, R; Inzlicht, M
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):85-92; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Previous studies have documented the positive effects of mindfulness
> meditation on executive control. What has been lacking, however, is an
> understanding of the mechanism underlying this effect. Some theorists
> have described mindfulness as embodying two facets-present moment
> awareness and emotional acceptance. Here, we examine how the effect of
> meditation practice on executive control manifests in the brain,
> suggesting that emotional acceptance and performance monitoring play
> important roles. We investigated the effect of meditation practice on
> executive control and measured the neural correlates of performance
> monitoring, specifically, the error-related negativity (ERN), a
> neurophysiological response that occurs within 100 ms of error
> commission. Meditators and controls completed a Stroop task, during
> which we recorded ERN amplitudes with electroencephalography. Meditators
> showed greater executive control (i.e. fewer errors), a higher ERN and
> more emotional acceptance than controls. Finally, mediation pathway
> models further revealed that meditation practice relates to greater
> executive control and that this effect can be accounted for by
> heightened emotional acceptance, and to a lesser extent, increased
> brain-based performance monitoring.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 93-99 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700012
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Dispositional mindfulness and the attenuation of neural responses to emotional stimuli
>
> Authors:
> Brown, KW; Goodman, RJ; Inzlicht, M
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):93-99; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Considerable research has disclosed how cognitive reappraisals and the
> modulation of emotional responses promote successful emotion regulation.
> Less research has examined how the early processing of emotion-relevant
> stimuli may create divergent emotional response consequences.
> Mindfulness-a receptive, non-evaluative form of attention-is theorized
> to foster emotion regulation, and the present study examined whether
> individual differences in mindfulness would modulate neural responses
> associated with the early processing of affective stimuli. Focus was on
> the late positive potential (LPP) of the event-related brain potential
> to visual stimuli varying in emotional valence and arousal. This study
> first found, replicating past research, that high arousal images,
> particularly of an unpleasant type, elicited larger LPP responses.
> Second, the study found that more mindful individuals showed lower LPP
> responses to high arousal unpleasant images, even after controlling for
> trait attentional control. Conversely, two traits contrasting with
> mindfulness-neuroticism and negative affectivity-were associated with
> higher LPP responses to high arousal unpleasant images. Finally,
> mindfulness was also associated with lower LPP responses to
> motivationally salient pleasant images (erotica). These findings suggest
> that mindfulness modulates neural responses in an early phase of
> affective processing, and contribute to understanding how this quality
> of attention may promote healthy emotional functioning.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 100-111 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700013
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Event-related delta, theta, alpha and gamma correlates to auditory oddball processing during Vipassana meditation
>
> Authors:
> Cahn, BR; Delorme, A; Polich, J
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):100-111; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Long-term Vipassana meditators sat in meditation vs. a control
> (instructed mind wandering) states for 25 min, electroencephalography
> (EEG) was recorded and condition order counterbalanced. For the last 4
> min, a three-stimulus auditory oddball series was presented during both
> meditation and control periods through headphones and no task imposed.
> Time-frequency analysis demonstrated that meditation relative to the
> control condition evinced decreased evoked delta (2-4 Hz) power to
> distracter stimuli concomitantly with a greater event-related reduction
> of late (500-900 ms) alpha-1 (8-10 Hz) activity, which indexed altered
> dynamics of attentional engagement to distracters. Additionally,
> standard stimuli were associated with increased early event-related
> alpha phase synchrony (inter-trial coherence) and evoked theta (4-8 Hz)
> phase synchrony, suggesting enhanced processing of the habituated
> standard background stimuli. Finally, during meditation, there was a
> greater differential early-evoked gamma power to the different stimulus
> classes. Correlation analysis indicated that this effect stemmed from a
> meditation state-related increase in early distracter-evoked gamma power
> and phase synchrony specific to longer-term expert practitioners. The
> findings suggest that Vipassana meditation evokes a brain state of
> enhanced perceptual clarity and decreased automated reactivity.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 112-117 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700014
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Mindfulness disposition and default-mode network connectivity in older adults
>
> Authors:
> Prakash, RS; De Leon, AA; Klatt, M; Malarkey, W; Patterson, B
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):112-117; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> An extensive body of research defines the default-mode network (DMN) to
> be one of the critical networks of the human brain, playing a pivotal
> functional role in processes of internal mentation. Alterations in the
> connectivity of this network as a function of aging have been found,
> with reductions associated with functional ramifications for the elderly
> population. This study examined associations between integrity of the
> DMN and trait levels of mindfulness disposition, defined by our ability
> to exert attentional and emotional control in the present moment, and,
> thereby, bring awareness to immediate experiences. Twenty-five older
> adults participated in the study and underwent a brief functional
> magnetic resonance imaging session and filled out questionnaires related
> to their overall health and mindfulness disposition. Mindfulness
> disposition was associated with greater connectivity of the DMN,
> specifically, in the dorsal posterior cingulate cortex and the
> precuneus. Mindfulness disposition, thus, explains variance in the
> connectivity of one of the more intrinsic networks of the human brain,
> known to be critical for promoting self-relevant mental explorations and
> building cognitive and affective control.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 118-120 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000313649700015
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Tools of the trade: theory and method in mindfulness neuroscience
>
> Authors:
> Tang, YY; Posner, MI
>
> Source:
> *SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE*, 8 (1):118-120; SI JAN 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Mindfulness neuroscience is an emerging research field that investigates
> the underlying mechanisms of different mindfulness practices, different
> stages and different states of practice as well as different effects of
> practice over the lifespan. Mindfulness neuroscience research integrates
> theory and methods from eastern contemplative traditions, western
> psychology and neuroscience, and from neuroimaging techniques,
> physiological measures and behavioral tests. We here review several key
> theoretical and methodological challenges in the empirical study of
> mindfulness neuroscience and provide suggestions for overcoming these
> challenges.
