#neuroimage — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #neuroimage, aggregated by home.social.
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DATE: July 18, 2026 at 04:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: How the brain shifts gears to appreciate the beauty of poetry
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-the-brain-shifts-gears-to-appreciate-the-beauty-of-poetry/
When people read a poem strictly for its beauty, their brains undergo a distinct three-step process that separates emotional resonance from basic reading comprehension. Researchers mapping brain activity found that readers temporarily quiet down the language-processing centers of their brains to fully immerse themselves in the imagery and emotion of the text. The findings were published in the journal NeuroImage.
In education and literature, scholars often divide reading into two distinct categories. The first is efferent reading, which happens when someone reads to extract facts, analyze writing techniques, or gather objective information. The second is aesthetic reading, which involves connecting with a text on a personal, emotional, or imaginative level.
When a student reads a biology textbook, they are likely practicing efferent reading. When that same student reads a moving novel and feels a sense of empathy for the characters, they have transitioned into an aesthetic reading stance. Educational theories suggest that genuine aesthetic reading requires the reader to go beyond the literal meaning of the words.
The aesthetic process starts with understanding the external language of the text. Eventually, the reader must move inward, using their own memories and emotional responses to appreciate the work. The exact biological mechanisms behind this transition from literal understanding to deep emotional resonance have remained a mystery.
Researchers Huishu Liu from South China Normal University and Xiaomeng Xu from Tsinghua University led a small study to observe this transition physically inside the brain. Along with colleagues Wanyan Sun, Dan Zhang, and Yu Zhang, they wanted to track the exact moments when a reader shifts from merely decoding text to experiencing internal resonance.
To do this, the research team used a technology called functional near-infrared spectroscopy, commonly referred to as fNIRS. This device looks like a swimming cap studded with small sensors and wires, and participants securely wear it on their heads during the experiment. The sensors beam harmless near-infrared light through the skull to measure changes in blood flow on the surface of the brain. The technology tracks light absorption to calculate chemical concentrations in real time.
When a specific part of the brain is working hard, it requires more oxygen. The fNIRS cap measures oxygenated hemoglobin, the molecule that carries oxygen in the blood, to show which brain regions are currently active. While this tool does not scan deep into the brain, it allows participants to sit comfortably at a computer and undergo natural reading tasks.
The research team recruited 35 university students in Beijing to participate in the experiment. Because this sample size is less than 50, it is considered a small study. The participants represented a balanced mix of academic fields, including engineering, the sciences, and the humanities.
For the reading material, the team selected twenty classical Chinese poems. Specifically, they chose five-character regulated verses from the Tang Dynasty. These poems are well known for evoking strong imagery, and each contains exactly forty written characters. Native readers can typically skim a poem of this length in five to eight seconds.
During the experiment, the participants sat in front of a computer screen while wearing the fNIRS equipment. For some poems, the researchers instructed the students to engage in efferent reading. They were told to focus on the structure of the poem, the historical facts, and the literary techniques.
For other poems, the instructions prompted the students to read aesthetically. The prompt asked them to allow themselves to feel the emotion of the piece and imagine the scenery described. Each poem remained on the screen for fifty seconds. After every reading round, the students answered questions about their mental stance, how familiar they were with the poem, and how much they liked it.
The brain scans revealed a unique timeline of activity during the aesthetic reading tasks. The researchers observed a distinct three-phase pattern that did not occur when participants were reading just for facts. To calculate these brain changes, the software compared the blood flow during the reading task to a baseline resting state. The early seconds of the process were nearly identical across both reading conditions.
In the first ten seconds of reading, blood flow increased in several sections of the left temporal lobe, an area situated near the ear. These brain sections, which include the left superior, middle, and inferior temporal gyri, manage word processing and basic language comprehension. The left primary somatosensory cortex, which helps process sensory information, also showed heightened oxygen levels. At this early stage, the participants were simply taking in the words and figuring out what the poem literally said.
The second phase occurred from the ten-second mark up to the thirty-second mark. During this window, readers in the aesthetic group exhibited a surprising drop in oxygenated blood flow within those same temporal lobe regions. The researchers labeled this phenomenon semantic inhibition.
Essentially, the brain appeared to mute its own language-processing centers. The readers momentarily stopped analyzing the literal meaning of the vocabulary. In contrast, the students who were reading for cold facts maintained high levels of activity in these language centers throughout the entire window.
The third phase unfolded during the final twenty seconds of the reading task. The temporal lobe regions became highly active again in the aesthetic readers. At the exact same time, a new area near the top-front of the head flooded with oxygen-rich blood.
This frontal area is known as the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Neuroscientists associate this specific brain region with pulling up personal memories, generating mental images, and feeling empathy. The late surge of activity suggests that the participants were actively connecting the meaning of the poem to their own internal feelings and life experiences.
The researchers also noted a relationship between the magnitude of these blood flow changes and the subjective experiences of the readers. Students who experienced the largest dip in language processing followed by the sharpest rebound were the ones who reported the highest levels of aesthetic appreciation.
The study authors pointed out that this progression mirrors ancient philosophical ideas about art and truth. In Taoism, classical thinkers often described language as a temporary ladder or pathway. Once a person grasps the deeper truth of a concept, they are supposed to discard the words used to convey it.
A similar dynamic seems to unfold on a biological level during poetry reading. The brain relies on language centers to decode the initial text. Once the basic meaning is firmly established, the brain suppresses that literal analysis, making room for imagination and emotional resonance to take over.
The findings also reflect ideas proposed by philosopher Friedrich Schiller, who argued that humanity is caught between cold rationality and boundless emotion. Schiller believed that true aesthetic appreciation acts as a bridge, bringing reason and sensation into harmony. This three-stage brain response physically demonstrates that harmony, balancing the rational processing of vocabulary with the emotional experience of the arts.
While these brain activity maps are highly detailed, the authors noted a few caveats. The technology used in the experiment measures blood flow only on the surface of the cortex, meaning deeper brain structures involved in emotion and memory were not visible as part of this process.
Additionally, an apparent drop in oxygenated blood flow does not unconditionally prove that the brain is actively suppressing a function. The participants might have simply shifted their attention away from the text for a few seconds. The differences in activation might not be statistically significant enough across larger populations to establish an absolute biological rule.
Future research with wider demographic groups and higher-resolution brain scanners might clarify the exact nature of this middle phase. Scientists could also apply these scanning methods to different forms of art, such as listening to music or examining a painting.
Educational practices often prioritize syntax, vocabulary testing, and strict textual analysis over emotional engagement. The authors hope these early insights will encourage educators to give students the mental space to step away from literal definitions. By momentarily letting go of the words, readers might discover the deeper beauty of literature.
The study, “Neural Dynamics of Aesthetic Appreciation: fNIRS Evidence from Poetry Reading,” was authored by Huishu Liu, Xiaomeng Xu, Wanyan Sun, Dan Zhang, and Yu Zhang.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-the-brain-shifts-gears-to-appreciate-the-beauty-of-poetry/
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #AestheticReading #PoetryScience #NeuroImage #fNIRS #BrainOfPoetry #LiteraryAppreciation #SemanticInhibition #LeftTemporalLobe #DorsolateralPFC #ArtAndTruth
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DATE: July 18, 2026 at 04:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: How the brain shifts gears to appreciate the beauty of poetry
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-the-brain-shifts-gears-to-appreciate-the-beauty-of-poetry/
When people read a poem strictly for its beauty, their brains undergo a distinct three-step process that separates emotional resonance from basic reading comprehension. Researchers mapping brain activity found that readers temporarily quiet down the language-processing centers of their brains to fully immerse themselves in the imagery and emotion of the text. The findings were published in the journal NeuroImage.
In education and literature, scholars often divide reading into two distinct categories. The first is efferent reading, which happens when someone reads to extract facts, analyze writing techniques, or gather objective information. The second is aesthetic reading, which involves connecting with a text on a personal, emotional, or imaginative level.
When a student reads a biology textbook, they are likely practicing efferent reading. When that same student reads a moving novel and feels a sense of empathy for the characters, they have transitioned into an aesthetic reading stance. Educational theories suggest that genuine aesthetic reading requires the reader to go beyond the literal meaning of the words.
The aesthetic process starts with understanding the external language of the text. Eventually, the reader must move inward, using their own memories and emotional responses to appreciate the work. The exact biological mechanisms behind this transition from literal understanding to deep emotional resonance have remained a mystery.
Researchers Huishu Liu from South China Normal University and Xiaomeng Xu from Tsinghua University led a small study to observe this transition physically inside the brain. Along with colleagues Wanyan Sun, Dan Zhang, and Yu Zhang, they wanted to track the exact moments when a reader shifts from merely decoding text to experiencing internal resonance.
To do this, the research team used a technology called functional near-infrared spectroscopy, commonly referred to as fNIRS. This device looks like a swimming cap studded with small sensors and wires, and participants securely wear it on their heads during the experiment. The sensors beam harmless near-infrared light through the skull to measure changes in blood flow on the surface of the brain. The technology tracks light absorption to calculate chemical concentrations in real time.
When a specific part of the brain is working hard, it requires more oxygen. The fNIRS cap measures oxygenated hemoglobin, the molecule that carries oxygen in the blood, to show which brain regions are currently active. While this tool does not scan deep into the brain, it allows participants to sit comfortably at a computer and undergo natural reading tasks.
The research team recruited 35 university students in Beijing to participate in the experiment. Because this sample size is less than 50, it is considered a small study. The participants represented a balanced mix of academic fields, including engineering, the sciences, and the humanities.
