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The study aimed to identify the level of Meta Cognition thinking and its relationship to dominant patterns of brain dominance among Jordanian university students, and to identify if there were differences in the level of Meta Cognition thinking and brain dominance patterns attributed to variables of gender and college. The study sample consisted male and female students at the academic year 2020/2021, and this sample was taken in a simple random way. Two measures were applied: Meta Cognition thinking, and brain dominance patterns, after confirming their psychometric properties. The results showed that the level of Meta Cognition thinking among Jordanian university students is (high), and that the dominant brain pattern among the study sample is the right pattern, followed by the left and then the integrated, and also there is no statistically significant relationship between the brain dominance patterns and the variables of gender and college, and there is statistically significant differences in Meta Cognition thinking among students with the (left) brain dominance pattern compared to those with the (integrated) brain control pattern and in favor of those with the left brain dominance type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: After a diagnosis of infertility, an increasing number of couples turns to the Medically Assisted Reproduction (MAR) to achieve a pregnancy. A diagnosis of infertility has a negative impact on the individual's well-being and it can increase the risk of anxious-depressive symptoms, stress, and low self-esteem. Data associated with infertility-related Quality of Life (QoL) are lacking in men. Little is known about men's experience of infertility and its treatments during the pandemic. Among the variables potentially associated with infertility-related QoL, the role of obsessive beliefs is neglected, although preliminary studies considered perfectionistic traits. Method: One hundred and fifty-one participants were included. Eighty men (mean age: 40.83 years) were attending a MAR pathway. Of these, 50 men (67.5%) were undergoing homologous MAR and 30 men (37.5%) were undergoing heterologous MAR. A control group consisting of 71 subjects (mean age: 36.69 years), paired by age, marital status, and number of children, was drawn from the general population. The Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire-46, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-20, and the Fertility Quality of Life Questionnaire were administered. Results: High levels of anxiety, depression and stress were moderately associated with lower infertility-related Quality of Life. For men undergoing homologous MAR, perfectionism beliefs represented a vulnerability factor for a lower fertility-related QoL, while for men undergoing heterologous MAR, high thought control beliefs represented a risk factor for a lower fertility-related QoL. Conclusions: A focus on the obsessive beliefs should be included in the psychological treatment of infertile men, specifically perfectionism in homologous MAR and control of thoughts in heterologous MAR. Therefore, psychological assessment and support interventions should be personalized according to the MAR pathway and be focused on men's cognitive features in order to improve their QoL during the MAR pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of psychedelics in the collective rituals of numerous indigenous groups suggests that these substances are powerful catalysts of social affiliation, enculturation, and belief transmission. This feature has recently been highlighted as part of the renewed interest in psychedelics in Euro-American societies, and seen as a previously underestimated vector of their therapeutic properties. The property of psychedelics to increase feelings of collective belonging and transmission of specific cultural values or beliefs raise, however, complex ethical questions in the context of the globalization of these substances. In the past decades, this property has been perceived as problematic by anticult movements and public authorities of some European countries, claiming that these substances could be used for "mental manipulation." Despite the fact that this notion has been widely criticized by the scientific community, alternative perspectives on how psychedelic experience supports enculturation and social affiliation have been yet little explored. Beyond the political issues that underlie it, the re-emergence of the concept of "psychedelic brainwashing" can then be read as the consequence of the fact that the dynamic through which psychedelic experience supports persuasion is still poorly understood. Beyond the unscientific and politically controversed notion of brainwashing, how to think the role of psychedelics in the dynamics of transmission of belief and its ethical stakes? Drawing on data collected in a shamanic center in the Peruvian Amazon, this article addresses this question through an ethnographic case-study. Proposing the state of hypersuggestibility induced by psychedelics as the main factor making the substances powerful tools for belief transmission, I show that it is also paradoxically in its capacity to produce doubt, ambivalence, and reflexivity that psychedelics support enculturation. I