Perchance to Dream

Direct-current stimulation of the brain boosts motor-skill learning

Later this week, the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science will publish a paper that describes how stimulating the primary motor cortex can help people learn to perform a challenging task involving fine muscle control.

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The new paper involves an approach...called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). In this case, electrodes attached to the person's head run a current directly through the brain; the location of the electrodes can target the current to specific areas of the brain. At the cellular level, these currents are extremely weak, but they're thought to reduce the voltage barrier needed for a nerve to fire, essentially enhancing normal activity. Depending on the area of the brain targeted and whether that's closer to the anode or cathode, tDCS has been observed inducing a variety of effects.

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Strokes and many other types of brain damage often force their victims to relearn basic motor skills, from speech to walking. Given that tDCS is noninvasive and may help speed to recovery of these patients, I'd expect to see tests of its efficacy in the near future.

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Bull Does a Somersault

Spanish bullfighter Cayetano Rivera (top) and his assistant watch as a bull does a somersault after getting its horns stuck in the sand during a bullfight at the Malagueta bullring in Malaga, southern Spain August 22, 2008. REUTERS/Jon Nazca

A New Map of the Human Cerebral Cortex

Some very fascinating research about the brain has just been published. Using structural and functional brain imaging technology, combined with computational analyses, researchers have identified highly connected, centrally located regions of the human cortex.

These hubs form a “structural core” of the human brain, which the researchers think may act as central processors, integrating multiple inputs across the cortex. Intriguingly, these hubs correspond to a recently reported “default network,” a neural system that shows increased activity levels when subjects are resting.

"Our map is a very crude one,” says Olaf Sporns, a computational neuroscientist at Indiana University in Bloomington. But the wiring diagram is a first step toward understanding how the brain is structured and how it communicates. Such diagrams could help therapists design strategies to improve recovery of stroke victims or people with other brain injuries.

As I read several accounts of this research, my favorite passage so far has been this one: "The spatial and topological centrality of the core within cortex suggests an important role in functional integration." It seems to me that the use of the phrase "functional integration" here is more than a happy coincidence. Rather, this new research, if it is confirmed and generally accepted, may begin to fill in some of the blanks in the Feldenkraisian concept of functional integration (small f, small i). In Dr. Feldenkrais's vision it was assumed that the brain had some central processing capacity enabling it to integrate the various components necessary to produce a function. But during his lifetime there was only very limited concrete knowledge of how the brain did that, and what structures might be involved.

With the advent of various forms of brain imaging over the last thirty years, we have had many tantalizing glimpses of how various parts of the brain work together to enable mental or physical actions. These new findings suggest that science can begin to develop not only more general principles of how the brain is connected, but also specific maps of the main hubs of those connections. We may now look forward to the compilation of a "connectome," that is, a complete inventory of the wiring patterns of the brain.

Here are some further resources for those who would like to know more:

Science News: Journey to the Center of the Brain

Summary of the study, from PLoS Biology

Full text of the study

Sleepless in Germany

A German reader of The Insomnia Solution writes:

Hi Michael. I am writing from Germany. I bought your book and my sleep improved considerably during the last months. But since a few days it collapsed again. Usually I slept till three in the morning and was then awake. But the last days I couldn't sleep at all. I changed my diet recently and wanted to ask whether the change in diet could be responsible for the crisis. I substituted all oils and butter with coconut oil and ate a lot of dried coconut, because I read that this is very healthy. My digestion accelerated and my whole metabolism. Besides this nothing changed. Should I simply go on witht the moves and do nothing?

Thanks for reading

Coconuts

My answer follows:

Hi, Coconuts--

I am glad to hear your sleep improved so much by following the program in my book!

Yes, a change in diet could affect your sleep, especially if the change is sudden. ANY big change in your life is stressful, and stress is the main cause of insomnia. I suggest you approach your dietary change a little more gradually--nothing extreme.

