Brain Blast | The Meandering Mind
The latest news on the brain and beyond.
Brain waves. As you could probably guess, we’re pretty passionate about them. So, when we read these recent studies on brain waves, we couldn’t help but share them with you! We think you’ll find them as fascinating and inspiring as we do.
The brain benefits from wandering
Head in the clouds? That might not always be a bad thing. A group of psychologists measured the brain waves of study participants via EEG. As the participants’ minds wandered, there were increases in alpha brain wave activity in their prefrontal cortices. Such increases are associated with creative thought and relaxation, suggesting that mind-wandering can be beneficial.
Story via UC Berkeley
EEG can aid in predicting recovery from TBI
A research team has made it easier for doctors to predict how well patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) will recover. As unresponsive patients were played a recording of words and phrases, the team recorded their EEG. The research team found that the more closely the patients’ brain waves synched to the sounds in these tests, the better they had recovered from their injuries after 3 months.
Story via University of Birmingham
Neurofeedback makes prosthetics feel lighter
Although prosthetic limbs are lighter than natural equivalents, wearers often perceive them to be too heavy. Scientists looked to neurofeedback to solve this. When a current was passed from sensors on their prosthetic feet to electrodes in their thighs, wearers perceived their prosthetics to be lighter. Wearers’ brains were essentially tricked into believing that the prosthetics were the same as natural legs.
Story via ETH Zürich
Brain waves are the key to reducing tremors
Tremors are thought to result from abnormal brain wave activity. Researchers hypothesized that they could control tremors by applying non-invasive electrical brain stimulation. To test this theory, they synched brain stimulation with the movement of these aberrant brain waves in subjects who suffered from tremors. Participants’ tremors were less severe while their brains were being stimulated.
Story via University College London
Do more with your brain waves
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