argue that, far from the brainwashing model, this dynamic is giving a central place to the agency of the recipient, showing that it is ultimately on the recipient's efforts to test the object of belief through an experiential verification process that the dynamic of psychedelic enculturation relies on. Finally, I explore the permanence and the conditions of sustainability of the social affiliation emerging from these practices and outline the ethical stakes of these observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars from various disciplines discuss the ethical, legal, and social implications of neurotechnology. Some have proposed four concrete "neurorights". This review presents the research of two pioneers in brain stimulation from the 1950s to 1970s, José M. R. Delgado and Elliot S. Valenstein, who also reflected upon the ethical, legal, and social aspects of their and other scientists' related research. Delgado even formulated the vision "toward a psychocivilized society" where brain stimulation is used to control, in particular, citizens' aggressive and violent behavior. Valenstein, by contrast, believed that the brain is not organized in such a way to allow the control or even removal of only negative processes without at the same time diminishing desirable ones. The paper also describes how animal and human experimentation on brain stimulation was carried out in that time period. It concludes with a contemporary perspective on the relevance of neurotechnology for neuroethics, neurolaw, and neurorights, including two recent examples for brain-computer interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Annals of Cultural Studies / Roczniki Kulturoznawcze is the property of John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Institute of Cultural Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The current study is a critical discourse analysis of the various themes presented in Trump's and Clinton's Second Presidential Debate 2016. It also investigates the various strategies used by the candidates to gain support from their fellow Americans. Controlling manipulative and dehumanising discourse, as well as situational rhetoric and more refined conversational strategies such as using "us" as a positive representation and "them" as a negative representation, are all components of effective communication. The metaphorical structures are used to bolster anti-immigrant and fearful sentiments, as well as to strip people of their humanity in order to make them unworthy of self-esteem. Critical discourse analysis examines not only the linguistic elements of discourse but also the context in which it is delivered. The results show that the candidates help to replicate idea manipulation by emphasising positive selfrepresentation of "us" and negative other presentations of "them" as a form of audience mind control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of psychedelics in the collective rituals of numerous indigenous groups suggests that these substances are powerful catalysts of social affiliation, enculturation, and belief transmission. This feature has recently been highlighted as part of the renewed interest in psychedelics in Euro-American societies, and seen as a previously underestimated vector of their therapeutic properties. The property of psychedelics to increase feelings of collective belonging and transmission of specific cultural values or beliefs raise, however, complex ethical questions in the context of the globalization of these substances. In the past decades, this property has been perceived as problematic by anticult movements and public authorities of some European countries, claiming that these substances could be used for “mental manipulation.” Despite the fact that this notion has been widely criticized by the scientific community, alternative perspectives on how psychedelic experience supports enculturation and social affiliation have been yet little explored. Beyond the political issues that underlie it, the re-emergence of the concept of “psychedelic brainwashing” can then be read as the consequence of the fact that the dynamic through which psychedelic experience supports persuasion is still poorly understood. Beyond the unscientific and politically controversed notion of brainwashing, how to think the role of psychedelics in the dynamics of transmission of belief and its ethical stakes? Drawing on data collected in a shamanic center in the Peruvian Amazon, this article addresses this question through an ethnographic case-study. Proposing the state of hypersuggestibility induced by psychedelics as the main factor making the substances powerful tools for belief transmission, I show that it is also paradoxically in its capacity to produce doubt, ambivalence, and reflexivity that psychedelics support enculturation. I argue that, far from the brainwashing model, this dynamic is giving a central place to the agency of the recipient, showing that it is ultimately on the recipient’s efforts to test the object of belief through an experiential verification process that the dynamic of psychedelic enculturation relies on. Finally, I explore the permanence and the conditions of sustainability of the social affiliation emerging from these practices and outline the ethical stakes of these observations.

