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Freedman M, Binns MA, Meltzer JA, Hashimi R, Chen R. Enhanced mind-matter interactions following rTMS induced frontal lobe inhibition. Cortex 2024; 172:222-233. [PMID: 38065765 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
A major barrier to acceptance of psi is that effects are small and hard to replicate. To address this issue, we developed a novel neurobiological model to study this controversial phenomenon based upon the concept that the brain may act as a psi-inhibitory filter. Our previous research in individuals with frontal lobe damage suggests that this filter includes the left medial middle frontal region. We report our findings in healthy participants with rTMS induced reversible brain lesions. In support of our a priori hypothesis, we found a significant psi effect following rTMS inhibition of the left medial middle frontal lobe. This significant effect was found using a post hoc weighting procedure aligned with our overarching hypothesis. This suggests that the brain may inhibit psi and that individuals with neurological or reversible rTMS induced frontal lesions may comprise an enriched sample for detection and replication of this controversial phenomenon. Our findings are potentially transformative for the way we view interactions between the brain and seemingly random events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morris Freedman
- Department of Medicine (Neurology), Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, M6A 2E1, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medicine (Neurology), Mt. Sinai Hospital, Toronto, M5G 1X5, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of Toronto, M5S 3H2, Ontario, Canada; Rotman Research Institute of Baycrest Centre, Toronto, M6A 2E1, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Malcolm A Binns
- Rotman Research Institute of Baycrest Centre, Toronto, M6A 2E1, Ontario, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, M5T 3M7, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Jed A Meltzer
- Rotman Research Institute of Baycrest Centre, Toronto, M6A 2E1, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, M5S 3G3, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Rohila Hashimi
- Rotman Research Institute of Baycrest Centre, Toronto, M6A 2E1, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Robert Chen
- Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of Toronto, M5S 3H2, Ontario, Canada; Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, M5T 2S8, Ontario, Canada.
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Pham TV, Kaiser BN, Koirala R, Maharjan SM, Upadhaya N, Franz L, Kohrt BA. Traditional Healers and Mental Health in Nepal: A Scoping Review. Cult Med Psychiatry 2021; 45:97-140. [PMID: 32444961 PMCID: PMC7680349 DOI: 10.1007/s11013-020-09676-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Despite extensive ethnographic and qualitative research on traditional healers in Nepal, the role of traditional healers in relation to mental health has not been synthesized. We focused on the following clinically based research question, "What are the processes by which Nepali traditional healers address mental well-being?" We adopted a scoping review methodology to maximize the available literature base and conducted a modified thematic analysis rooted in grounded theory, ethnography, and phenomenology. We searched five databases using terms related to traditional healers and mental health. We contacted key authors and reviewed references for additional literature. Our scoping review yielded 86 eligible studies, 65 of which relied solely on classical qualitative study designs. The reviewed literature suggests that traditional healers use a wide range of interventions that utilize magico-religious explanatory models to invoke symbolic transference, manipulation of local illness narratives, roles, and relationships, cognitive restructuring, meaning-making, and catharsis. Traditional healers' perceived impact appears greatest for mild to moderate forms of psychological distress. However, the methodological and sample heterogeneity preclude uniform conclusions about traditional healing. Further research should employ methods which are both empirically sound and culturally adapted to explore the role of traditional healers in mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tony V Pham
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, 2301 Erwin Road, Durham, NC, 27701, USA.
- Duke Global Health Institute, Durham, NC, USA.
| | - Bonnie N Kaiser
- Duke Global Health Institute, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Anthropology and Global Health Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Rishav Koirala
- Transcultural Psychosocial Organization Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal
- University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Brain and Neuroscience Center Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | | | | | - Lauren Franz
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, 2301 Erwin Road, Durham, NC, 27701, USA
- Duke Global Health Institute, Durham, NC, USA
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Brandon A Kohrt
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, 2301 Erwin Road, Durham, NC, 27701, USA
- Duke Global Health Institute, Durham, NC, USA
- Transcultural Psychosocial Organization Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington, Washington, DC, USA
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Rabeyron T. Why Most Research Findings About Psi Are False: The Replicability Crisis, the Psi Paradox and the Myth of Sisyphus. Front Psychol 2020; 11:562992. [PMID: 33041926 PMCID: PMC7530246 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.562992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The replicability crisis in psychology has been influenced by the results of nine experiments conducted by Bem (2011) and presented as supporting the existence of precognition. In this paper, we hope to show how the debate concerning these experiments could be an opportunity to develop original thinking about psychology and replicability. After a few preliminary remarks about psi and scientific epistemology, we examine how psi results lead to a paradox which questions how appropriate the scientific method is to psi research. This paradox highlights a problem in the way experiments are conducted in psi research and its potential consequence on mainstream research in psychology. Two classical experiments - the Ganzfeld protocol and the Bem studies - are then analyzed in order to illustrate this paradox and its consequences. Mainstream research is also addressed in the broader context of the replication crisis, decline effect and questionable research practices. Several perspectives for future research are proposed in conclusion and underline the heuristic value of psi studies for psychology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Rabeyron
- Université de Lorraine, Interpsy, Nancy, France.,University of Edinburgh, KPU, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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