Do expectant fathers and mothers experience pregnancy differently?

A study has shown that there are neural and psychological differences between men and women during pregnancy.

Can we self-regulate our brain through training?

A study of neurofeedback reveals that the behavioural effects seem to be the same whether real or sham feedback is given.

Can highly superior autobiographic memory enhance creativity?

Constructive episodic processes relevant to creative thinking are not enhanced in individuals with highly superior autobiographical memory performance.

Can the brain act as a psi-inhibitory filter?

Morris Freedman’s neurobiological model suggests that the frontal lobes of the brain act as a filter to inhibit psi and implies that humans may have innate psi abilities that are suppressed by this frontal lobe filter. To test this model, the research team of the research project 210/18 - Mind-matter Interactions and the Frontal Lobes of the Brain, supported by the BIAL Foundation, used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to induce reversible brain lesions in the left medial middle frontal region in healthy participants. Data confirmed their a priori hypothesis, that is, healthy participants with reversible rTMS induced lesions affecting the left medial middle frontal brain region showed larger effects on a mind-matter interaction task compared to healthy participants without rTMS induced lesions. These findings support the concept that the brain serves as a filter to block psi effects and may help explain why these effects are so small and hard to replicate in healthy participants. To know more about the study, please read the paper Enhanced mind-matter interactions following rTMS induced frontal lobe inhibition, published in the journal Cortex.

Can perceived interactions with the deceased help in the bereavement process?

Across societies, 30 to 34% of individuals is likely to experience at least one after-death communication (ADC) in their lifetime. The ADC is defined as a spontaneous phenomenon in which a living individual has a feeling or sense of direct contact with a deceased person. An ADC may occur in several forms, which include a sense of presence, sensory experiences (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory), symbolic experiences (song on radio, flower blooming out of season, etc.), electronic experiences (telephone call, Facebook “like”, or email from the deceased, computer anomalies, etc.), visitation or message dreams. ADCs occur across cultures, race, age, socio-economic status, educational level, gender, and religious beliefs. In the scope of project 169/20 - Investigation of the Phenomenology and Impact of Spontaneous and Direct After-Death Communications (ADCs), supported by the BIAL Foundation, the research team explored the impact of perceived ADCs on bereavement, involving 70 individuals who experienced ADCs with deceased partners or spouses. The majority found the ADCs comforting (81%) and helpful in their bereavement (84%). For 49% of the participants, ADCs seemed to ease acceptance of loss and 42% confirmed an accelerated recovery due to the ADC. The implications of these findings are discussed in the article Description and impact of encounters with deceased partners or spouses published in OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying.

The Portuguese Medical Association and the BIAL Foundation deliver the 3rd edition of the Maria de Sousa Award

The award ceremony for the third edition of the Maria de Sousa Award took place on November 16 at Teatro Thalia, in Lisbon, and was attended by the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato, who chaired the session, the Secretary of State of Health Promotion, Margarida Tavares, and the Secretary of State for Higher Education, Pedro Teixeira. The five winners, all young researchers in health sciences, are Inês Alves (i3S, U.Porto), Nuno Dinis Alves (ICVS, U.Minho), Catarina Palma dos Reis (CHULC - Maternidade Dr. Alfredo da Costa, Lisboa), João Neto (i3S, U.Porto) and Sara Calafate (ICVS, U.Minho).