The science of consciousness: May 2019

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

The hypothesis behind 'The Science of Consciousness,' the book

The book, The Science of Consciousness,' describes consciousness as part of a cohesive theory of the physical world. How to summarise the book's hypothesis in simple words?

"The Science of consciousness" recognizes the structural unity between elementary particles, the mind, and the universe. Therefore, the same physical laws govern intelligent behavior, biological evolution, and the natural world. The cosmos' formation did not end with the appearance of elementary particles and galaxies; it is an ongoing evolution toward complexity, the mind, and intellect.

The increasing complexity of the universe benefits humanity and inspires ingenuity and technological advancement. Technology's resource dependence changed from coal and steam engine to oil, computer technology, and artificial intelligence. We are moving toward the Age of Intellect, the reliance on human ingenuity.

In the Age of Intellect, limitless cosmic energy and other resources inspire fast progress, which requires mental ingenuity. This recognition should encourage us to respect each other's uniqueness and individuality, regardless of race, religion, or culture.

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Saturday, May 18, 2019

Can deep brain stimulation be used for the treatment of drug addiction?

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) modulates brain activity by implanted electrodes deep in brain tissue. It is currently used for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, depression, tremor, or dystonia. It is also suspected that the technique can be used to treat drug addictions because, in addictions, damages to the prefrontal cortex's functioning might diminish impulse control. In the past 15 years, animal DBS studies successfully investigated its potential for addiction to various abused drugs. However, the same treatment in people has high costs, and the difficulties in recruiting patients have hampered clinical experimentation.

In early studies, DBS decreased the severity of cocaine dependence and alcohol cravings. In opioid addiction treatment, five of eight patients in China have stayed off heroin for at least two years, and some patients have remained off drugs for the duration. In addition, DBS improved patients’ depressive and anxious symptoms and increased the subjectively perceived quality of life. More importantly, significant improvement of memory, IQ, and depression, and anxiety experience were found. Read the whole article.

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Friday, May 17, 2019

Increase your productivity by taking a break

Biological, physiological needs, circadian rhythms, and even environmental circumstances influence performance. The superior energy distribution and turnover in the brain ensure the fluid regulation of the mind. Being tired and hungry causes glitches in energy supply, which damages cognitive flexibility, causing a decline in performance. The hectic pace of our day harms the quality of our life. Nervousness and anxiety lead to impatience, sloppiness, and superficiality. Stress erodes determination, which causes negative attitudes to become preferred behavior. A feeling of pressure should be the signal for the need to slow down.

Taking a break is easy to understand, because rest refreshes the mind, increases resilience and fuels determination. As discussed earlier, optimal sleep improves intelligence, bodily function, and spiritual stability. Creating a distance from the grind of every day by spending time within a supporting circle of friends or family can spur a fresh perspective and a new momentum in our thinking. Taking time to help friends, family members, or strangers is a change of mental scenery, which improves goodwill.

A concert, gallery viewing, or walking in nature or a park, elevates the soul; reading meaningful thoughts from a book can turn into a mental vacation. Even domestic activities, such as cooking, cleaning, or organizing, can create an uplifting change of scenery. Humor is an instant confidence booster. Rest allows you to take stock by evaluating whether you are on the right track.

For example, when Microsoft tested out a four-day workweek in its Japan offices, it found that employees were not only happier – but significantly more productive. The shortened weeks led to more efficient meetings and higher productivity (by a staggering 40%). In addition to the increased productivity, employees took 25% less time off during the trial, and electricity use was down 23% in the office with the additional day off per week. In other experiments, people could accomplish their tasks by working only for six hours.

Picture credit: Three Boys at Lake Tanganyika by Martin Munkacsi

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Saturday, May 11, 2019

Can a static universe satisfy Mach’s principle?

Mach's principle, that every mass in the universe influences every other is a crucial consideration in physics that inspired Einstein to formulate General relativity. Although his final theory failed to follow it, Mach's ideas still inspire thinking. Nevertheless, Einstein's equations can be written in a form that has no time dependence. The resulting static universe is in apparent contradiction with the observed reality. Page and Wootters recognized that changes in entangled systems can leave the global state of the cosmos unchanged.