The main problem of this research is the theoretical vacuum in research on the way of recruiting terrorist groups. The data was collected through the method of collecting library documents and using open source intelligence. First, 124 European members of ISIS were studied using the "case study" method and the "snowball" sampling method, and a separate profile was created for each. Then 7 popular Theories of Social sciences and Political sciences including “Castells' Resistance Identity, Peter Berger's Homeless Mind, Adorno's and Marcuse's Mind Control, Edgar Schein's, Kaplan's and Sadock's Brainwashing, Ted Robert Gere's Relative Deprivation, Marx's Alienation, and Jean Baudrillard's Hyper-Reality” were adjusted with the characteristics of "Media Persuasion Techniques", "Way of Recruitment" and "Reason of Recruitment" of European Youth who joined ISIS. All 7 theories (Here Assumptions) were confirmed & Approved with Some strengths and weaknesses. The three theories of "Resistance Identity", "Brainwashing" and "Hyper-reality" are considered as the main Structures of this research that have been proven with a high percentage and can be a beacon, Lighthouse or better to say a Lantern for further research and Studies. The two theories of "Homeless Mind" and "Mind Control" have been covered almost half of the case studies, Sometimes as a "weak signal" and sometimes as an "Early warning" to Muslim communities and second-class European citizens. Among the 14 techniques of persuasion, 5 techniques of "taming", "highlighting", "joining the congregation", "exaggeration" and "association" have been assigned the highest rank in the process of persuading and recruiting ISIS forces. The first winning combination was "Along with the congregation, temptation, emphasis, exaggeration". The combination of "association, temptation, exaggeration, highlighting" is in the second place and the combination of "being with the congregation, temptation, exaggeration, comparison, highlighting" is in the third place. According to the findings of this research, ISIS have not been successful in using "repetition", "fear", "symbols", "trines" and "humor" persuasive techniques.

The Hidden Persuaders research group examines ‘brainwashing’ in the Cold War for the roles, real and imagined, played by psychologists, psychiatrists and psychoanalysts. Our project engaged young people in an exploration of the history of fears about brainwashing, and enabled them to explore their thoughts and ideas about the forces that shape their lives in contemporary society, through film-making. Working with three schools in the Camden area of London, our partners at the Derek Jarman Lab media hub, Birkbeck, University of London, and an artist facilitator (Lizzie Burns), we invited Year 12 students to learn filming and editing to create their own short video essays. The use of this format resulted in a significant depth of engagement and generated a wealth of creative responses. The various stages of the film-making process enabled the students to work out the terms of an argument and to consider how best to express it concisely. In the resulting films, they came up with a variety of forms of visual storytelling, and used the medium to express their thoughts, feelings and ideas in diverse ways, giving us a range of new perspectives which we could consider in relation to our historical research.

In our day to day political spheres of increasingly conflicting interests, political propaganda has become an essential tool for contending rivals to construct a narrative based on selected facts rather than commensurable truth in order to win over the masses. However, the origin of deploying propaganda as a political weapon goes back to the beginning of history since the inception of power based political organizations (like kingship) and have continued ever since. But it is only in the twentieth century when the world was divided between capitalist USA and its political as well as ideological rival, the communist USSR, that political propaganda gained a rapid momentum. The attempt of this essay is to reconstruct from contemporary movies, books, radio programs and lastly official documents, the ways in which a concept of an ‘Iron Curtain’ under the communist USSR was created in the tumultuous backdrop of acquisition of nuclear power, political upheaval and infiltration in opponent’s spy agencies

The Hidden Persuaders research group examines ‘brainwashing’ in the Cold War for the roles, real and imagined, played by psychologists, psychiatrists and psychoanalysts. Our project engaged young people in an exploration of the history of fears about brainwashing, and enabled them to explore their thoughts and ideas about the forces that shape their lives in contemporary society, through film-making. Working with three schools in the Camden area of London, our partners at the Derek Jarman Lab media hub, Birkbeck, University of London, and an artist facilitator (Lizzie Burns), we invited Year 12 students to learn filming and editing to create their own short video essays. The use of this format resulted in a significant depth of engagement and generated a wealth of creative responses. The various stages of the film-making process enabled the students to work out the terms of an argument and to consider how best to express it concisely. In the resulting films, they came up with a variety of forms of visual storytelling, and used the medium to express their thoughts, feelings and ideas in diverse ways, giving us a range of new perspectives which we could consider in relation to our historical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to regulate emotions is important for human function and health. That emotion regulation can be achieved through cognitive change is predicated on the notion of cognitive mediation. However, the extent to which individuals believe that their emotions are cognitively mediated (C–M), or in contrast, that their emotions occur