Also, while coconuts are an excellent food, dried coconut can be irritating to the gut, and eating a lot of it could be very harsh. If your gut is irritated, that can certainly cause insomnia. Go easy! And please consult a nutritionist or diet counselor. Okay?

As for techniques, with the acute insomnia that you're experiencing now, you should be practicing "A Twist of the Wrist" or "Main Squeeze" (in Chapter 4) three times per day for ten minutes each time. Regular practice of those daytime relaxation techniques is very important. They will make your life more peaceful, and when your life is more peaceful, your sleep is more peaceful.  

Then, each night when you get into bed, do "LESS is More" for ten minutes or more. The purpose is not to fall asleep, but simply to help your body unwind after a busy day. After "LESS is More," you can do any one of the sleep-inducing techniques in Chapter 5 of the book. Simply do several movements, then rest for several breaths or more, and allow some time to pass. You can repeat the technique as desired, remembering to rest and allow some time to pass after each round of movements. 

Be aware that you will probably drift in and out of sleep several times before you truly, deeply sleep. Lying there with your eyes closed, breathing softly, you will experience periods of dreamy repose punctuated by moments of lucidity or apparent wakefulness. Do not be concerned. Those brief awakenings are a good thing--they are the proof that you have already been asleep, and soon will be again. It's all part of the natural process of falling asleep.

I hope this helps. In which city do you live? We have lots of very good teachers of the Sounder Sleep System® in Germany, and they can help you more in person than I can via email. You can find a directory of German teachers on our web site. Just click the link for "Find an Instructor."

sweet dreams,

Michael

Diesel fumes produce stress response in brain, study shows

James Randerson, science correspondent
The Guardian, Tuesday March 11 2008

Half an hour of sniffing diesel fumes in a busy city street is enough to induce a "stress response" in the brain, according to scientists who measured volunteers.

The response continued to increase even after they had stopped breathing the fumes.

The researchers speculate in a study published today that the changes in the brain may trigger other well-established body responses to diesel fumes, such as oxygen deprivation in the heart.

"The changes that we see can be interpreted as a stress response," said Thomas Sandström at the University of Umeå in Sweden.

"For the first time ever, air pollution effects in the brain have been visualised, which is an effect previously unheard of."

So that's why the air quality in New York City was so hard on me! And why I feel so much better since I moved to New Mexico....

Would be nice to know what effect the fumes had on breath values. I'll look for this study when it publishes, and give more details here.

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Mobile phone radiation wrecks your sleep

Phone makers own scientists discover that bedtime use can lead to headaches, confusion and depression

By Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor
The Independent (UK)
Sunday, 20 January 2008

Radiation from mobile phones delays and reduces sleep, and causes headaches and confusion, according to a new study.

The research, sponsored by the mobile phone companies themselves, shows that using the handsets before bed causes people to take longer to reach the deeper stages of sleep and to spend less time in them, interfering with the body's ability to repair damage suffered during the day.

The findings are especially alarming for children and teenagers, most of whom – surveys suggest – use their phones late at night and who especially need sleep. Their failure to get enough can lead to mood and personality changes, ADHD-like symptoms, depression, lack of concentration and poor academic performance.

The study – carried out by scientists from the blue-chip Karolinska Institute and Uppsala University in Sweden and from Wayne State University in Michigan, USA – is thought to be the most comprehensive of its kind.

Perchance to Dream's comment: This is a major finding, and if it is confirmed by further research, it should really change our mobile-phoning habits. Deep, slow-wave sleep is an essential component of the sleep cycle, and is thought to account for the major part of sleep's purely restorative function. Anything that undermines slow-wave sleep is going to be a big no-no from a health point-of-view.

Wise precautions for now: Make those late-night calls on the land line or VOIP. Or better yet, observe an hour of meditative silence prior to sleep. Mmmm.

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Thanks to my friend and collaborator Patricio Simon for heads-upping this story!

Now hiring!