For the reading material, the team selected twenty classical Chinese poems. Specifically, they chose five-character regulated verses from the Tang Dynasty. These poems are well known for evoking strong imagery, and each contains exactly forty written characters. Native readers can typically skim a poem of this length in five to eight seconds.
During the experiment, the participants sat in front of a computer screen while wearing the fNIRS equipment. For some poems, the researchers instructed the students to engage in efferent reading. They were told to focus on the structure of the poem, the historical facts, and the literary techniques.
For other poems, the instructions prompted the students to read aesthetically. The prompt asked them to allow themselves to feel the emotion of the piece and imagine the scenery described. Each poem remained on the screen for fifty seconds. After every reading round, the students answered questions about their mental stance, how familiar they were with the poem, and how much they liked it.
The brain scans revealed a unique timeline of activity during the aesthetic reading tasks. The researchers observed a distinct three-phase pattern that did not occur when participants were reading just for facts. To calculate these brain changes, the software compared the blood flow during the reading task to a baseline resting state. The early seconds of the process were nearly identical across both reading conditions.
In the first ten seconds of reading, blood flow increased in several sections of the left temporal lobe, an area situated near the ear. These brain sections, which include the left superior, middle, and inferior temporal gyri, manage word processing and basic language comprehension. The left primary somatosensory cortex, which helps process sensory information, also showed heightened oxygen levels. At this early stage, the participants were simply taking in the words and figuring out what the poem literally said.
The second phase occurred from the ten-second mark up to the thirty-second mark. During this window, readers in the aesthetic group exhibited a surprising drop in oxygenated blood flow within those same temporal lobe regions. The researchers labeled this phenomenon semantic inhibition.
Essentially, the brain appeared to mute its own language-processing centers. The readers momentarily stopped analyzing the literal meaning of the vocabulary. In contrast, the students who were reading for cold facts maintained high levels of activity in these language centers throughout the entire window.
The third phase unfolded during the final twenty seconds of the reading task. The temporal lobe regions became highly active again in the aesthetic readers. At the exact same time, a new area near the top-front of the head flooded with oxygen-rich blood.
This frontal area is known as the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Neuroscientists associate this specific brain region with pulling up personal memories, generating mental images, and feeling empathy. The late surge of activity suggests that the participants were actively connecting the meaning of the poem to their own internal feelings and life experiences.
The researchers also noted a relationship between the magnitude of these blood flow changes and the subjective experiences of the readers. Students who experienced the largest dip in language processing followed by the sharpest rebound were the ones who reported the highest levels of aesthetic appreciation.
The study authors pointed out that this progression mirrors ancient philosophical ideas about art and truth. In Taoism, classical thinkers often described language as a temporary ladder or pathway. Once a person grasps the deeper truth of a concept, they are supposed to discard the words used to convey it.
A similar dynamic seems to unfold on a biological level during poetry reading. The brain relies on language centers to decode the initial text. Once the basic meaning is firmly established, the brain suppresses that literal analysis, making room for imagination and emotional resonance to take over.
The findings also reflect ideas proposed by philosopher Friedrich Schiller, who argued that humanity is caught between cold rationality and boundless emotion. Schiller believed that true aesthetic appreciation acts as a bridge, bringing reason and sensation into harmony. This three-stage brain response physically demonstrates that harmony, balancing the rational processing of vocabulary with the emotional experience of the arts.
While these brain activity maps are highly detailed, the authors noted a few caveats. The technology used in the experiment measures blood flow only on the surface of the cortex, meaning deeper brain structures involved in emotion and memory were not visible as part of this process.
Additionally, an apparent drop in oxygenated blood flow does not unconditionally prove that the brain is actively suppressing a function. The participants might have simply shifted their attention away from the text for a few seconds. The differences in activation might not be statistically significant enough across larger populations to establish an absolute biological rule.
Future research with wider demographic groups and higher-resolution brain scanners might clarify the exact nature of this middle phase. Scientists could also apply these scanning methods to different forms of art, such as listening to music or examining a painting.
Educational practices often prioritize syntax, vocabulary testing, and strict textual analysis over emotional engagement. The authors hope these early insights will encourage educators to give students the mental space to step away from literal definitions. By momentarily letting go of the words, readers might discover the deeper beauty of literature.
The study, “Neural Dynamics of Aesthetic Appreciation: fNIRS Evidence from Poetry Reading,” was authored by Huishu Liu, Xiaomeng Xu, Wanyan Sun, Dan Zhang, and Yu Zhang.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-the-brain-shifts-gears-to-appreciate-the-beauty-of-poetry/
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #AestheticReading #PoetryScience #NeuroImage #fNIRS #BrainOfPoetry #LiteraryAppreciation #SemanticInhibition #LeftTemporalLobe #DorsolateralPFC #ArtAndTruth
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DATE: July 18, 2026 at 04:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: How the brain shifts gears to appreciate the beauty of poetry
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-the-brain-shifts-gears-to-appreciate-the-beauty-of-poetry/
When people read a poem strictly for its beauty, their brains undergo a distinct three-step process that separates emotional resonance from basic reading comprehension. Researchers mapping brain activity found that readers temporarily quiet down the language-processing centers of their brains to fully immerse themselves in the imagery and emotion of the text. The findings were published in the journal NeuroImage.
In education and literature, scholars often divide reading into two distinct categories. The first is efferent reading, which happens when someone reads to extract facts, analyze writing techniques, or gather objective information. The second is aesthetic reading, which involves connecting with a text on a personal, emotional, or imaginative level.
When a student reads a biology textbook, they are likely practicing efferent reading. When that same student reads a moving novel and feels a sense of empathy for the characters, they have transitioned into an aesthetic reading stance. Educational theories suggest that genuine aesthetic reading requires the reader to go beyond the literal meaning of the words.
The aesthetic process starts with understanding the external language of the text. Eventually, the reader must move inward, using their own memories and emotional responses to appreciate the work. The exact biological mechanisms behind this transition from literal understanding to deep emotional resonance have remained a mystery.
Researchers Huishu Liu from South China Normal University and Xiaomeng Xu from Tsinghua University led a small study to observe this transition physically inside the brain. Along with colleagues Wanyan Sun, Dan Zhang, and Yu Zhang, they wanted to track the exact moments when a reader shifts from merely decoding text to experiencing internal resonance.
To do this, the research team used a technology called functional near-infrared spectroscopy, commonly referred to as fNIRS. This device looks like a swimming cap studded with small sensors and wires, and participants securely wear it on their heads during the experiment. The sensors beam harmless near-infrared light through the skull to measure changes in blood flow on the surface of the brain. The technology tracks light absorption to calculate chemical concentrations in real time.
When a specific part of the brain is working hard, it requires more oxygen. The fNIRS cap measures oxygenated hemoglobin, the molecule that carries oxygen in the blood, to show which brain regions are currently active. While this tool does not scan deep into the brain, it allows participants to sit comfortably at a computer and undergo natural reading tasks.
The research team recruited 35 university students in Beijing to participate in the experiment. Because this sample size is less than 50, it is considered a small study. The participants represented a balanced mix of academic fields, including engineering, the sciences, and the humanities.
For the reading material, the team selected twenty classical Chinese poems. Specifically, they chose five-character regulated verses from the Tang Dynasty. These poems are well known for evoking strong imagery, and each contains exactly forty written characters. Native readers can typically skim a poem of this length in five to eight seconds.
During the experiment, the participants sat in front of a computer screen while wearing the fNIRS equipment. For some poems, the researchers instructed the students to engage in efferent reading. They were told to focus on the structure of the poem, the historical facts, and the literary techniques.
For other poems, the instructions prompted the students to read aesthetically. The prompt asked them to allow themselves to feel the emotion of the piece and imagine the scenery described. Each poem remained on the screen for fifty seconds. After every reading round, the students answered questions about their mental stance, how familiar they were with the poem, and how much they liked it.
The brain scans revealed a unique timeline of activity during the aesthetic reading tasks. The researchers observed a distinct three-phase pattern that did not occur when participants were reading just for facts. To calculate these brain changes, the software compared the blood flow during the reading task to a baseline resting state. The early seconds of the process were nearly identical across both reading conditions.
In the first ten seconds of reading, blood flow increased in several sections of the left temporal lobe, an area situated near the ear. These brain sections, which include the left superior, middle, and inferior temporal gyri, manage word processing and basic language comprehension. The left primary somatosensory cortex, which helps process sensory information, also showed heightened oxygen levels. At this early stage, the participants were simply taking in the words and figuring out what the poem literally said.
The second phase occurred from the ten-second mark up to the thirty-second mark. During this window, readers in the aesthetic group exhibited a surprising drop in oxygenated blood flow within those same temporal lobe regions. The researchers labeled this phenomenon semantic inhibition.
Essentially, the brain appeared to mute its own language-processing centers. The readers momentarily stopped analyzing the literal meaning of the vocabulary. In contrast, the students who were reading for cold facts maintained high levels of activity in these language centers throughout the entire window.
The third phase unfolded during the final twenty seconds of the reading task. The temporal lobe regions became highly active again in the aesthetic readers. At the exact same time, a new area near the top-front of the head flooded with oxygen-rich blood.
This frontal area is known as the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Neuroscientists associate this specific brain region with pulling up personal memories, generating mental images, and feeling empathy. The late surge of activity suggests that the participants were actively connecting the meaning of the poem to their own internal feelings and life experiences.
The researchers also noted a relationship between the magnitude of these blood flow changes and the subjective experiences of the readers. Students who experienced the largest dip in language processing followed by the sharpest rebound were the ones who reported the highest levels of aesthetic appreciation.
