Scientists find evidence for 'chronesthesia,' or mental time travel

Scientists find evidence for 'chronesthesia,' or mental time travel - December 22, 2010
Researchers have found evidence for “chronesthesia,” which is the brain’s ability to be aware of the past and future, and to mentally travel in subjective time. They found that activity in different brain regions is related to chronesthetic states when a person thinks about the same content during the past, present, or future.

PhysOrg.com) -- The ability to remember the past and imagine the future can significantly affect a person's decisions in life. Scientists refer to the brain’s ability to think about the past, present, and future as "chronesthesia," or mental time travel, although little is known about which parts of the brain are responsible for these conscious experiences. In a new study, researchers have used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural correlates of mental time travel and better understand the nature of the mental time in which the metaphorical "travel" occurs.

continued at: http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-12-scientists-evidence-chronesthesia-mental.html

Stem cells rescue nerve cells by direct contact

Scientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have shown how transplanted stem cells can connect with and rescue threatened neurons and brain tissue. The results point the way to new possible treatments for brain damage and neurodegenerative diseases.

continued at link: http://www.physorg.com/news184261741.html

Moving through time
January 21, 2010
Although we can't technically travel through time (yet), when we think of the past or the future we engage in a sort of mental time travel. This uniquely human ability to psychologically travel through time arguably sets us apart from other species. Researchers have recently looked at how mental time travel is represented in the sensorimotor systems that regulate human movement. It turns out our perceptions of space and time are tightly coupled. http://www.physorg.com/news183297421.html

Nerve cells derived from stem cells and transplanted into mice may lead to improved brain treatments
Scientists at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research have, for the first time, genetically programmed embryonic stem (ES) cells to become nerve cells when transplanted into the brain, according to a study published today in The Journal of Neuroscience. The research, an important step toward developing new treatments for stroke, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurological conditions showed that mice afflicted by stroke showed tangible therapeutic improvement following transplantation of these cells. None of the mice formed tumors, which had been a major setback in prior attempts at stem cell transplantation.
http://www.physorg.com/news133584528.html

Link between depression and inflammatory response found in mice
Vanderbilt University researchers may have found a clue to the blues that can come with the flu – depression may be triggered by the same mechanisms that enable the immune system to respond to infection.
http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-12-link-depression-inflammatory-response-mice.html

The genetic basis of 130 brain diseases
December 19, 2010
In research published today, scientists have studied human brain samples to isolate a set of proteins that accounts for over 130 brain diseases. The paper also shows an intriguing link between diseases and the evolution of the human brain.
http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-12-genetic-basis-brain-diseases.html

Light-controlled neo-neurons in the brain
December 15th, 2010 in Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
French researchers at the Institut Pasteur in association with the CNRS have
just shown, in an experimental model, that newly formed neurons in the adult
brain can be stimulated by light. A novel technique associating optical and
genetic tools allows neurobiologists to render neo-neurons photo-excitable.

For the first time they have prompted, observed, and specifically recorded the
activity of these new nerve cells in the olfactory system. Using this technique
the scientists have revealed the nature of signals emitted from new neurons
across neuronal circuits in the brain. This work represents an essential step
towards better understanding the role of new nerve cells and in developing
therapeutic applications, most notably in the realm of neurodegenerative
diseases.

Pierre-Marie Lledo and his team in the Perception and Memory unit at the Institut
Pasteur have just shown, for the first time in an animal model, the possibility
of using light to stimulate and specifically study new neurons which form in the
adult brain. Until now the existing methods of stimulation did not permit this.
Electrical stimulation affects all cells without discrimination and chemical
stimulation concerns only neurons mature enough to have surface receptors for
active molecules.

By introducing and inducing expression of photo-sensitive proteins in new neurons,
the scientists have been able to control their activity with the use of luminescent
flashes. Using this technique, researchers at the Institut Pasteur and the CNRS have
been able to observe, stimulate, and specifically record the activity of new nerve
cells. They have brought proof that new neurons formed in the olfactory bulb of the
adult brain are integrated into preexisting nervous circuits. They have also shown
that, against all expectations, the number of contacts between young cells and their
target cells greatly increased over several months.

This work constitutes an essential step in characterizing the functions fulfilled by
new neurons. It opens new avenues to investigation for understanding the connectivity
between “newly formed” neurons and their host circuits. This is a crucial step on the
way to foreseeing the use of stem cells within the framework of new therapeutic
protocols for repairing brain damage, notably in the realm of neurodegenerative
diseases.

More information: How, when and where new inhibitory neurons release neurotransmitters
in the adult olfactory bulb, Journal of Neuroscience, December 15, 2010.

Provided by CNRS

"Light-controlled neo-neurons in the brain." December 15th, 2010.

http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-12-light-controlled-neo-neurons-brain.html


Personal note: I just happen to have the neuro equipment that does this sitting right next to me as we've been using this for the past 12 years on ourselves. The neuro magstem glasses even produce magnetic pulses to the pineal gland which keeps it stimulated and reverses the aging process. The flashing light glasses rewire the brain and keeps it healthy. If interested in the equipment check out www.roshi.com

www.roshi.com

The Neurodynamic Activator™ guides your brain passively towards a normalized pattern. Its complex flicker is programmed to provide the brain with a brain wave pattern totally at rest and attentive at the same time, similar to the brain of a Zen monk; inducing the brain towards its "listening", not talking, state.