Today's edition of FastCompany.com features an article on "Ten Jobs You Didn't Know You Wanted," and one of the jobs is "Sleep Instructor." How cool is that? Seems there's this dude named Michael Krugman who developed something called the Sounder Sleep System™. Graduate from his Teacher Training Program, and the world is your oyster. Gosh, you could make up to $1250 per day putting corporate clients to sleep!

PS: My phone has been ringing all morning. Thanks, Fast Company. Read the story See the slideshow

Sleep-deprivation causes an emotional brain 'disconnect'

Without sleep, the emotional centers of the brain dramatically overreact to negative experiences, reveals a new brain imaging study in the October 23rd issue of Current Biology, a publication of Cell Press. The reason for that hyperactive emotional response in sleep-deprived people stems from a shutdown of the prefrontal lobe—a region that normally keeps emotions under control.

The new study from Harvard Medical School and the University of California, Berkeley is the first to explain, at the neural level, what seems to be a universal phenomenon: that sleep loss leads to emotionally irrational behavior, according to the researchers. The findings might also offer some insight into the clinical connection between sleep disruptions and psychiatric disorders.

“This adds to the critical list of sleep’s benefits,” said Matthew Walker, from the University of California, Berkeley. “Sleep appears to restore our emotional brain circuits, and in doing so prepares us for the next day’s challenges and social interactions. Most importantly, this study demonstrates the dangers of not sleeping enough. Sleep deprivation fractures the brain mechanisms that regulate key aspects of our mental health. The bottom line is that sleep is not a luxury that we can optionally choose to take whenever we like. It is a biological necessity, and without it, there is only so far the band will stretch before it snaps, with both cognitive and emotional consequences.”

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Midday Napping Slows Heart Disease

Here are the details on that Greek napping study I cited earlier:

from Heartwire — a professional news service of WebMD

February 14, 2007 — What could be some of the most welcome heart-healthy advice in a long time comes from Greek researchers who say daytime napping — taking a siesta — may add years to your life.

Appearing in the February 12 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, the study included 23,681 participants from the cohort of the Greek European Prospective Investigation (EPIC) into Cancer and Nutrition.

Men who occasionally napped had a 12% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.48 - 1.60) lower coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality; those who napped almost daily did even better, with a 37% (95% CI, 0.42 - 0.93) mortality decrease.

"If this is confirmed, we may have new weapon against CHD," Antonia Trickopoulou, MD, of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, said in an interview with heartwire.

Read the full story here

NYT: Curing Insomnia Without Pills

From: Curing Insomnia Without Pills
by Tara Parker-Pope
The New York Times
November 5, 2007

The behavioral strategies for better sleep are deceptively simple, and that’s one reason why many people don’t believe they can make a difference. One of the most effective methods is stimulus control. This means not watching television, eating or reading in bed. Don’t go to bed until you are sleepy. Get up at the same time every day, and don’t nap during the day. If you are unable to sleep, get out of bed after 15 minutes and do something relaxing, but avoid stimulating activity and thoughts.

So-called sleep hygiene is also part of sleep therapy. This includes regular exercise, adding light-proof blinds to your bedroom to keep it dark and making sure the bed and room temperatures are comfortable. Eat regular meals, don’t go to bed hungry and limit beverages, particularly alcohol and caffeinated drinks, around bedtime.

Finally, don’t try too hard to fall asleep, and turn the clock around so you can’t see it. Watching time pass is one of the worst things to do when you’re trying to fall asleep.

If these steps don’t work, talk to your doctor about a referral to a sleep therapist, who can also teach you additional relaxation techniques to help bring on sleep.

Or try the Sounder Sleep System™, a highly refined system of movement and breathing techniques to relax your body, calm your mind, and lull you to sleep. You can purchase recorded lessons on-line, or find an Authorized Teacher of the system in many parts of the US, Europe, and the Middle East.

Image: Le Rêve par Pierre Puvis de Chavannes: "Dans son sommeil l'Amour, la Gloire et la Richesse lui apparurent."