The study authors pointed out that this progression mirrors ancient philosophical ideas about art and truth. In Taoism, classical thinkers often described language as a temporary ladder or pathway. Once a person grasps the deeper truth of a concept, they are supposed to discard the words used to convey it.
A similar dynamic seems to unfold on a biological level during poetry reading. The brain relies on language centers to decode the initial text. Once the basic meaning is firmly established, the brain suppresses that literal analysis, making room for imagination and emotional resonance to take over.
The findings also reflect ideas proposed by philosopher Friedrich Schiller, who argued that humanity is caught between cold rationality and boundless emotion. Schiller believed that true aesthetic appreciation acts as a bridge, bringing reason and sensation into harmony. This three-stage brain response physically demonstrates that harmony, balancing the rational processing of vocabulary with the emotional experience of the arts.
While these brain activity maps are highly detailed, the authors noted a few caveats. The technology used in the experiment measures blood flow only on the surface of the cortex, meaning deeper brain structures involved in emotion and memory were not visible as part of this process.
Additionally, an apparent drop in oxygenated blood flow does not unconditionally prove that the brain is actively suppressing a function. The participants might have simply shifted their attention away from the text for a few seconds. The differences in activation might not be statistically significant enough across larger populations to establish an absolute biological rule.
Future research with wider demographic groups and higher-resolution brain scanners might clarify the exact nature of this middle phase. Scientists could also apply these scanning methods to different forms of art, such as listening to music or examining a painting.
Educational practices often prioritize syntax, vocabulary testing, and strict textual analysis over emotional engagement. The authors hope these early insights will encourage educators to give students the mental space to step away from literal definitions. By momentarily letting go of the words, readers might discover the deeper beauty of literature.
The study, “Neural Dynamics of Aesthetic Appreciation: fNIRS Evidence from Poetry Reading,” was authored by Huishu Liu, Xiaomeng Xu, Wanyan Sun, Dan Zhang, and Yu Zhang.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-the-brain-shifts-gears-to-appreciate-the-beauty-of-poetry/
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #AestheticReading #PoetryScience #NeuroImage #fNIRS #BrainOfPoetry #LiteraryAppreciation #SemanticInhibition #LeftTemporalLobe #DorsolateralPFC #ArtAndTruth
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DATE: July 15, 2026 at 07:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Short-video viewing temporarily shuts down cognitive control networks, study finds
Watching preferred short videos may temporarily quiet brain regions involved in self-control and monitoring, and this effect could be linked to levels of the brain chemical glutamate. This research was published in NeuroImage.
Short-video platforms are built around quick, engaging clips that users can continue or skip within seconds. These platforms can be entertaining and harmless for many people, but researchers have become increasingly interested in why some users find them difficult to stop using. One possible explanation is that immersive, pleasurable viewing may reduce the need for active monitoring and self-control.
The new study focused on two brain regions: the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex helps detect conflict, monitor behavior, and decide when more mental effort is needed. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is involved in applying control, such as staying focused or resisting distraction. Together, these areas help people regulate behavior in situations where attention and self-control are required.
The researchers also examined two brain chemicals. Glutamate is the brain’s main excitatory neurotransmitter, meaning it helps increase neural activity. Gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, is the brain’s main inhibitory neurotransmitter, meaning it helps reduce or regulate neural activity. The team wanted to know whether these chemicals, measured at rest, could help explain why people differ in how strongly their cognitive control network responds during short-video viewing.
Led by Tiantian Hong of Zhejiang University in China, the researchers recruited 66 young adults. After excluding participants because of excessive head movement or poor-quality brain chemistry scans, the final sample included 56 people with an average age of about 23 years. The sample included 19 females.
Participants first underwent proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, a brain imaging technique used to estimate glutamate and GABA concentrations in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. They then completed a short-video viewing task during functional magnetic resonance imaging, which measures changes in brain activity. Participants watched two six-minute blocks of videos and could press a button to skip to the next video whenever they wanted. Videos watched to the end were treated as “liked,” while videos skipped before halfway were treated as “disliked.”
The main finding was that liked videos were associated with significant deactivation in both cognitive control regions. In other words, when participants watched videos that they allowed to continue, activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex fell below baseline.
Disliked videos demonstrated a different pattern. During these videos, activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex did not significantly differ from baseline, while the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was still suppressed. The visual cortex, which processes visual information, was active during both liked and disliked videos, suggesting the results were not simply because participants were looking at a screen.
Hong and colleagues also found that people with higher resting glutamate in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex showed less suppression of both cognitive control regions during video viewing. GABA was not significantly associated with activity in these regions. The authors concluded that immersive viewing of preferred short videos deactivates the cognitive control network, and individual differences in this deactivation are linked to glutamate metabolism.
Interestingly, connectivity between the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex increased during short-video viewing, especially for liked videos. The authors caution that this does not necessarily mean stronger self-control. Instead, they suggest the two regions may be jointly downregulated during preferred viewing, producing a more coordinated pattern of reduced activity.
Some limitations are to be noted. For example, the study did not assess short-video addiction or compulsive use in detail, and “liked” videos were defined by whether participants kept watching rather than by explicit post-viewing ratings. In addition, the study only recruited young adults with a predominantly male makeup, which limits the generalizability of the findings.
The study, “Brain activity inhibition during Short Video Viewing: neurochemical insights,” was authored by Tiantian Hong, Conghui Su, Hui Zhou, Fengji Geng, and Yuzheng Hu.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #ShortVideoViewing #CognitiveControl #DorsolateralPrefrontalCortex #DACC #Glutamate #GABA #NeuroImage #BrainChemistry #MediaConsumption #SelfControl
-
DATE: July 15, 2026 at 07:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Short-video viewing temporarily shuts down cognitive control networks, study finds
Watching preferred short videos may temporarily quiet brain regions involved in self-control and monitoring, and this effect could be linked to levels of the brain chemical glutamate. This research was published in NeuroImage.
Short-video platforms are built around quick, engaging clips that users can continue or skip within seconds. These platforms can be entertaining and harmless for many people, but researchers have become increasingly interested in why some users find them difficult to stop using. One possible explanation is that immersive, pleasurable viewing may reduce the need for active monitoring and self-control.
The new study focused on two brain regions: the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex helps detect conflict, monitor behavior, and decide when more mental effort is needed. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is involved in applying control, such as staying focused or resisting distraction. Together, these areas help people regulate behavior in situations where attention and self-control are required.
The researchers also examined two brain chemicals. Glutamate is the brain’s main excitatory neurotransmitter, meaning it helps increase neural activity. Gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, is the brain’s main inhibitory neurotransmitter, meaning it helps reduce or regulate neural activity. The team wanted to know whether these chemicals, measured at rest, could help explain why people differ in how strongly their cognitive control network responds during short-video viewing.
Led by Tiantian Hong of Zhejiang University in China, the researchers recruited 66 young adults. After excluding participants because of excessive head movement or poor-quality brain chemistry scans, the final sample included 56 people with an average age of about 23 years. The sample included 19 females.
Participants first underwent proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, a brain imaging technique used to estimate glutamate and GABA concentrations in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. They then completed a short-video viewing task during functional magnetic resonance imaging, which measures changes in brain activity. Participants watched two six-minute blocks of videos and could press a button to skip to the next video whenever they wanted. Videos watched to the end were treated as “liked,” while videos skipped before halfway were treated as “disliked.”
The main finding was that liked videos were associated with significant deactivation in both cognitive control regions. In other words, when participants watched videos that they allowed to continue, activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex fell below baseline.
Disliked videos demonstrated a different pattern. During these videos, activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex did not significantly differ from baseline, while the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was still suppressed. The visual cortex, which processes visual information, was active during both liked and disliked videos, suggesting the results were not simply because participants were looking at a screen.
Hong and colleagues also found that people with higher resting glutamate in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex showed less suppression of both cognitive control regions during video viewing. GABA was not significantly associated with activity in these regions. The authors concluded that immersive viewing of preferred short videos deactivates the cognitive control network, and individual differences in this deactivation are linked to glutamate metabolism.
Interestingly, connectivity between the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex increased during short-video viewing, especially for liked videos. The authors caution that this does not necessarily mean stronger self-control. Instead, they suggest the two regions may be jointly downregulated during preferred viewing, producing a more coordinated pattern of reduced activity.
Some limitations are to be noted. For example, the study did not assess short-video addiction or compulsive use in detail, and “liked” videos were defined by whether participants kept watching rather than by explicit post-viewing ratings. In addition, the study only recruited young adults with a predominantly male makeup, which limits the generalizability of the findings.
The study, “Brain activity inhibition during Short Video Viewing: neurochemical insights,” was authored by Tiantian Hong, Conghui Su, Hui Zhou, Fengji Geng, and Yuzheng Hu.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #ShortVideoViewing #CognitiveControl #DorsolateralPrefrontalCortex #DACC #Glutamate #GABA #NeuroImage #BrainChemistry #MediaConsumption #SelfControl
-
DATE: July 15, 2026 at 07:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Short-video viewing temporarily shuts down cognitive control networks, study finds
Watching preferred short videos may temporarily quiet brain regions involved in self-control and monitoring, and this effect could be linked to levels of the brain chemical glutamate. This research was published in NeuroImage.
Short-video platforms are built around quick, engaging clips that users can continue or skip within seconds. These platforms can be entertaining and harmless for many people, but researchers have become increasingly interested in why some users find them difficult to stop using. One possible explanation is that immersive, pleasurable viewing may reduce the need for active monitoring and self-control.
