Neural Correlation of Faradarmani Consciousness Field Mind Mediation: A Comparative Functional Connectivity and Graph Analysis

The study of the brain networks using analysis of electroencephalography (EEG) data based on statistical dependencies (functional connectivity) and mathematical graph theory concepts is common in neuroscience and cognitive sciences for examinations of patient and healthy individuals. The Consciousness Fields according to Taheri theory and applications in the optimization of system under study have been investigated in various studies. In this study, we examine the results of working with Faradarmani Consciousness Field (FCF) in the brain of Faradarmangars. Faradarmangars are one of the necessary components in mind mediation of the function of Faradarmani Consciousness Fields according to Taheri. For this purpose, the functional and effective connectivity and the corresponding brain graphs of EEG from the brain of Faradarmangars is compared with that of non Faradarmangar groups during FCF connection. According to the results of the present study, the brain of the Faradarmangars shows significant decreased activity in delta (BA8), beta2 (BA4/6/8/9/10/11/32/44/47) and beta3 (in 34 of 52 BA) frequency bands mainly in frontal lobe and after that in parietal and temporal lobes in the comparison with the non Faradarmangars. Moreover, the functional and effective connectivity analysis in the frontal network shows dominant multiple decreased connectivity mainly in the case of beta3 frequency band in all parts of the frontal network. On the other hand, the graph theory analysis of the Faradarmangar brain shows an increase in the activity of the O2-T5-F4-F3-FP2-F8 areas and significant decrease in the characteristic path length and increases in global efficiency, clustering coefficient and transitivity. In conclusion, the unique higher graph function efficiency and the reduction in the brain activity and connectivity during the Faradarmani Consciousness Field mind mediation, shown the passive and detector like function of the human brain in this task.

Inter-Subject EEG Correlation Reflects Time-Varying Engagement with Natural Music

Musical engagement can be conceptualized through various activities, modes of listening, and listener states—among these a state of focused engagement. Recent research has reported that this state can be indexed by the inter-subject correlation (ISC) of EEG responses to a shared naturalistic stimulus. While statistically significant ISC has been reported during music listening, these reports have considered only correlations computed across entire excerpts and do not provide insights into time-varying engagement. Here we present the first EEG-ISC investigation of time-varying engagement within a musical work. From a sample of 23 adult musicians who listened to a cello concerto movement, we find varying levels of ISC throughout the excerpt. In particular, significant ISC is observed during periods of musical tension that build to climactic highpoints, but not at the highpoints themselves. In addition, we find that a control stimulus retaining low-frequency envelope characteristics of the intact music, but little other temporal structure, also elicits significant neural correlation, though to a lesser extent than the original. In all, our findings shed light on temporal dynamics of listener engagement during music listening, establish connections between salient musical events and EEG-ISC, and clarify specific listener states that are indexed by this measure.

Natural Music Evokes Correlated EEG Responses Reflecting Temporal Structure and Beat

The brain activity of multiple subjects has been shown to synchronize during salient moments of natural stimuli, suggesting that correlation of neural responses indexes a brain state operationally termed ‘engagement’. While past electroencephalography (EEG) studies have considered both auditory and visual stimuli, the extent to which these results generalize to music—a temporally structured stimulus for which the brain has evolved specialized circuitry—is less understood. Here we investigated neural correlation during natural music listening by recording dense-array EEG responses from N = 48 adult listeners as they heard real-world musical works, some of which were temporally disrupted through shuffling of short-term segments (measures), reversal, or randomization of phase spectra. We measured neural correlation across responses (inter-subject correlation) and between responses and stimulus envelope fluctuations (stimulus-response correlation) in the time and frequency domains. Stimuli retaining basic musical features evoked significantly correlated neural responses in all analyses. However, while unedited songs were self-reported as most pleasant, time-domain correlations were highest during measure-shuffled versions. Frequency-domain measures of correlation (coherence) peaked at frequencies related to the musical beat, although the magnitudes of these spectral peaks did not explain the observed temporal correlations. Our findings show that natural music evokes significant inter-subject and stimulus-response correlations, and suggest that the neural correlates of musical engagement may be distinct from those of enjoyment.

Neural correlates of executive functions in patients with obesity

Obesity is one of the most challenging problems in human health and is recognized as an important risk factor for many chronic diseases. It remains unclear how the neural systems (e.g., the mesolimbic “reward” and the prefrontal “control” neural systems) are correlated with patients’ executive function (EF), conceptualized as the integration of “cool” EF and “hot” EF. “Cool” EF refers to relatively abstract, non-affective operations such as inhibitory control and mental flexibility. “Hot” EF refers to motivationally significant affective operations such as affective decision-making. We tried to find the correlation between structural and functional neuroimaging indices and EF in obese patients. The study population comprised seventeen patients with obesity (seven males and 10 females, BMI = 37.99 ± 5.40, age = 31.82 ± 8.75 year-old) preparing to undergo bariatric surgery. We used noninvasive diffusion tensor imaging, generalized q-sampling imaging, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the neural correlations between structural and functional neuroimaging indices and EF performances in patients with obesity. We reported that many brain areas are correlated to the patients’ EF performances. More interestingly, some correlations may implicate the possible associations of EF and the incentive motivational effects of food. The neural correlation between the left precuneus and middle occipital gyrus and inhibitory control may suggest that patients with a better ability to detect appetitive food may have worse inhibitory control. Also, the neural correlation between the superior frontal blade and affective decision-making may suggest that patients’ affective decision-making may be associated with the incentive motivational effects of food. Our results provide evidence suggesting neural correlates of EF in patients with obesity.