Web-based mindfulness intervention improves memory and attention in the elderly

A research team assessed cognitive, psychological and physiological outcomes of a mindfulness-based intervention in healthy older adults.

Identification of a molecule involved in fear extinction opens avenues for new therapies for anxiety

The discovery of mediator responsible for altering fear memories could contribute to the creation of new therapies for the treatment of anxiety disorders.

Does blindness affect the way we perceive whether an emotion is authentic or posed?

The results showed that the late-blind participants performed worse in the assessment of emotional authenticity.

Prémio BIAL de Medicina Clínica 2024: Award Ceremony

The winning work of the Prémio BIAL de Medicina Clínica 2024 and the honorable mentions will be announced in the Award ceremony that will take place on February 12, 2025, at 11 a.m. in Lisbon, and will be held in a hybrid format, so everyone can watch online. The event will be chaired by the President of the Republic.

How does the brain represent the human body: Vision, language, or both?

Recent research suggests that two processes may coexist in the brain's representation of the human body: one based on visuo-spatial information and the other on linguistic information. This model postulates that, in addition to relying on visual perception to understand the relationships between body parts, we also use information derived from language. A study conducted by Luca Rinaldi and collaborators explored this idea by directly investigating whether these two forms of representation - perceptual and linguistic - truly coexist. To do so, the researchers used distributional semantic models (DSMs), computational tools that analyse texts to identify how words (and, in this case, body parts) are related in language. For instance, words like "hand" often appear associated with "arm" or "finger" in texts. These linguistic relationships were used to construct a body map based on the semantic distances between different body parts. To test this linguistic map, the researchers conducted two behavioural experiments. In both, participants had to evaluate the proximity between body parts presented as words or as images. The results showed that both perceptual information (based on vision) and linguistic information (extracted from language) influenced participants' performance. In other words, linguistic representations complemented visual ones, suggesting that the brain uses both sources of information when mentally processing and organizing the human body. These findings support theories arguing that mental representations combine perceptual and linguistic information. Thus, our understanding of the human body depends not only on what we see but also on how language structures that understanding. This study was supported by the BIAL Foundation, in the scope of the research project 13/22 - RE-thinking the role of the spatial memory system in cognitive MAPs (acronym: REMAP), and published in the Journal of Cognition, in the article A Body Map Beyond Perceptual Experience.

How do the Stages of Insight transform our mind?

Several contemplative traditions offer detailed maps to guide meditative progress towards enlightenment and liberation from psychological suffering, highlighting their potential to promote mental health and well-being. In Theravada Buddhism, one of these maps is known as the Stages of Insight (SoI), a comprehensive framework that describes meditative progress from the initial understanding of mind and matter to the reaching of Nirvana. This journey, experienced through advanced meditative practices, allows for a series of profound psychological transformations, such as changes in perception, self-experience, cognition, and emotional processing. An innovative study led by Matthew Sacchet used high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (7T MRI) to explore brain activity during the SoI. The research team identified specific brain activity patterns associated with the SoI, different from non-meditative states. SoI deactivated regions related to self-processing (such as the medial prefrontal cortex) and activated regions associated with perception and awareness (such as the parietal and visual cortices). Additionally, the SoI were associated with changes in emotional states, such as greater peace and equanimity, characterized by self-transcendence and mental stability. In conclusion, these results suggest stronger awareness and perceptual sensitivity and acuity during the SoI, with positive implications for psychological well-being and opening new horizons for the understanding of advanced meditation. This study was supported by the BIAL Foundation, in the scope of the research project 99/20 - Beyond "mindfulness" and toward a modern science of meditative mastery and spiritual transformation, and published in the journal NeuroImage, in the article Deconstructing the self and reshaping perceptions: An intensive whole-brain 7T MRI case study of the stages of insight during advanced investigative insight meditation.