The new study focused on two brain regions: the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex helps detect conflict, monitor behavior, and decide when more mental effort is needed. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is involved in applying control, such as staying focused or resisting distraction. Together, these areas help people regulate behavior in situations where attention and self-control are required.
The researchers also examined two brain chemicals. Glutamate is the brain’s main excitatory neurotransmitter, meaning it helps increase neural activity. Gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, is the brain’s main inhibitory neurotransmitter, meaning it helps reduce or regulate neural activity. The team wanted to know whether these chemicals, measured at rest, could help explain why people differ in how strongly their cognitive control network responds during short-video viewing.
Led by Tiantian Hong of Zhejiang University in China, the researchers recruited 66 young adults. After excluding participants because of excessive head movement or poor-quality brain chemistry scans, the final sample included 56 people with an average age of about 23 years. The sample included 19 females.
Participants first underwent proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, a brain imaging technique used to estimate glutamate and GABA concentrations in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. They then completed a short-video viewing task during functional magnetic resonance imaging, which measures changes in brain activity. Participants watched two six-minute blocks of videos and could press a button to skip to the next video whenever they wanted. Videos watched to the end were treated as “liked,” while videos skipped before halfway were treated as “disliked.”
The main finding was that liked videos were associated with significant deactivation in both cognitive control regions. In other words, when participants watched videos that they allowed to continue, activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex fell below baseline.
Disliked videos demonstrated a different pattern. During these videos, activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex did not significantly differ from baseline, while the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was still suppressed. The visual cortex, which processes visual information, was active during both liked and disliked videos, suggesting the results were not simply because participants were looking at a screen.
Hong and colleagues also found that people with higher resting glutamate in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex showed less suppression of both cognitive control regions during video viewing. GABA was not significantly associated with activity in these regions. The authors concluded that immersive viewing of preferred short videos deactivates the cognitive control network, and individual differences in this deactivation are linked to glutamate metabolism.
Interestingly, connectivity between the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex increased during short-video viewing, especially for liked videos. The authors caution that this does not necessarily mean stronger self-control. Instead, they suggest the two regions may be jointly downregulated during preferred viewing, producing a more coordinated pattern of reduced activity.
Some limitations are to be noted. For example, the study did not assess short-video addiction or compulsive use in detail, and “liked” videos were defined by whether participants kept watching rather than by explicit post-viewing ratings. In addition, the study only recruited young adults with a predominantly male makeup, which limits the generalizability of the findings.
The study, “Brain activity inhibition during Short Video Viewing: neurochemical insights,” was authored by Tiantian Hong, Conghui Su, Hui Zhou, Fengji Geng, and Yuzheng Hu.
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-
DATE: June 26, 2026 at 07:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Brain signals can reveal when a person is preparing to tell a lie
URL: https://www.psypost.org/brain-signals-can-reveal-when-a-person-is-preparing-to-tell-a-lie/
Brain signals can reveal when a person is preparing to lie, even before they say a single word. A recent study published in the journal NeuroImage explores how the brain readies itself to tell a falsehood. The findings suggest that just anticipating a lie requires a distinct mental effort that sensors can detect.
The science of lie detection has a long and troubled history. Traditional methods like the polygraph, which measures physical signs of stress, have been widely criticized for their unreliability. In recent years, researchers have increasingly turned to brain imaging techniques in search of more objective indicators of deception.
Most of this previous work has focused on brain activity that occurs during the act of lying itself. However, in everyday situations, people are often given subtle warning signs before they lie. A question begins, prompting the brain to prepare a deceptive response before any words are spoken. This preparatory stage has received relatively little scientific attention.
The researchers set out to determine whether preparing to lie leaves identifiable traces in brain activity. They wanted to know whether these signals could eventually contribute to new approaches to deception detection. The team also sought to create a more realistic experimental scenario than many previous studies by examining lies about personal information rather than arbitrary topics like furniture.
Led by Emely Voltz from the University of Bonn, the research team recruited 32 participants for the experiment. Participants wore a cap fitted with sensors that recorded their brain’s electrical activity while they completed a deception task. They were shown cue words such as “origin” or “address” that signaled the category of an upcoming personal question.
Each participant was assigned one category about which they were instructed to lie, while answering truthfully for all others. For example, a participant assigned the category “origin” might see the statement “Birth country = Germany?” and be required to answer “yes” even if the statement was false. The cue appeared two and a half seconds before the question, providing time to prepare a deceptive response. Across two blocks of trials, a quarter of the prompts required lying and the rest required truth-telling.
The researchers found that cues signaling an upcoming lie produced clear and measurable differences in brain activity before the question appeared. Several neural markers associated with attention and preparation became more pronounced following lie cues. Brain signals linked to shifting attention, deeper cognitive processing, and anticipating an event all increased.
At the same time, alpha power, a pattern of brain activity often associated with a neural idle state, decreased. This drop suggests that the brain was mobilizing cognitive resources to handle the greater mental demands of deception. The authors concluded that these findings demonstrate “enhanced mobilization of cognitive resources in the period leading up to deception,” highlighting the potential benefit of studying the preparation phase rather than just the act of lying.
The team also investigated whether these neural signals could identify which category of personal information each participant had been assigned to lie about. Using a combination of the three most informative measures, the researchers correctly identified the lie category for 24 of the 32 participants. Seven cases were inconclusive, and the system made only one incorrect classification. This suggests that the preparatory brain signals contained meaningful information that could support future lie-detection approaches.
Several limitations should be considered when interpreting these findings. For example, participants were instructed when to lie rather than choosing to deceive spontaneously. This setup makes the task less representative of real-world deception, where people decide for themselves whether to tell the truth.
The paper, “(Don’t) take it personally: EEG markers of preparing lies about autobiographical questions,” was authored by Emely Voltz, Jonas Schmuck, Robert Schnuerch, and Henning Gibbons.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/brain-signals-can-reveal-when-a-person-is-preparing-to-tell-a-lie/
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-
DATE: June 26, 2026 at 07:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Brain signals can reveal when a person is preparing to tell a lie
URL: https://www.psypost.org/brain-signals-can-reveal-when-a-person-is-preparing-to-tell-a-lie/
Brain signals can reveal when a person is preparing to lie, even before they say a single word. A recent study published in the journal NeuroImage explores how the brain readies itself to tell a falsehood. The findings suggest that just anticipating a lie requires a distinct mental effort that sensors can detect.
The science of lie detection has a long and troubled history. Traditional methods like the polygraph, which measures physical signs of stress, have been widely criticized for their unreliability. In recent years, researchers have increasingly turned to brain imaging techniques in search of more objective indicators of deception.
Most of this previous work has focused on brain activity that occurs during the act of lying itself. However, in everyday situations, people are often given subtle warning signs before they lie. A question begins, prompting the brain to prepare a deceptive response before any words are spoken. This preparatory stage has received relatively little scientific attention.
The researchers set out to determine whether preparing to lie leaves identifiable traces in brain activity. They wanted to know whether these signals could eventually contribute to new approaches to deception detection. The team also sought to create a more realistic experimental scenario than many previous studies by examining lies about personal information rather than arbitrary topics like furniture.
Led by Emely Voltz from the University of Bonn, the research team recruited 32 participants for the experiment. Participants wore a cap fitted with sensors that recorded their brain’s electrical activity while they completed a deception task. They were shown cue words such as “origin” or “address” that signaled the category of an upcoming personal question.
Each participant was assigned one category about which they were instructed to lie, while answering truthfully for all others. For example, a participant assigned the category “origin” might see the statement “Birth country = Germany?” and be required to answer “yes” even if the statement was false. The cue appeared two and a half seconds before the question, providing time to prepare a deceptive response. Across two blocks of trials, a quarter of the prompts required lying and the rest required truth-telling.
The researchers found that cues signaling an upcoming lie produced clear and measurable differences in brain activity before the question appeared. Several neural markers associated with attention and preparation became more pronounced following lie cues. Brain signals linked to shifting attention, deeper cognitive processing, and anticipating an event all increased.
At the same time, alpha power, a pattern of brain activity often associated with a neural idle state, decreased. This drop suggests that the brain was mobilizing cognitive resources to handle the greater mental demands of deception. The authors concluded that these findings demonstrate “enhanced mobilization of cognitive resources in the period leading up to deception,” highlighting the potential benefit of studying the preparation phase rather than just the act of lying.
The team also investigated whether these neural signals could identify which category of personal information each participant had been assigned to lie about. Using a combination of the three most informative measures, the researchers correctly identified the lie category for 24 of the 32 participants. Seven cases were inconclusive, and the system made only one incorrect classification. This suggests that the preparatory brain signals contained meaningful information that could support future lie-detection approaches.
Several limitations should be considered when interpreting these findings. For example, participants were instructed when to lie rather than choosing to deceive spontaneously. This setup makes the task less representative of real-world deception, where people decide for themselves whether to tell the truth.
The paper, “(Don’t) take it personally: EEG markers of preparing lies about autobiographical questions,” was authored by Emely Voltz, Jonas Schmuck, Robert Schnuerch, and Henning Gibbons.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/brain-signals-can-reveal-when-a-person-is-preparing-to-tell-a-lie/
-------------------------------------------------
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-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #LieDetection #BrainSignals #EEG #DeceptionResearch #NeuroImage #CognitiveScience #LiePreparation #Neuroscience #Biomarkers #TruthVsLie
-
DATE: June 26, 2026 at 07:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Brain signals can reveal when a person is preparing to tell a lie
URL: https://www.psypost.org/brain-signals-can-reveal-when-a-person-is-preparing-to-tell-a-lie/
Brain signals can reveal when a person is preparing to lie, even before they say a single word. A recent study published in the journal NeuroImage explores how the brain readies itself to tell a falsehood. The findings suggest that just anticipating a lie requires a distinct mental effort that sensors can detect.
