THE SCIENCE
NEUROSCIENCE
The human brain a spongy, 1.5 kg mass of tissue is the most complex living structure in the known universe. It has a capacity to store more information than a supercomputer and to create a network of connections that far surpasses any social network. This single organ controls every aspect of the body, ranging from heart rate and hunger to emotion and memory. The brain controls the immune system’s response to disease and determines, in part, how well people respond to medical treatments. It shapes our thoughts, beliefs, hopes, dreams, and imaginations. It is the brain’s ability to perform all these functions that makes us human. Neuroscience studies the brain, the nervous system and its impact on behavior and cognitive functions. It strives for a deeper understanding of how the brain’s 100 billion nerve cells are born, grow, and connect.
BRAIN VS MIND
The brain is an organ but the mind isn't. The brain is the physical place where the mind resides. The mind is the manifestation of thought, perception, emotion, determination, memory and imagination that takes place within the brain. Mind is often used to refer especially to the thought processes of reason. Your brain is part of the visible, tangible world of the body. Your mind is part of the invisible, transcendent world of thought, feeling, attitude, belief and imagination. The brain is the physical organ most associated with mind and consciousness.
NEUROPLASTICITY
A few decades ago the brain was supposedly fixed and unchangeable once it reached adulthood. Medical science has realised that these long held beliefs about the brain were simply medical myths. The Brain is plastic throughout life – It is constantly changing. Just like your physical body, it is now scientifically proven that the brain can and does change its physical form and function throughout a person's lifespan; and, just like the rest of our body, our brains require regular exercise. This naturally adaptive and organic change is known as Neuroplasticity or Brain Plasticity. It is a common term in neuroscience, referring to the brain's ability to physically change at any age – for better or worse. This flexibility plays an incredibly important role in our brain development (or decline) and in shaping our distinct personalities.
HOW THE BRAIN CHANGES
It is a physical process. Gray matter can actually shrink or thicken; neural connections can be forged and refined or weakened and severed. Changes in the physical brain show as changes in our abilities. Often, people think of childhood and young adulthood as a time of brain growth—the young person constantly learns new things, embarks on new adventures, shows an inquisitive and explorative spirit. Conversely, older adulthood is often seen as a time of cognitive decline, with people becoming more forgetful, less inclined to seek new experiences, more "set in their ways". But what recent research has shown is that under the right circumstances, the power of neuroplasticity can help adult minds grow. Although certain brain machinery tends to decline with age, there are steps people can take to tap into plasticity and reinvigorate that machinery.
BRAIN COMPUTER INTERFACE
Brain-computer interface (BCI) is a collaboration between the brain and a device that enables signals from the brain to direct some external activity. The interface enables a direct communications pathway between the brain and the object. The easiest and non invasive method is one which at the base uses a set of electrodes, a device known as an electroencephalograph attached to the scalp. The electrodes can read brain signals and communicate these to a computer.
SUBCONSCIOUS BRAIN
95 to 99% of who you are, your habits, personality, attitudes, cognitive abilities, nature is your subconscious brain. for example, anxiety, response to stress, depression, inability to pay attention are all part of subconscious issues. no one consciously makes an effort to feel anxious, sad or be inattentive.
The subconscious brain is way more powerful than you conscious mind and controls most of our decision making.
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It is what what makes you, you!
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Your habits, emotional patterns, attitudes are not something you can accurately measure based on recording your immediate mood or attention based task. Those are superficial and change every moment based on many external and internal factors like stress, noise, sleep etc.
CEREBELLUM
The Cerebellum is a part of the brain located at the back of the head, between the cerebrum and the brain stem.
The Cerebellum has 80% of the neurons of your brain.
It is involved in emotion regulation, inhibiting impulsive decision making, attention, and working memory. It plays a key role in regulating emotion. According to the dysmetria of thought theory, the cerebellum provides accuracy, consistency and appropriateness to cognitive and affective functions.
WHOLE BRAIN NETWORKS
Almost all habits, emotional patterns of mood, anxiety and cognitive skills like memory and attention are whole brain issues with brain wide patterns and connectivity of data across the whole brain. The brain functions in networks every part of the brain plays a role in brain function, there are no areas of the brain exclusively responsible for complex functions like emotions and attention; in fact Every brain area is part of a larger brain network, there are multiple areas of the brain that work in complex coordination with each other. Many times these areas are spread across completely different parts of the brain which are not even next to each other. Together they form brain networks. Connectomics is the study of how neurons in the brain and nervous system are connected and interact with each other to produce emotions, behaviour and cognitive skills. Using only a few sensors on the head is quite useless for assessment and enhancement of the subconscious.
GLOBAL MEDIA ON NFB
CNN’s Larry King and Dr. Sanjay Gupta
“... This is a brave new world of neuroscience, actually being able to assign some sort of a physical attributes to what were typically considered psychological diseases…”
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent & Neurosurgeon
Brain training to help with anxiety and ADHD
A Brain Flex to Help Athletes Train for Better Performance in Competition
Brain machine 'improves musicianship'
Therapists are using neurofeedback to treat ADHD, PTSD and other conditions
Training the brain to stress less
How tuning brain can lead to self-motivation
Neurofeedback Reduces Symptoms of Chemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neuropathy
Brain Training for Cancer Survivors' Nerve Damage
Getting Your Head in the Game From the World Cup to youth tennis, a training fad emerges. the science of finding the zone.
Brain Training for Anxiety, Depression and Other Mental Conditions
You May Be Able To Train Your Brain To Be Fearless
When meds didn’t improve my depression, I tried retraining my brain waves instead
Olympic extremes: Thought control
Athletes wired for success
Olympian Shooter Abhinav Bindra on Sessions with Chelsea’s Tim Harkness
“Earlier, he worked out of South Africa and I’d spent around 300 hours with him in the build up to the Beijing Olympics... As part of the neuro feedback training, I’d worked with him on a brain machine...”
Neurofeedback Gains Popularity and Lab Attention
REWIRING YOUR BRAIN: NEUROFEEDBACK GOES MAINSTREAM
Neuroscience: Yes, Brain Training Actually Can Work When Done Correctly.