via stimulus-response (S-R), is underexplored, and whether C–M and S-R beliefs shape emotion reactivity is not yet known. Research that addresses these empirical needs could inform emotion regulation interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapies (CBTs). The current paper reports the development and initial validity testing of the cognitive mediation beliefs questionnaire (CMBQ). Five studies report the factor structure, the construct and criterion validity, and the test-retest reliability of the CMBQ. The CMBQ was found to have a correlated two-factor structure (C–M change beliefs, and S-R generation beliefs). Higher C–M change beliefs and lower S-R generation beliefs were related to greater emotion regulation, greater thought control ability, higher positive mental health, and lower emotion reactivity. The CMBQ also demonstrated acceptable test-retest reliability. Initial testing indicates that the CMBQ is a valid and reliable questionnaire for psychometric use in adult populations, including those with a diagnosed mental health condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiments with brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) reveal that the estimated preferred direction (EPD) of cortical motor units may shift following the transition to brain control. However, the cause of those shifts, and in particular, whether they imply neural adaptation, is an open issue. Here we address this question in simulations and theoretical analysis. Simulations are based on the assumption that the brain implements optimal state estimation and feedback control and that cortical motor neurons encode the estimated state and control vector. Our simulations successfully reproduce apparent shifts in EPDs observed in BMI experiments with different BMI filters, including linear, Kalman and re-calibrated Kalman filters, even with no neural adaptation. Theoretical analysis identifies the conditions for reducing those shifts. We demonstrate that simulations that better satisfy those conditions result in smaller shifts in EPDs. We conclude that the observed shifts in EPDs may result from experimental conditions, and in particular correlated velocities or tuning weights, even with no adaptation. Under the above assumptions, we show that if neurons are tuned differently to the estimated velocity, estimated position and control signal, the EPD with respect to actual velocity may not capture the real PD in which the neuron encodes the estimated velocity. Our investigation provides theoretical and simulation tools for better understanding shifts in EPD and BMI experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The focus of this study is to explain how cults use persuasion and manipulation to achieve their goals. Along with raising awareness about how individuals are exploited intellectually and emotionally in the name of religion, many cults are tackling this issue to protect themselves. This study examines the nature of cults, as well as an analysis of brainwashing techniques and the long-term effects that cults have on people and society. Design/Methodology/Approach: In this paper, the researcher has attempted to capture information through case studies, newspaper articles, and substantial use of phenomenology. Findings: Cults have the power to change people's minds because they use numerous tactics to persuade members to share their ideas. The issue is, a person does not have to be mentally ill or unstable to engage in these activities. It is not impossible, however, to be compelled to live in such an atmosphere and discover that they have been emotionally abused for an extended period of time. Anyone can be lured into something that they may not be able to escape from because it has deep roots in their souls if they have trust and mutual respect. As a result, anyone, regardless of their sanity, can be the target of this mind control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dealing with unwanted thoughts is a recurrent phenomenon in everyday life. The present study focuses on intrusive thoughts in the work context and examines the protective function of thought control for self‐esteem. Possible mediators (negative affect, task focus) and individual differences in the ability to control unwanted thoughts are also considered. We assessed 143 employees' individual ability to suppress thoughts using the think/no‐think paradigm, followed by a five‐day experience sampling study in the work context. Multilevel analyses showed that individuals with lower suppression abilities experienced higher negative affect and lower self‐esteem when they tried to suppress intrusive thoughts, whereas individuals with higher suppression abilities did not. The findings reveal the protective nature of thought suppression abilities, but also highlight possible detrimental aspects of unsuccessfully engaging in thought control. The results provide a basis for recommendations to individuals on dealing with intrusive thoughts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author analyzes cases of "secular" deprogrammings--including the infamous case of Stephanie Riethmiller's deprogramming for being a lesbian--and brainwashing opposition generally. The author argues that a fear of social change primarily of the traditional family structure informs brainwashing opposition, and occasionally that fear makes brainwashing oppositional tactics spill over into other areas of American life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Momento: Revista de Física is the property of Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Departamento de Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper examines the crucial role language plays in manipulating the act of discourse comprehension as a means of constructing mental models meant to effect mind control against the people's best interests. To achieve this, the study utilises the rich resources of critical discourse analysis (CDA) precisely, the socio-cognitive framework, to analyse media political discourse within the Nigerian context. A number of discourses that hinge on the APC and PDP's war of words over the issue of corruption extracted from the online editions of Nigerian newspapers constitute the data used for the study. The result of the data analysis indicates that Nigerian politicians consciously indulge in positive self-presentation and negative-other presentation by making use of the ideological square in the portrayal of self for the sole purpose of imposing their ideological designs on the entire populace in order to gain political dominance. Through the ideological square, each of the political parties aims at emphasizing the positive sides of its actions and the negative aspects of the other party while de-emphasizing its negative activities and the positive sides of the other through the use of manipulative language. Such manipulative use of language disables the people's critical thinking for the manipulators' benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1933 Mock Trial of Economists is occasionally noticed and then interpreted as a representation of popular discontent with the economists' "crime" of "conspiracy to spread mental fog." William Beveridge's papers in the London School of Economics archives contain the written record of the performed composition and an unperformed frame for the Trial. Both are reproduced below. The performance singles out J. M. Keynes for his changing points of view. The unperformed frame provides evidence of Beveridge's defense of diverse viewpoints in light of his worries about totalitarian repression. Long after he had left LSE, F. A. Hayek called attention to Beveridge's worries about the fate of multiple viewpoints under socialism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the high‐energy requirements to sustain immune responses and healing processes, it is intriguing that lack of appetite (i.e., anorexia) is a cardinal feature of sickness behaviour. While our understanding of the brain mechanisms that control appetite is rapidly growing, how inflammation affects these mechanisms is not fully understood. Here, we discuss advances in our understanding of discrete appetite controlling mechanisms and how inflammation influences their function. We further discuss the pathophysiological significance of anorexia and negative energy balance during the immune regulatory response. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed issue on Cellular metabolism and diseases. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v178.10/issuetoc [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theorizing about leadership in new religious movements has often assumed that leaders have a powerful form of charisma with magical powers allowing leaders to exercise total control over the group and its members. This “myth of the omnipotent leader” is complemented by the “myth of the passive and brainwashed follower,” which assumes that those who participate have their agency overcome by the leader’s charisma and are under some sort of spell cast by the leader. Both myths mislead and belie societal conditions that lead to the formation of new religions as well as the inherent agency of those who participate. Examples from research on newer religious groups are presented to demonstrate the naivet´e of assuming that the intertwined myths promoted in the media offer a full and adequate explanation of group formation and decisions by individuals to participate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The brain is a non-linear dynamical system with a self-restoration process, which protects itself from external damage but is often a bottleneck for clinical treatment. To treat the brain to induce the desired functionality, formulation of a self-restoration process is necessary for optimal brain control. This study proposes a computational model for the brain's self-restoration process following the free-energy and degeneracy principles. Based on this model, a computational framework for brain control is established. We posited that the pre-treatment brain circuit has long been configured in response to the environmental (the other neural populations') demands on the circuit. Since the demands persist even after treatment, the treated circuit's response to the demand may gradually approximate the pre-treatment functionality. In this framework, an energy landscape of regional activities, estimated from resting-state endogenous activities by a pairwise maximum entropy model, is used to represent the pre-treatment functionality. The approximation of the pre-treatment functionality occurs via reconfiguration of interactions among neural populations within the treated circuit. To establish the current framework's construct validity, we conducted various simulations. The simulations suggested that brain control should include the self-restoration process, without which the treatment was not optimal. We also presented simulations for optimizing repetitive treatments and optimal timing of the treatment. These results suggest a plausibility of the current framework in controlling the non-linear dynamical brain with a self-restoration process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In his book, Music Education in an Age of Virtuality and Post-Truth, Woodford presents a welcomed discussion of the aims of music education in a time of political unrest. This timely text is needed due to the stresses of the current political climate in which students are "seldom encouraged to seriously question or otherwise challenge the existing political system" (p. 2). Woodford's consideration of contemporary political phenomena sheds new light on issues related to arts education policy implementation as well as intersections of music education and students' lived experiences. Throughout this text, Woodford questions the current application of democratic values in