The science of lie detection has a long and troubled history. Traditional methods like the polygraph, which measures physical signs of stress, have been widely criticized for their unreliability. In recent years, researchers have increasingly turned to brain imaging techniques in search of more objective indicators of deception.
Most of this previous work has focused on brain activity that occurs during the act of lying itself. However, in everyday situations, people are often given subtle warning signs before they lie. A question begins, prompting the brain to prepare a deceptive response before any words are spoken. This preparatory stage has received relatively little scientific attention.
The researchers set out to determine whether preparing to lie leaves identifiable traces in brain activity. They wanted to know whether these signals could eventually contribute to new approaches to deception detection. The team also sought to create a more realistic experimental scenario than many previous studies by examining lies about personal information rather than arbitrary topics like furniture.
Led by Emely Voltz from the University of Bonn, the research team recruited 32 participants for the experiment. Participants wore a cap fitted with sensors that recorded their brain’s electrical activity while they completed a deception task. They were shown cue words such as “origin” or “address” that signaled the category of an upcoming personal question.
Each participant was assigned one category about which they were instructed to lie, while answering truthfully for all others. For example, a participant assigned the category “origin” might see the statement “Birth country = Germany?” and be required to answer “yes” even if the statement was false. The cue appeared two and a half seconds before the question, providing time to prepare a deceptive response. Across two blocks of trials, a quarter of the prompts required lying and the rest required truth-telling.
The researchers found that cues signaling an upcoming lie produced clear and measurable differences in brain activity before the question appeared. Several neural markers associated with attention and preparation became more pronounced following lie cues. Brain signals linked to shifting attention, deeper cognitive processing, and anticipating an event all increased.
At the same time, alpha power, a pattern of brain activity often associated with a neural idle state, decreased. This drop suggests that the brain was mobilizing cognitive resources to handle the greater mental demands of deception. The authors concluded that these findings demonstrate “enhanced mobilization of cognitive resources in the period leading up to deception,” highlighting the potential benefit of studying the preparation phase rather than just the act of lying.
The team also investigated whether these neural signals could identify which category of personal information each participant had been assigned to lie about. Using a combination of the three most informative measures, the researchers correctly identified the lie category for 24 of the 32 participants. Seven cases were inconclusive, and the system made only one incorrect classification. This suggests that the preparatory brain signals contained meaningful information that could support future lie-detection approaches.
Several limitations should be considered when interpreting these findings. For example, participants were instructed when to lie rather than choosing to deceive spontaneously. This setup makes the task less representative of real-world deception, where people decide for themselves whether to tell the truth.
The paper, “(Don’t) take it personally: EEG markers of preparing lies about autobiographical questions,” was authored by Emely Voltz, Jonas Schmuck, Robert Schnuerch, and Henning Gibbons.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/brain-signals-can-reveal-when-a-person-is-preparing-to-tell-a-lie/
-------------------------------------------------
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-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #LieDetection #BrainSignals #EEG #DeceptionResearch #NeuroImage #CognitiveScience #LiePreparation #Neuroscience #Biomarkers #TruthVsLie
-
DATE: June 25, 2026 at 04:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Brain stimulation technique alters human perception of physical control
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-modifying-brain-waves-alters-your-sense-of-physical-control/
A new study reveals that highly specific forms of electrical and magnetic brain stimulation can directly alter human perception of whether we are in control of our own actions. By targeting a distinct region on the right side of the brain, researchers were able to both improve and impair a person’s ability to detect outside interference in a computerized task. The findings were published in the journal NeuroImage.
Imagine tracing a straight line with a pen, but the ink appears an inch to the left. Your brain instantly recognizes that the visual result does not match your intended physical movement. This basic recognition is a foundational part of human cognition called the sense of agency. It represents the internal subjective experience of originating and controlling actions in the real world.
To process this experience, the brain uses a continuous and automatic monitoring system. When motor regions send commands to your muscles, they simultaneously send a duplicate blueprint of the expected sensory result to other brain regions. When the physical sensations arriving from your eyes and skin match the predictive blueprint, you feel a seamless sense of personal control. When a mismatch occurs, the brain immediately flags the action as originating from an outside source.
Previous neuroimaging research has repeatedly pointed to a specific section near the back and side of the brain, called the right inferior parietal lobule, as the likely hub for this mismatch detection. Different types of rhythmic electrical activity seem to coordinate these sensory comparisons across various lobes. However, observational data alone cannot prove that a brain region directly governs a specific behavior.
To test if the right inferior parietal lobule actively causes this sensation of control, a team investigated whether manipulating its electrical rhythms would change a person’s ability to recognize external interference. The research was led by Ondřej Bečev, a scientist at the National Institute of Mental Health in the Czech Republic, alongside an interdisciplinary group of medical and technical researchers.
The researchers designed their study around two sets of behavioral experiments involving dozens of healthy adult volunteers. In each session, participants used a standard computer mouse to navigate a cursor around varying digital obstacles for several minutes at a time. The subjects were informed that the scientists would occasionally use a mobile application to interfere with the cursor’s path over the internet.
In reality, a computer algorithm was in charge of the subtle trajectory changes. The program would periodically alter the angle of the cursor, steering it slightly away from the participant’s actual physical hand movements. Using a button press, participants had to report whenever they felt a discrepancy between their own intention and the cursor’s behavior on the screen.
During the first group of experiments, the researchers applied a method known as transcranial alternating current stimulation. This technique involves delivering weak electrical currents through soft electrodes resting gently on the scalp. The goal of this stimulation is to encourage localized groups of brain cells to fire together in rhythm, syncing up at exact speeds chosen by the researchers.
The equipment was set to emit currents at sixty cycles per second, a speed meant to mimic high frequency brain waves normally associated with sensory anomaly detection. The results of this initial experiment confirmed the team’s suspicions regarding the brain region’s purpose. When the right inferior parietal lobule received the rapid electrical current, participants were much better at detecting when the computer hijacked their cursor.
By artificially enhancing the activity in this brain region, the investigators effectively boosted the participants’ internal alarm system. The subjects became highly sensitive to the presence of non self agency, or outside interference. This provided the sought after causative link between the targeted brain tissue and realistic sensory perception.
In a second phase of the study, the investigators used a different stimulation tool called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. Instead of applying electrical currents, this device relies on a specialized wand held directly over the head. The tool emits strong magnetic pulses that penetrate the skull and temporarily scramble or dampen the normal firing habits of neurons in a localized area.
The scientific team applied these magnetic pulses at varying speeds of ten and twenty cycles per second. After receiving the stimulation, volunteers immediately engaged in the identical cursor tracking exercise. Because magnetic stimulation has a lingering effect, the researchers could evaluate the temporary changes in the participants’ hand eye coordination and subjective awareness.
The scientists also placed specialized sensor caps on the participants’ heads to record their natural electrical brain activity while they played the game. This monitoring technique is known as electroencephalography. It allowed the researchers to measure exactly which frequencies changed while the participants struggled or succeeded in identifying the secret computer interference.
The magnetic disruption produced the exact opposite behavioral effect compared to the alternating electrical currents. Following the high frequency magnetic pulses, participants struggled to realize when their on screen cursor was straying from their physical movements. Their overall accuracy diminished, and they frequently failed to notice the subtle spatial deviations introduced by the automated algorithm.
By altering the rhythmic activity of the brain in two opposing ways, the researchers built strong evidence that the region actively manages our sense of agency. The area functions as a low level, automatic mismatch detector. Rather than engaging in conscious thoughts about self image, this piece of brain tissue simply acts as a biological comparison engine.
The electronic brain wave recordings also yielded unexpected insights about how this engine runs. The researchers had initially suspected that a type of rapid brain rhythm called gamma waves would be primarily altered by the magnetic stimulation’s dampening effect. Instead, the brain recordings showed that slightly slower rhythms, known as beta waves, were primarily altered during the periods of decreased perceptual performance.
Additionally, slower rhythms called theta waves seemed to synchronize whenever participants were dealing with non self intrusions. These electrical signatures might represent the brain actively attempting to suppress conflicting information during a sensory mismatch. The researchers suggest these specific brain waves serve as the communication medium between the sensory comparison region and the motor regions planning the body’s next moves.
As with all scientific investigations, the current study possesses certain limitations. The experimental computer task proved easy for participants in several respects, creating a statistical ceiling effect. Almost every volunteer perfectly identified the moments when they were entirely in control of the cursor, which made it mathematically difficult to measure any potential improvements in detecting pure self agency.
The brain wave recordings also revealed that the residual effects of the magnetic stimulation vanished quite rapidly. Alterations in brain activity were visible five minutes after the stimulation session ended, but they completely disappeared by the nine minute mark. This narrow operational window makes it difficult to ascertain how the brain adjusts to a loss of agency over extended timeframes.
In a healthy brain, identifying a sensory mismatch is usually an instantaneous and unnoticed process. However, in individuals with certain neurological conditions, the neural machinery processing these mismatch signals might function atypically. A patient might initiate an action, but a failure in the internal communication loop leaves them feeling entirely disconnected from the behavior of their own limbs.
Understanding the precise biological foundations of agency holds immense relevance for clinical medicine. Several psychiatric conditions, ranging from schizophrenia to alien hand syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorders, cause patients to feel as though their actions are being controlled by outside forces. Pinpointing a mechanical source of this failure in the brain could eventually pave the way for targeted therapeutic interventions.
