A Dual Mind Approach to Understanding the Conscious Self and Its Treatment

In this paper I will address questions about will, agency, choice, consciousness, relevant brain regions, impacts of disorders, and their therapeutics, and I will do this by referring to my theory, Dual-brain Psychology, which posits that within most of us there exist two mental agencies with different experiences, wills, choices, and behaviors. Each of these agencies is associated as a trait with one brain hemisphere (either left or right) and its composite regions. One of these agencies is more adversely affected by past traumas, and is more immature and more symptomatic, while the other is more mature and healthier. The theory has extensive experimental support through 17 peer-reviewed publications with clinical and non-clinical research. I will discuss how this theory relates to the questions about the nature of agency and I will also discuss my published theory on the physical nature of subjective experience and its relation to the brain, and how that theory interacts with Dual-Brain Psychology, leading to further insights into our human nature and its betterment.

Rasmussen Encephalitis: A Rare Neurological Disorder

A case of Rasmussen encephalitis in a 8 year old child is reported here who presented with recurrent focal seizures and progressive weakness of left half of body. EEG showed electrical features of epilepsy. MRI brain showed cortical atrophy of one brain hemisphere. On the basis of clinical and radiological evidence, diagnosis of Rasmussen encephalitis was made which is a rare neurological disorder of childhood.

LONG-TERM DYNAMIC OF ISCHEMIC LESION VOLUME AND THE BRAIN HEMISPHERES’ VOLUME IN THE MODEL OF FOCAL ISCHEMIA MODEL IN RAT

В исследовании изучалась динамика объема ишемического очага и объемов полушарий мозга у животных с локальной ишемией в течении 2 месяцев после ишемии при помощи ручной сегментации. Были выявлены значимые различия между объемами полушарий на 1, 3, 14, 21, 30, 42 день исследования (p<0,01-0,05),, а также резкий рост объема ишемического поражения в течение 1-3 суток, после чего его объем монотонно уменьшался. Ischemic lesion volume and the brain hemisphere volume long-term changes were evaluated during 2 month after focal ischemia in rats using manual segmentation,. Significant differences were identified between hemisphere volumes on the 1st, 3rd, 14th, 21st, 30th, 42nd day after ischemia (p<0,01-0,05). A sharp increase in volume ischemic lesion was identified from the 1st till the 3rd day, then lesion volume constantly decreased.

Bridging the Gap Between Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and Interpersonal Neurobiology: A Combined Approach for Counseling Families

This article proposes a comprehensive counseling approach by integrating techniques from solution-focused brief therapy and interpersonal neurobiology. This approach allows counselors to intentionally utilize both hemispheres of the brain during the therapeutic process—anchoring the techniques of solution-focused brief therapy in the left-brain hemisphere while connecting to the client through the right-brain hemisphere. This combined method incorporates five key principles: the therapeutic relationship, co-construction of reality, use of questions, a focus on solutions, and emphasis on positive emotions.

Lateralization correlates with individual differences in inhibitory control in zebrafish

Individual fitness often depends on the ability to inhibit behaviours not adapted to a given situation. However, inhibitory control can vary greatly between individuals of the same species. We investigated a mechanism that might maintain this variability in zebrafish ( Danio rerio ). We demonstrate that inhibitory control correlates with cerebral lateralization, the tendency to process information with one brain hemisphere or the other. Individuals that preferentially observed a social stimulus with the right eye and thus processed social information with the left brain hemisphere, inhibited foraging behaviour more efficiently. Therefore, selective pressures that maintain lateralization variability in populations might provide indirect selection for variability in inhibitory control. Our study suggests that individual cognitive differences may result from complex multi-trait selection mechanisms.

Continuous administration of the p38α inhibitor neflamapimod during the subacute phase after transient ischemia-induced stroke in the rat promotes dose-dependent functional recovery accompanied by increase in brain BDNF protein level

There is unmet need for effective stroke therapies. Numerous neuroprotection attempts for acute cerebral ischemia have failed and there is growing interest in developing therapies that widen the treatment initiation window and promote functional recovery through increasing synaptic plasticity. The p38α mitogen-activated protein kinase is an already proven target for acute experimental stroke intervention and was hypothesized to also contribute to neuroinflammation-mediated impairment of recovery during the subacute phase. Neflamapimod, an orally bioavailable, brain-penetrant, potent and selective small molecule p38α inhibitor was evaluated as a subacute phase stroke treatment to promote recovery in this research study. Neflamapimod administration at two clinically relevant dose levels was initiated outside of the previously characterized neuroprotection window of less than 24 hours after stroke for p38α inhibitors to rats after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. Continuous administration of neflamapimod, starting at 48 hours after reperfusion, significantly improved behavioral outcomes assessed by the modified neurological severity score at four- and six-weeks post stroke in a dose-dependent manner. Neflamapimod also demonstrated beneficial effects on additional measures of sensory and motor function and resulted in a dose-related increase in the terminal brain-derived neurotrophic factor protein level in both the injured and uninjured brain hemisphere. Variable interleukin-1β levels were detected in the injured brain hemisphere at study termination in a subset of the animals within every test group, implying ongoing, chronic inflammation, however, no clear neflamapimod effect on interleukin-1β production was observable. The dose-related in vivo efficacy of neflamapimod offers the possibility of both expanding the window for initiation of therapy after stroke and for improving recovery after a completed stroke. Since neflamapimod is already in mid-stage clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, the current results make it especially attractive for evaluation in a proof-of- concept clinical trial as therapeutic to promote recovery after ischemic stroke.