music education, condemns the misuse of art in contemporary politics, and explains the purposes of a liberal music education. Woodford addresses current social and political issues that impact music educators and anticipates future problems so that they might "better defend themselves and their students, and ultimately democratic society, from those who would pervert the purpose of education by reducing it to job training and/or thought control" (p. 10). After providing an overview of the book and a summary of each chapter, we offer our reflections of the author's points and extensions for consideration. Specifically, we reflect on how generalizing the views of political populations might be problematic and how the inclusion of multiple perspectives might enhance a liberal music education. We then propose possibilities for how Woodford's liberal music education might look in K–12 classrooms and pose questions related to the presentation of this book in collegiate music education courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article looks at what impact the Korean War (1950–53) had on British policy regarding how soldiers should behave if captured by the enemy. It explores the training available to the average serviceman between the First World War and the early 1950s and examines how fears of brainwashing prompted the first major investigation of prisoner behaviour and training in modern British history. Using primary sources, the article also traces how the war contributed to a philosophical shift in attitudes towards the prisoner of war and a reassessment of the skills necessary to survive on the modern battlefield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of what has been called an epidemic of domestic and family violence (DFV) in several countries, scholarly analysts, journalists, and policymakers have increasingly turned to the matrix of ideas around what Evan Stark has called coercive control, for insights into the dynamics of abusive relationships. In seeking to address this social problem, some commentators--in both the DFV research space and cultic studies--have begun to see a link between New Religions ("cults") and coercive control, and use the language of coercive control to revive a problematic rhetoric linked to ideas about so-called "brainwashing." This article highlights some of the commonalities between coercive control, as theorized by Stark and others, and the classic work on coercive persuasion as this was applied--sometimes disingenuously--to a wave of New Religions during the 1970s through to the 1990s. Secondly, this article analyses the rhetorical use of elements of the "cult stereotype" in contemporary popular and academic discussions of DFV and how the language of coercive control has been employed. We conclude that the use of coercive control language in cultic studies is largely superficial and engages in tactical ambiguities which seek to apply various "cultic brainwashing" ideas in a new context and suggest that this approach is unhelpful both to victim-survivors of DFV and those who have experienced abuse in particular New Religions or, indeed, within mainstream religion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on the fundamental role of diverse media in the evolution of public opinion can protect us from the spreading of brainwashing, extremism, and terrorism. Many fear the information cocoon may result in polarization of the public opinion. Hence, in this work, we investigate how audiences' choices among diverse media might influence public opinion. Specifically, we aim to figure out how peoples' horizons (i.e., range of available media) and quantity, as well as the distribution of media, may shape the space of public opinion. We propose a novel model of opinion dynamics that considers different influences and horizons for every individual, and we carry out simulations using a real-world social network. Numerical simulations show that diversity in media can provide more choices to the people, although individuals only choose media within the bounds of their horizons, extreme opinions are more diluted, and no opinion polarizations emerge. Furthermore, we find that the distribution of media's opinions can effectively influence the space for public opinion, but when the number of media grows to a certain level, its effect will reach a limitation. Finally, we show that the effect of campaigns for consciousness or education can be improved by constructing the opinion of media, which can provide a basis for the policy maker in the new media age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To perform a systematic review of the current level of evidence on post-operative management following brain metastasectomy (namely: adjuvant stereotactic radiosurgery, whole brain radiotherapy or observation), and to propose a GRADE-based dedicated recommendation to inform Radiation Oncologists' clinical practice. Methods: A panel of expert Radiation Oncologists from the Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology had defined the search question per the PICO methodology. Electronic databases were independently screened; the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses was adopted. The individual and pooled hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI), as well as the pooled risk ratio (RR) were calculated using a fixed- or random-effects model. Results: Eight full-texts were retrieved: six retrospective studies and two randomized clinical trials. Outcomes of benefit and damage were analyzed for SRS + observation (PICO A) and SRS + WBRT. SRS allowed for increased rates of local control when compared to both observation and WBRT, while evidence was less conclusive for distant brain control, leptomeningeal disease control and overall survival. In the SRS, the incidence of severe radionecrosis was higher as compared to WBRT, despite neurocognitive deterioration rates were lower. Overall, SRS seems to favorably compare with observation and whole brain RT, despite the level of evidence for the recommendation was low and very low, respectively. Conclusion: Despite low level of evidence, the panel concluded that the risk/benefit ratio probably favors adjuvant SRS as compared to the observation and whole brain RT as adjuvant treatments following brain metastasectomy (5 votes/5 participants, 100% attendance). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: BRAF inhibitors have improved the outcome for patients with BRAF mutant metastatic melanoma and have shown intracranial responses in melanoma brain metastases. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is being used as a local treatment for melanoma brain metastasis (MBM) with better local control and survival. We searched for studies comparing the combination of two treatments with SRS alone to detect any clinical evidence of synergism. Materials and Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, Medline, and Cochrane library were searched until May 2020 for studies with desired comparative outcomes. Outcomes of interest that were obtained for meta-analysis included survival as the primary, and local control as the secondary outcome. Results: A total of eight studies involving 976 patients with MBM were selected. Survival was significantly improved for patients receiving BRAF inhibitor plus SRS in comparison to SRS alone as assessed from the time of SRS induction (SRS survival: hazard ratio [HR] 0.67 [0.58–0.79], p <0.00001), from the time of brain metastasis diagnosis (BM survival: HR 0.65 [0.54, 0.78], p < 0.00001), or from the time of primary diagnosis (PD survival: HR 0.74 [0.57–0.95], p = 0.02). Dual therapy was also associated with improved local control, indicating an additive effect of the two treatments (HR 0.53 [0.31–0.93], p=0.03). Intracranial hemorrhage was higher in patients receiving BRAF inhibitors plus SRS than in those receiving SRS alone (OR, 3.16 [1.43–6.96], p = 0.004). Conclusions: BRAF inhibitors in conjunction with SRS as local treatment appear to be efficacious. Local brain control and survival improved in patients with MBM receiving dual therapy. Safety assessment would need to be elucidated further as the incidence of intracranial hemorrhage was increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gait initiation is a daily challenge even for healthy individuals as it requires the timely coupling between the automatic anticipatory postural adjustment (APA) and the voluntary step according to the context. Modulation of this motor event has been thought to involve higher level brain control, including cognitive inhibitory circuitries. Despite the known participation of the supplementary motor area (SMA) in the modulation of some parameters of APA, the participation of areas controlling inhibition during gait initiation still needs to be investigated. In this study, the hemodynamic responses of the SMA and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) were assessed using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during a gait initiation task under cognitive conflict to select the foot to step (congruent [CON] and incongruent [INC] conditions). The older group (OG) showed worse inhibitory control than the young group (YG) along with more impairments in APA parameters. OG also had a lower amplitude of hemodynamic responses in both areas than YG in the INC. The INC increased the correlation between SMA and DLPFC only in the YG. Aging seems to impair the interaction between the hemodynamic responses of SMA and DLPFC, which influences APA performance in gait initiation under cognitive conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nidrâ yoga is an ancient yogic practice capable of inducing altered states of consciousness characterized by deep relaxation, strong concentration, acute self-awareness, and joy. In modern contemplative neuroscience language, it is known by the name yoga nidra, and few studies have investigated its phenomenological and psychophysiological effects. Six healthy volunteers (four females aged 31–74) performed 12 yoga nidra sessions guided by an expert during a 6-day retreat. Each session consisted of 10 minutes in a resting state (baseline) followed by 2 hours of yoga nidra. Psychometric data regarding dissociative experiences (Clinician Administered Dissociative States Scale) and the state of consciousness (Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory) were collected after baseline and yoga nidra, while high-density EEG was recorded during the entire session. During nidra sessions, no sleep hallmarks (i.e., K-complexes and sleep spindles) were detected by the EEG in any subject. Psychometric data we re analyzed using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test corrected with the false discovery rate approach for multiple comparisons. Compared to baseline, yoga nidra practice was related to: (1) increased dissociative effects (p = 0.022); (2) perception of being in an altered state of consciousness (p = 0.026); (3) alterations in perceived body image (p = 0.022); (4) increased "meaningfulness" attributed to the experience (p = 0.026); (5) reduced rational thinking (p = 0.029); and (6) reduced volitional thought control (p = 0.026). First-person experience is discussed in relation to descriptive EEG power spectral density analysis, which was performed in one subject because of severe EEG artifacts in the other recordings; that subject showed, compared to baseline: (1) early increase of alpha and beta power, followed by a progressive widespread reduction; (2) widespread early increase of theta power, followed by a progressive reduction; and (3) widespread increase of gamma power in the latest stages. The present preliminary results enrich the knowledge of yoga nidra, elucidating its phenomenology and suggesting some psychophysiological correlates that future studies may address. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]