Future research projects will need to expand on these findings by exploring how the right inferior parietal lobule transmits its error signals back to other executive brain areas. The scientists hope to investigate whether individuals can learn to improve their own mismatch detection without needing external electrical stimulation. They suggest using biological feedback techniques to train people to consciously control their own relevant brain wave patterns.
The study, “High-frequency neurostimulation of the right inferior parietal cortex alters the sense of agency: results from tACS/tRNS and rTMS-EEG studies,” was authored by O. Bečev, O. Laskov, E. Bakštein, J. Štrobl, J. Hubený, N. Biačková, N. Schlezingerová, T. Novák, P. Mohr, and M. Klírová.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-modifying-brain-waves-alters-your-sense-of-physical-control/
-------------------------------------------------
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-
DATE: June 25, 2026 at 04:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Brain stimulation technique alters human perception of physical control
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-modifying-brain-waves-alters-your-sense-of-physical-control/
A new study reveals that highly specific forms of electrical and magnetic brain stimulation can directly alter human perception of whether we are in control of our own actions. By targeting a distinct region on the right side of the brain, researchers were able to both improve and impair a person’s ability to detect outside interference in a computerized task. The findings were published in the journal NeuroImage.
Imagine tracing a straight line with a pen, but the ink appears an inch to the left. Your brain instantly recognizes that the visual result does not match your intended physical movement. This basic recognition is a foundational part of human cognition called the sense of agency. It represents the internal subjective experience of originating and controlling actions in the real world.
To process this experience, the brain uses a continuous and automatic monitoring system. When motor regions send commands to your muscles, they simultaneously send a duplicate blueprint of the expected sensory result to other brain regions. When the physical sensations arriving from your eyes and skin match the predictive blueprint, you feel a seamless sense of personal control. When a mismatch occurs, the brain immediately flags the action as originating from an outside source.
Previous neuroimaging research has repeatedly pointed to a specific section near the back and side of the brain, called the right inferior parietal lobule, as the likely hub for this mismatch detection. Different types of rhythmic electrical activity seem to coordinate these sensory comparisons across various lobes. However, observational data alone cannot prove that a brain region directly governs a specific behavior.
To test if the right inferior parietal lobule actively causes this sensation of control, a team investigated whether manipulating its electrical rhythms would change a person’s ability to recognize external interference. The research was led by Ondřej Bečev, a scientist at the National Institute of Mental Health in the Czech Republic, alongside an interdisciplinary group of medical and technical researchers.
The researchers designed their study around two sets of behavioral experiments involving dozens of healthy adult volunteers. In each session, participants used a standard computer mouse to navigate a cursor around varying digital obstacles for several minutes at a time. The subjects were informed that the scientists would occasionally use a mobile application to interfere with the cursor’s path over the internet.
In reality, a computer algorithm was in charge of the subtle trajectory changes. The program would periodically alter the angle of the cursor, steering it slightly away from the participant’s actual physical hand movements. Using a button press, participants had to report whenever they felt a discrepancy between their own intention and the cursor’s behavior on the screen.
During the first group of experiments, the researchers applied a method known as transcranial alternating current stimulation. This technique involves delivering weak electrical currents through soft electrodes resting gently on the scalp. The goal of this stimulation is to encourage localized groups of brain cells to fire together in rhythm, syncing up at exact speeds chosen by the researchers.
The equipment was set to emit currents at sixty cycles per second, a speed meant to mimic high frequency brain waves normally associated with sensory anomaly detection. The results of this initial experiment confirmed the team’s suspicions regarding the brain region’s purpose. When the right inferior parietal lobule received the rapid electrical current, participants were much better at detecting when the computer hijacked their cursor.
By artificially enhancing the activity in this brain region, the investigators effectively boosted the participants’ internal alarm system. The subjects became highly sensitive to the presence of non self agency, or outside interference. This provided the sought after causative link between the targeted brain tissue and realistic sensory perception.
In a second phase of the study, the investigators used a different stimulation tool called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. Instead of applying electrical currents, this device relies on a specialized wand held directly over the head. The tool emits strong magnetic pulses that penetrate the skull and temporarily scramble or dampen the normal firing habits of neurons in a localized area.
The scientific team applied these magnetic pulses at varying speeds of ten and twenty cycles per second. After receiving the stimulation, volunteers immediately engaged in the identical cursor tracking exercise. Because magnetic stimulation has a lingering effect, the researchers could evaluate the temporary changes in the participants’ hand eye coordination and subjective awareness.
The scientists also placed specialized sensor caps on the participants’ heads to record their natural electrical brain activity while they played the game. This monitoring technique is known as electroencephalography. It allowed the researchers to measure exactly which frequencies changed while the participants struggled or succeeded in identifying the secret computer interference.
The magnetic disruption produced the exact opposite behavioral effect compared to the alternating electrical currents. Following the high frequency magnetic pulses, participants struggled to realize when their on screen cursor was straying from their physical movements. Their overall accuracy diminished, and they frequently failed to notice the subtle spatial deviations introduced by the automated algorithm.
By altering the rhythmic activity of the brain in two opposing ways, the researchers built strong evidence that the region actively manages our sense of agency. The area functions as a low level, automatic mismatch detector. Rather than engaging in conscious thoughts about self image, this piece of brain tissue simply acts as a biological comparison engine.
The electronic brain wave recordings also yielded unexpected insights about how this engine runs. The researchers had initially suspected that a type of rapid brain rhythm called gamma waves would be primarily altered by the magnetic stimulation’s dampening effect. Instead, the brain recordings showed that slightly slower rhythms, known as beta waves, were primarily altered during the periods of decreased perceptual performance.
Additionally, slower rhythms called theta waves seemed to synchronize whenever participants were dealing with non self intrusions. These electrical signatures might represent the brain actively attempting to suppress conflicting information during a sensory mismatch. The researchers suggest these specific brain waves serve as the communication medium between the sensory comparison region and the motor regions planning the body’s next moves.
As with all scientific investigations, the current study possesses certain limitations. The experimental computer task proved easy for participants in several respects, creating a statistical ceiling effect. Almost every volunteer perfectly identified the moments when they were entirely in control of the cursor, which made it mathematically difficult to measure any potential improvements in detecting pure self agency.
The brain wave recordings also revealed that the residual effects of the magnetic stimulation vanished quite rapidly. Alterations in brain activity were visible five minutes after the stimulation session ended, but they completely disappeared by the nine minute mark. This narrow operational window makes it difficult to ascertain how the brain adjusts to a loss of agency over extended timeframes.
In a healthy brain, identifying a sensory mismatch is usually an instantaneous and unnoticed process. However, in individuals with certain neurological conditions, the neural machinery processing these mismatch signals might function atypically. A patient might initiate an action, but a failure in the internal communication loop leaves them feeling entirely disconnected from the behavior of their own limbs.
Understanding the precise biological foundations of agency holds immense relevance for clinical medicine. Several psychiatric conditions, ranging from schizophrenia to alien hand syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorders, cause patients to feel as though their actions are being controlled by outside forces. Pinpointing a mechanical source of this failure in the brain could eventually pave the way for targeted therapeutic interventions.
Future research projects will need to expand on these findings by exploring how the right inferior parietal lobule transmits its error signals back to other executive brain areas. The scientists hope to investigate whether individuals can learn to improve their own mismatch detection without needing external electrical stimulation. They suggest using biological feedback techniques to train people to consciously control their own relevant brain wave patterns.
The study, “High-frequency neurostimulation of the right inferior parietal cortex alters the sense of agency: results from tACS/tRNS and rTMS-EEG studies,” was authored by O. Bečev, O. Laskov, E. Bakštein, J. Štrobl, J. Hubený, N. Biačková, N. Schlezingerová, T. Novák, P. Mohr, and M. Klírová.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-modifying-brain-waves-alters-your-sense-of-physical-control/
-------------------------------------------------
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Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
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-
DATE: June 25, 2026 at 04:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Brain stimulation technique alters human perception of physical control
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-modifying-brain-waves-alters-your-sense-of-physical-control/
A new study reveals that highly specific forms of electrical and magnetic brain stimulation can directly alter human perception of whether we are in control of our own actions. By targeting a distinct region on the right side of the brain, researchers were able to both improve and impair a person’s ability to detect outside interference in a computerized task. The findings were published in the journal NeuroImage.
Imagine tracing a straight line with a pen, but the ink appears an inch to the left. Your brain instantly recognizes that the visual result does not match your intended physical movement. This basic recognition is a foundational part of human cognition called the sense of agency. It represents the internal subjective experience of originating and controlling actions in the real world.
To process this experience, the brain uses a continuous and automatic monitoring system. When motor regions send commands to your muscles, they simultaneously send a duplicate blueprint of the expected sensory result to other brain regions. When the physical sensations arriving from your eyes and skin match the predictive blueprint, you feel a seamless sense of personal control. When a mismatch occurs, the brain immediately flags the action as originating from an outside source.
Previous neuroimaging research has repeatedly pointed to a specific section near the back and side of the brain, called the right inferior parietal lobule, as the likely hub for this mismatch detection. Different types of rhythmic electrical activity seem to coordinate these sensory comparisons across various lobes. However, observational data alone cannot prove that a brain region directly governs a specific behavior.
To test if the right inferior parietal lobule actively causes this sensation of control, a team investigated whether manipulating its electrical rhythms would change a person’s ability to recognize external interference. The research was led by Ondřej Bečev, a scientist at the National Institute of Mental Health in the Czech Republic, alongside an interdisciplinary group of medical and technical researchers.