>
> =
Article: The Human Brain Project Wins Top European Science Funding
The Human Brain Project Wins Top European Science Funding
http://actu.epfl.ch/news/the-human-brain-project-wins-top-european-science-/
Wednesday, February 06, 2013
Article: STUDY ALERT: Working Memory Training Associated with Lower Prefrontal Cortex Activation in Divergent Thinking
STUDY ALERT: Working Memory Training Associated with Lower Prefrontal Cortex Activation in Divergent Thinking
http://scottbarrykaufman.com/article/study-alert-working-memory-training-associated-with-lower-prefrontal-cortex-activation-in-divergent-thinking/
Article: Focus@Will says its music app boosts concentration, opens it to public beta
Focus@Will says its music app boosts concentration, opens it to public beta
http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/06/focus-will-music-service-for-concentration/
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Kevin McGrew, Phd.Educational Psychologist
Institute for Applied Psychometrics
Director IAP
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Research Byte: Impact of meditation training on the default mode network during a restful state
Title: Impact of meditation training on the default mode network during a restful state
Author(s): Taylor, Veronique A.; Daneault, Veronique; Grant, Joshua; et al.
Source: SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE, 8 (1): 4-14 JAN 2013
IDS#: 072DR. ISSN: 1749-5016
Author(s): Taylor, Veronique A.; Daneault, Veronique; Grant, Joshua; et al.
Source: SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE, 8 (1): 4-14 JAN 2013
IDS#: 072DR. ISSN: 1749-5016
Tuesday, February 05, 2013
Tweet from Neuroscience Info (@neuinfo)
 | Neuroscience Info (@neuinfo) |
top 10 human behavioral research blog posts @ bit.ly/XTKYqA via @NoldusIT | |
Research Byte: How timely can our hand movements be?
Title: How timely can our hand movements be?
Author(s): de la Malla, Cristina; Lopez-Moliner, Joan
Source: HUMAN MOVEMENT SCIENCE, 31 (5): 1103-1117 OCT 2012
IDS#: 070TW. ISSN: 0167-9457
Author(s): de la Malla, Cristina; Lopez-Moliner, Joan
Source: HUMAN MOVEMENT SCIENCE, 31 (5): 1103-1117 OCT 2012
IDS#: 070TW. ISSN: 0167-9457
Monday, February 04, 2013
Article: Does Brain Training Work? Depends. Better Question is, How, When, for Whom Can Brain Training Work?
Does Brain Training Work? Depends. Better Question is, How, When, for Whom Can Brain Training Work?
http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2012/06/29/does-brain-training-work-depends-better-question-is-how-when-for-whom-can-brain-training-work/
Sunday, February 03, 2013
Article: After Aaron, Reputation Metrics Startups Aim To Disrupt The Scientific Journal Industry
After Aaron, Reputation Metrics Startups Aim To Disrupt The Scientific Journal Industry
http://techcrunch.com/2013/02/03/the-future-of-the-scientific-journal-industry/
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Saturday, February 02, 2013
Article: A Meta-analysis of Executive Components of Working Memory
A Meta-analysis of Executive Components of Working Memory
http://cercor.oxfordjournals.org/content/23/2/264.short?buffer_share=8130f&rss=1
Article: Brain Plasticity: How learning changes your brain
Brain Plasticity: How learning changes your brain
http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/02/26/brain-plasticity-how-learning-changes-your-brain/
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