Page and Wootters’ mechanism (PaW) predicts that quantum entanglement leaves the state of the universe static. We satisfy the principle by dividing the cosmos into compact and non-compact dimensions by insulating the wave function from space and gravity. In this scenario, entangled sister particles satisfy conservation principles independently of distance but modify the local volume. Either pressure or vacuum generates an orthogonal transformation (interaction) to restore symmetry. Over time, space contracts in some regions and expands in others to develop curvature.

In extreme cases, the universe degenerates into poles. Loss of dimensionality produces two-dimensional black holes, whereas dimensionality increase forms four-dimensional white holes. The poles remain connected by a smooth topology and turn gravity into a bipolar force. The verifiable hypothesis supersedes general relativity by satisfying Mach’s principle. Dimensional anisotropy points toward a possible path for unification with quantum mechanics.

Image: Time progression of the universe evolution (NASA)

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Friday, May 10, 2019

The potential of using light therapy in the treatment of Alzheimer disease and dementia

Alzheimer's disease and related dementia have an immense emotional and economic cost, which creates an urgency to find effective treatments. Bright light therapy is used as a treatment for seasonal affective disorder (SAD). It also showed promise in the treatment of various conditions, from bipolar depression to circadian phase sleep disorders. Notably, the application of bright light therapy in the morning has emerged as a beacon of hope for individuals with dementia, offering a potential solution to their disrupted sleep patterns. By entraining the circadian rhythm, this therapy promises to restore a healthy sleep-wake cycle, a significant step in managing neurodegenerative diseases.

Randomized controlled trials have shown that light therapy can significantly improve sleep efficiency and stability in patients with Alzheimer's and dementia. Additionally, it can alleviate depression and reduce agitation. More importantly, near-infrared (NIR) light exposure has been found to have neuroprotective effects, such as reducing β-amyloid-stimulated microglial toxicity. This suggests that NIR light improves cognitive function and daily activities and protects neurons from progressive damage.

One of the most intriguing applications of light therapy involves using strobe lights flickering at specific frequencies to enhance gamma wave activity in the brain. This mechanism, like rocking a stuck car back and forth, rhythmically stimulates neural circuits at gamma wave frequencies, strengthening their synchronization. This stimulation also activates immune cells that help clear amyloid plaques, a key pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. For instance, exposure to 40-hertz light flashes has been shown to reduce amyloid buildup in the visual cortex. Similarly, auditory stimulation at the same frequency diminishes amyloid protein accumulation in the auditory cortex. These effects initiate intercellular processes, including gene expression changes, reinforcing synaptic connections, and promoting cognitive resilience.

Although further studies are needed, light therapy is a non-invasive treatment that works without inducing aggressive chemical changes in the brain.

Read a simplified description of the study.

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Thursday, May 2, 2019

Emotional intelligence predicts endurance, individual success and social cooperation

Because genuine people learn and create meaning from every interaction, they can handle criticism and challenges. Just as energy flows from warmer to colder matter, more stable (less irritable), people tend to gather wisdom and understanding from every experience. It leads to the ability to engage, relate to others and situations via trust, and find integrated solutions. Thus, the lack of impulsivity, emotional intelligence goes a long way toward individual success and social cooperation. Having no regrets is an open mind that dares to attract help and the humbleness to accept it. These flexible people adapt to opportunities with ease, even in the boardroom or on the trading floor (traders with a positive attitude and trust tend to make more money). Emotional intelligence can predict the finish time of long-distance runners.

In endurance tests, people who can regulate their emotions keep pushing when the going is difficult. For example, long-distance runners can press on toward a good race. A recent paper by Enrico Rubaltelli of the University of Padova explored the links between emotional intelligence and half-marathon performance. Aside from technique and preparation, people with higher marks on this quality ran faster.

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