The researchers designed their study around two sets of behavioral experiments involving dozens of healthy adult volunteers. In each session, participants used a standard computer mouse to navigate a cursor around varying digital obstacles for several minutes at a time. The subjects were informed that the scientists would occasionally use a mobile application to interfere with the cursor’s path over the internet.
In reality, a computer algorithm was in charge of the subtle trajectory changes. The program would periodically alter the angle of the cursor, steering it slightly away from the participant’s actual physical hand movements. Using a button press, participants had to report whenever they felt a discrepancy between their own intention and the cursor’s behavior on the screen.
During the first group of experiments, the researchers applied a method known as transcranial alternating current stimulation. This technique involves delivering weak electrical currents through soft electrodes resting gently on the scalp. The goal of this stimulation is to encourage localized groups of brain cells to fire together in rhythm, syncing up at exact speeds chosen by the researchers.
The equipment was set to emit currents at sixty cycles per second, a speed meant to mimic high frequency brain waves normally associated with sensory anomaly detection. The results of this initial experiment confirmed the team’s suspicions regarding the brain region’s purpose. When the right inferior parietal lobule received the rapid electrical current, participants were much better at detecting when the computer hijacked their cursor.
By artificially enhancing the activity in this brain region, the investigators effectively boosted the participants’ internal alarm system. The subjects became highly sensitive to the presence of non self agency, or outside interference. This provided the sought after causative link between the targeted brain tissue and realistic sensory perception.
In a second phase of the study, the investigators used a different stimulation tool called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. Instead of applying electrical currents, this device relies on a specialized wand held directly over the head. The tool emits strong magnetic pulses that penetrate the skull and temporarily scramble or dampen the normal firing habits of neurons in a localized area.
The scientific team applied these magnetic pulses at varying speeds of ten and twenty cycles per second. After receiving the stimulation, volunteers immediately engaged in the identical cursor tracking exercise. Because magnetic stimulation has a lingering effect, the researchers could evaluate the temporary changes in the participants’ hand eye coordination and subjective awareness.
The scientists also placed specialized sensor caps on the participants’ heads to record their natural electrical brain activity while they played the game. This monitoring technique is known as electroencephalography. It allowed the researchers to measure exactly which frequencies changed while the participants struggled or succeeded in identifying the secret computer interference.
The magnetic disruption produced the exact opposite behavioral effect compared to the alternating electrical currents. Following the high frequency magnetic pulses, participants struggled to realize when their on screen cursor was straying from their physical movements. Their overall accuracy diminished, and they frequently failed to notice the subtle spatial deviations introduced by the automated algorithm.
By altering the rhythmic activity of the brain in two opposing ways, the researchers built strong evidence that the region actively manages our sense of agency. The area functions as a low level, automatic mismatch detector. Rather than engaging in conscious thoughts about self image, this piece of brain tissue simply acts as a biological comparison engine.
The electronic brain wave recordings also yielded unexpected insights about how this engine runs. The researchers had initially suspected that a type of rapid brain rhythm called gamma waves would be primarily altered by the magnetic stimulation’s dampening effect. Instead, the brain recordings showed that slightly slower rhythms, known as beta waves, were primarily altered during the periods of decreased perceptual performance.
Additionally, slower rhythms called theta waves seemed to synchronize whenever participants were dealing with non self intrusions. These electrical signatures might represent the brain actively attempting to suppress conflicting information during a sensory mismatch. The researchers suggest these specific brain waves serve as the communication medium between the sensory comparison region and the motor regions planning the body’s next moves.
As with all scientific investigations, the current study possesses certain limitations. The experimental computer task proved easy for participants in several respects, creating a statistical ceiling effect. Almost every volunteer perfectly identified the moments when they were entirely in control of the cursor, which made it mathematically difficult to measure any potential improvements in detecting pure self agency.
The brain wave recordings also revealed that the residual effects of the magnetic stimulation vanished quite rapidly. Alterations in brain activity were visible five minutes after the stimulation session ended, but they completely disappeared by the nine minute mark. This narrow operational window makes it difficult to ascertain how the brain adjusts to a loss of agency over extended timeframes.
In a healthy brain, identifying a sensory mismatch is usually an instantaneous and unnoticed process. However, in individuals with certain neurological conditions, the neural machinery processing these mismatch signals might function atypically. A patient might initiate an action, but a failure in the internal communication loop leaves them feeling entirely disconnected from the behavior of their own limbs.
Understanding the precise biological foundations of agency holds immense relevance for clinical medicine. Several psychiatric conditions, ranging from schizophrenia to alien hand syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorders, cause patients to feel as though their actions are being controlled by outside forces. Pinpointing a mechanical source of this failure in the brain could eventually pave the way for targeted therapeutic interventions.
Future research projects will need to expand on these findings by exploring how the right inferior parietal lobule transmits its error signals back to other executive brain areas. The scientists hope to investigate whether individuals can learn to improve their own mismatch detection without needing external electrical stimulation. They suggest using biological feedback techniques to train people to consciously control their own relevant brain wave patterns.
The study, “High-frequency neurostimulation of the right inferior parietal cortex alters the sense of agency: results from tACS/tRNS and rTMS-EEG studies,” was authored by O. Bečev, O. Laskov, E. Bakštein, J. Štrobl, J. Hubený, N. Biačková, N. Schlezingerová, T. Novák, P. Mohr, and M. Klírová.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-modifying-brain-waves-alters-your-sense-of-physical-control/
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #senseofagency #neurostimulation #rightinferiorparietallobe #tACS #rTMS #neuroimage #brainrhythms #betawaves #thetawaves #cognitiveneuroscience
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DATE: June 25, 2026 at 04:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Brain stimulation technique alters human perception of physical control
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-modifying-brain-waves-alters-your-sense-of-physical-control/
A new study reveals that highly specific forms of electrical and magnetic brain stimulation can directly alter human perception of whether we are in control of our own actions. By targeting a distinct region on the right side of the brain, researchers were able to both improve and impair a person’s ability to detect outside interference in a computerized task. The findings were published in the journal NeuroImage.
Imagine tracing a straight line with a pen, but the ink appears an inch to the left. Your brain instantly recognizes that the visual result does not match your intended physical movement. This basic recognition is a foundational part of human cognition called the sense of agency. It represents the internal subjective experience of originating and controlling actions in the real world.
To process this experience, the brain uses a continuous and automatic monitoring system. When motor regions send commands to your muscles, they simultaneously send a duplicate blueprint of the expected sensory result to other brain regions. When the physical sensations arriving from your eyes and skin match the predictive blueprint, you feel a seamless sense of personal control. When a mismatch occurs, the brain immediately flags the action as originating from an outside source.
Previous neuroimaging research has repeatedly pointed to a specific section near the back and side of the brain, called the right inferior parietal lobule, as the likely hub for this mismatch detection. Different types of rhythmic electrical activity seem to coordinate these sensory comparisons across various lobes. However, observational data alone cannot prove that a brain region directly governs a specific behavior.
To test if the right inferior parietal lobule actively causes this sensation of control, a team investigated whether manipulating its electrical rhythms would change a person’s ability to recognize external interference. The research was led by Ondřej Bečev, a scientist at the National Institute of Mental Health in the Czech Republic, alongside an interdisciplinary group of medical and technical researchers.
The researchers designed their study around two sets of behavioral experiments involving dozens of healthy adult volunteers. In each session, participants used a standard computer mouse to navigate a cursor around varying digital obstacles for several minutes at a time. The subjects were informed that the scientists would occasionally use a mobile application to interfere with the cursor’s path over the internet.
In reality, a computer algorithm was in charge of the subtle trajectory changes. The program would periodically alter the angle of the cursor, steering it slightly away from the participant’s actual physical hand movements. Using a button press, participants had to report whenever they felt a discrepancy between their own intention and the cursor’s behavior on the screen.
During the first group of experiments, the researchers applied a method known as transcranial alternating current stimulation. This technique involves delivering weak electrical currents through soft electrodes resting gently on the scalp. The goal of this stimulation is to encourage localized groups of brain cells to fire together in rhythm, syncing up at exact speeds chosen by the researchers.
The equipment was set to emit currents at sixty cycles per second, a speed meant to mimic high frequency brain waves normally associated with sensory anomaly detection. The results of this initial experiment confirmed the team’s suspicions regarding the brain region’s purpose. When the right inferior parietal lobule received the rapid electrical current, participants were much better at detecting when the computer hijacked their cursor.
By artificially enhancing the activity in this brain region, the investigators effectively boosted the participants’ internal alarm system. The subjects became highly sensitive to the presence of non self agency, or outside interference. This provided the sought after causative link between the targeted brain tissue and realistic sensory perception.
In a second phase of the study, the investigators used a different stimulation tool called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. Instead of applying electrical currents, this device relies on a specialized wand held directly over the head. The tool emits strong magnetic pulses that penetrate the skull and temporarily scramble or dampen the normal firing habits of neurons in a localized area.
The scientific team applied these magnetic pulses at varying speeds of ten and twenty cycles per second. After receiving the stimulation, volunteers immediately engaged in the identical cursor tracking exercise. Because magnetic stimulation has a lingering effect, the researchers could evaluate the temporary changes in the participants’ hand eye coordination and subjective awareness.
The scientists also placed specialized sensor caps on the participants’ heads to record their natural electrical brain activity while they played the game. This monitoring technique is known as electroencephalography. It allowed the researchers to measure exactly which frequencies changed while the participants struggled or succeeded in identifying the secret computer interference.
The magnetic disruption produced the exact opposite behavioral effect compared to the alternating electrical currents. Following the high frequency magnetic pulses, participants struggled to realize when their on screen cursor was straying from their physical movements. Their overall accuracy diminished, and they frequently failed to notice the subtle spatial deviations introduced by the automated algorithm.
By altering the rhythmic activity of the brain in two opposing ways, the researchers built strong evidence that the region actively manages our sense of agency. The area functions as a low level, automatic mismatch detector. Rather than engaging in conscious thoughts about self image, this piece of brain tissue simply acts as a biological comparison engine.
The electronic brain wave recordings also yielded unexpected insights about how this engine runs. The researchers had initially suspected that a type of rapid brain rhythm called gamma waves would be primarily altered by the magnetic stimulation’s dampening effect. Instead, the brain recordings showed that slightly slower rhythms, known as beta waves, were primarily altered during the periods of decreased perceptual performance.
Additionally, slower rhythms called theta waves seemed to synchronize whenever participants were dealing with non self intrusions. These electrical signatures might represent the brain actively attempting to suppress conflicting information during a sensory mismatch. The researchers suggest these specific brain waves serve as the communication medium between the sensory comparison region and the motor regions planning the body’s next moves.
As with all scientific investigations, the current study possesses certain limitations. The experimental computer task proved easy for participants in several respects, creating a statistical ceiling effect. Almost every volunteer perfectly identified the moments when they were entirely in control of the cursor, which made it mathematically difficult to measure any potential improvements in detecting pure self agency.
The brain wave recordings also revealed that the residual effects of the magnetic stimulation vanished quite rapidly. Alterations in brain activity were visible five minutes after the stimulation session ended, but they completely disappeared by the nine minute mark. This narrow operational window makes it difficult to ascertain how the brain adjusts to a loss of agency over extended timeframes.
In a healthy brain, identifying a sensory mismatch is usually an instantaneous and unnoticed process. However, in individuals with certain neurological conditions, the neural machinery processing these mismatch signals might function atypically. A patient might initiate an action, but a failure in the internal communication loop leaves them feeling entirely disconnected from the behavior of their own limbs.
Understanding the precise biological foundations of agency holds immense relevance for clinical medicine. Several psychiatric conditions, ranging from schizophrenia to alien hand syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorders, cause patients to feel as though their actions are being controlled by outside forces. Pinpointing a mechanical source of this failure in the brain could eventually pave the way for targeted therapeutic interventions.
Future research projects will need to expand on these findings by exploring how the right inferior parietal lobule transmits its error signals back to other executive brain areas. The scientists hope to investigate whether individuals can learn to improve their own mismatch detection without needing external electrical stimulation. They suggest using biological feedback techniques to train people to consciously control their own relevant brain wave patterns.
The study, “High-frequency neurostimulation of the right inferior parietal cortex alters the sense of agency: results from tACS/tRNS and rTMS-EEG studies,” was authored by O. Bečev, O. Laskov, E. Bakštein, J. Štrobl, J. Hubený, N. Biačková, N. Schlezingerová, T. Novák, P. Mohr, and M. Klírová.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-modifying-brain-waves-alters-your-sense-of-physical-control/
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #senseofagency #neurostimulation #rightinferiorparietallobe #tACS #rTMS #neuroimage #brainrhythms #betawaves #thetawaves #cognitiveneuroscience
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We have a new paper on #Neuroimage clinical:
🧠 #Stroke reshapes #brain function beyond the lesion site. We map functional connectivity gradients fixing hemodynamic lag, revealing predictable shifts tied to behavior
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213158225000257?via%3Dihub -
We have a new paper on #Neuroimage clinical:
🧠 #Stroke reshapes #brain function beyond the lesion site. We map functional connectivity gradients fixing hemodynamic lag, revealing predictable shifts tied to behavior
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213158225000257?via%3Dihub -
@Javier_DN Is it true that in societies where big families -sometimes 4 generations- live together, Alzheimers disease is less prevalent?
#Neuroscience #Brain #Neurology #NeurologicalDiseases #NeurodegenerativeDiseases #Neurodegeneration #Alzheimer
#CognitiveDecline #CognitiveDysfunction #Dementia #Hippocampus #Neuroimaging #NeuroImage #SocialIsolation #SocialBond
#Biomedicine #Health -
@Javier_DN Is it true that in societies where big families -sometimes 4 generations- live together, Alzheimers disease is less prevalent?
#Neuroscience #Brain #Neurology #NeurologicalDiseases #NeurodegenerativeDiseases #Neurodegeneration #Alzheimer
#CognitiveDecline #CognitiveDysfunction #Dementia #Hippocampus #Neuroimaging #NeuroImage #SocialIsolation #SocialBond
#Biomedicine #Health -
Impact of social isolation on grey matter structure and cognitive functions: A population-based longitudinal neuroimaging study
Social isolation contributes to human brain atrophy and cognitive decline, indicating an opportunity to reduce dementia risk by promoting social networks.
#Neuroscience #Brain #Neurology #NeurologicalDiseases #NeurodegenerativeDiseases #Neurodegeneration #Alzheimer
#CognitiveDecline #CognitiveDysfunction #Dementia #Hippocampus #Neuroimaging #NeuroImage #SocialIsolation #SocialBond
#Biomedicine #Health -
Impact of social isolation on grey matter structure and cognitive functions: A population-based longitudinal neuroimaging study
Social isolation contributes to human brain atrophy and cognitive decline, indicating an opportunity to reduce dementia risk by promoting social networks.
#Neuroscience #Brain #Neurology #NeurologicalDiseases #NeurodegenerativeDiseases #Neurodegeneration #Alzheimer
#CognitiveDecline #CognitiveDysfunction #Dementia #Hippocampus #Neuroimaging #NeuroImage #SocialIsolation #SocialBond
#Biomedicine #Health -
Social Bonds Protect Aging Brains
Social isolation can potentially harm brain structure and cognitive performance, suggesting an increased risk of conditions like Alzheimer’s dementia.
A lack of quality social interaction can lead to a decrease in the hippocampus’s volume, crucial for memory formation and retrieval, and poorer cognitive performance.#Neuroscience #Brain #Neurology #NeurologicalDiseases #NeurodegenerativeDiseases #Neurodegeneration #Alzheimer
#CognitiveDecline #CognitiveDysfunction #Dementia #Hippocampus #Neuroimaging #NeuroImage #SocialIsolation #SocialBond
#Biomedicine #Healthhttps://neurosciencenews.com/social-aging-neuroscience-brain-23505/
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More evidence that some #publishers set #APCs based on #prestige & what they think the market will bear, not production #costs.
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/neuroimage-elsevier-editorial-board-journal-profit/"#Elsevier told editors that fees were based on a journal’s reputation —specifically, their #ImpactFactor. As the editors grew the journal’s prestige, Elsevier increased the publication fee by about 15%…Keilholz…concluded that the incentives for #ForProfit publishers were not aligned with 'what we want for science.' "
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More evidence that some #publishers set #APCs based on #prestige & what they think the market will bear, not production #costs.
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/neuroimage-elsevier-editorial-board-journal-profit/"#Elsevier told editors that fees were based on a journal’s reputation —specifically, their #ImpactFactor. As the editors grew the journal’s prestige, Elsevier increased the publication fee by about 15%…Keilholz…concluded that the incentives for #ForProfit publishers were not aligned with 'what we want for science.' "
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"But fundamentally the only thing you’re contributing is branding, a piece of imaginary capital no more meaningful than the swoosh logo that makes a pair of ordinary trainers a Nike. It’s circular: the prestige of the journal depends on eminent scholars publishing there, and eminent scholars will pay to publish there because of the prestige of the journal."
That's not a rant, that's a philippic. Kudos!
#scholarlypublishing #scicomm #openaccess #elsevier #neuroimage
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"But fundamentally the only thing you’re contributing is branding, a piece of imaginary capital no more meaningful than the swoosh logo that makes a pair of ordinary trainers a Nike. It’s circular: the prestige of the journal depends on eminent scholars publishing there, and eminent scholars will pay to publish there because of the prestige of the journal."
That's not a rant, that's a philippic. Kudos!
#scholarlypublishing #scicomm #openaccess #elsevier #neuroimage
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Tristofer vs #Elsevier ! 😂❤️😭
(On the #Neuroimage mass resignations)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hoUGiS1LeKU -
Tristofer vs #Elsevier ! 😂❤️😭
(On the #Neuroimage mass resignations)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hoUGiS1LeKU -
" ‘Too greedy’: mass walkout at global #science #journal over ‘unethical’ fees"
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/may/07/too-greedy-mass-walkout-at-global-science-journal-over-unethical-fees -
" ‘Too greedy’: mass walkout at global #science #journal over ‘unethical’ fees"
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/may/07/too-greedy-mass-walkout-at-global-science-journal-over-unethical-fees -
kind of late on the #NeuroImage editors resign. What an impressive move! Really looking forward how this team of amazing scientists will work on the new Imaging Neuroscience project.
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I accepted to review a paper for an #elsevier owned journal two weeks ago. Seeing the recent amazing move of #Neuroimage editorial board (see boosts), I am wondering whether I should still give this review to be nice to the editor and the authors or whether I should withdraw from my role to protest and also encourage editors/authors to stop dealing with #Elsevier journals 🤔
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I accepted to review a paper for an #elsevier owned journal two weeks ago. Seeing the recent amazing move of #Neuroimage editorial board (see boosts), I am wondering whether I should still give this review to be nice to the editor and the authors or whether I should withdraw from my role to protest and also encourage editors/authors to stop dealing with #Elsevier journals 🤔