1
|
Paoletti P, Pellegrino M, Ben-Soussan TD. A Three-Fold Integrated Perspective on Healthy Development: An Opinion Paper. Brain Sci 2023; 13:857. [PMID: 37371337 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13060857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Mental health and wellbeing are increasingly threatened in the current post-pandemic times, with stress, especially in students, reaching preoccupying levels. In addition, while many educational programs are unidimensional (i.e., lacking integration between physical, emotional and cognitive elements), there are ways to promote physical, social and mental health in children and adolescents. In this opinion paper, we will discuss the importance of an integrative approach for health development and examine relevant factors, such as awareness and emotional intelligence. We will highlight evidence ranging from behavioral to electrophysiological, structural and molecular, and report several recent studies supporting the effectiveness of a holistic approach in supporting wellbeing and creativity in children and adults, and detailing a specific paradigm named the Quadrato Motor Training (QMT). QMT is a specifically structured movement meditation, involving cognitive, motor and affective components. Finally, we will support a holistic view on education, integrating motion, emotion and cognition to develop a person-centered, or in this case student-centered, approach to wellbeing and health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patrizio Paoletti
- Research Institute for Neuroscience, Education and Didactics, Patrizio Paoletti Foundation for Development and Communication, 06081 Assisi, Italy
| | - Michele Pellegrino
- Research Institute for Neuroscience, Education and Didactics, Patrizio Paoletti Foundation for Development and Communication, 06081 Assisi, Italy
| | - Tal Dotan Ben-Soussan
- Research Institute for Neuroscience, Education and Didactics, Patrizio Paoletti Foundation for Development and Communication, 06081 Assisi, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Verdone L, Caserta M, Ben-Soussan TD, Venditti S. On the road to resilience: Epigenetic effects of meditation. VITAMINS AND HORMONES 2023; 122:339-376. [PMID: 36863800 DOI: 10.1016/bs.vh.2022.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
Many environmental and lifestyle related factors may influence the physiology of the brain and body by acting on fundamental molecular pathways, such as the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) and the immune system. For example, stressful conditions created by adverse early-life events, unhealthy habits and low socio-economic status may favor the onset of diseases linked to neuroendocrine dysregulation, inflammation and neuroinflammation. Beside pharmacological treatments used in clinical settings, much attention has been given to complementary treatments such as mind-body techniques involving meditation that rely on the activation of inner resources to regain health. At the molecular level, the effects of both stress and meditation are elicited epigenetically through a set of mechanisms that regulate gene expression as well as the circulating neuroendocrine and immune effectors. Epigenetic mechanisms constantly reshape genome activities in response to external stimuli, representing a molecular interface between organism and environment. In the present work, we aimed to review the current knowledge on the correlation between epigenetics, gene expression, stress and its possible antidote, meditation. After introducing the relationship between brain, physiology, and epigenetics, we will proceed to describe three basic epigenetic mechanisms: chromatin covalent modifications, DNA methylation and non-coding RNAs. Subsequently, we will give an overview of the physiological and molecular aspects related to stress. Finally, we will address the epigenetic effects of meditation on gene expression. The results of the studies reported in this review demonstrate that mindful practices modulate the epigenetic landscape, leading to increased resilience. Therefore, these practices can be considered valuable tools that complement pharmacological treatments when coping with pathologies related to stress.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Loredana Verdone
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, National Research Council (CNR), Rome, Italy.
| | - Micaela Caserta
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, National Research Council (CNR), Rome, Italy
| | - Tal Dotan Ben-Soussan
- Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Research Institute for Neuroscience, Education and Didactics, Patrizio Paoletti Foundation for Development and Communication, Assisi, Italy
| | - Sabrina Venditti
- Dept. of Biology and biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Holistic Functioning from a Developmental Perspective: A New Synthesis with a Focus on a Multi-tiered System Support Structure. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 2023; 26:343-361. [PMID: 36826703 DOI: 10.1007/s10567-023-00428-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
While research in specific academic disciplines has individually advanced knowledge and practice for promoting multiple aspects of health and well-being in children and adolescents, still missing is an understanding of the interconnectedness of many critical aspects of development and how to intentionally weave these factors to advance a more holistic approach. The need for a more holistic and inclusive approach to child and adolescent development is increasingly evident to promote long-term health and well-being as the overall percentage of children, adolescents, and adults who suffer from mental health disorders is increasing. To address this issue, our authorship team consists of researchers in the areas of developmental psychology, neuroscience, motor development, exercise science, and mental health. The collective ideas outlined in this paper are aligned to address the need to remove disciplinary-specific boundaries and elucidate synergistic linkages across multiple research domains that support holistic development and lifespan health and wellness. We propose a conceptual framework that comprehensively addresses the integration of physical, cognitive, psychological, social, and emotional domains of child and adolescent development. In addition, we also provide a holistic preventative approach that is aligned with a contemporary intervention structure (i.e., Multi-tiered Systems of Support) to promote, from a developmental perspective, positive trajectories of health and well-being across childhood and adolescence.
Collapse
|
4
|
Pintimalli A, Glicksohn J, Marson F, Di Giuseppe T, Ben-Soussan TD. Change in Time Perception Following the Place of Pre-Existence Technique. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:3509. [PMID: 36834202 PMCID: PMC9962325 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20043509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Time perception is closely related to spatial and bodily perception, yet little is known about how this interrelationship is impacted by meditation and biological sex. To examine this, we studied the effects of a stepwise application of three meditation techniques, from focused attention, to open monitoring to non-dual meditation, encompassed in the Place of Pre-Existence technique (PPEt) on the subjective perception of time, space and body using a pre-post research design. A total of 280 participants (mean age = 47.09 years; SD = 10.13; 127:153 males to females) completed the Subjective Time, Self, Space inventory before and after PPEt. Following PPEt, participants perceived time passing as slowing down, while time intensity, relaxation, 'awareness of space' and 'awareness of body' increased, suggesting heightened mindfulness to these constructs following the training. Awareness of space revealed to be modulated by biological sex and meditation expertise, with males showing a decrease of spatial awareness as a function of meditation expertise while females showed an opposite pattern. The speed and intensity of the experience of time both correlated with body and space awareness. In line with previous studies demonstrating a connection between relaxation and perception of time, a significant correlation was found between relaxation and the subjective experience of the intensity of time. The current results are discussed in the context of the embodied experience of time, and the Sphere Model of Consciousness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Pintimalli
- Research Institute for Neuroscience, Education and Didactics, Patrizio Paoletti Foundation for Development and Communication, 06081 Assisi, Italy
| | - Joseph Glicksohn
- Department of Criminology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
- The Leslie and Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Fabio Marson
- Research Institute for Neuroscience, Education and Didactics, Patrizio Paoletti Foundation for Development and Communication, 06081 Assisi, Italy
- Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Tania Di Giuseppe
- Research Institute for Neuroscience, Education and Didactics, Patrizio Paoletti Foundation for Development and Communication, 06081 Assisi, Italy
| | - Tal Dotan Ben-Soussan
- Research Institute for Neuroscience, Education and Didactics, Patrizio Paoletti Foundation for Development and Communication, 06081 Assisi, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Pellegrino M, Ben-Soussan TD, Paoletti P. A Scoping Review on Movement, Neurobiology and Functional Deficits in Dyslexia: Suggestions for a Three-Fold Integrated Perspective. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:3315. [PMID: 36834011 PMCID: PMC9966639 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20043315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Developmental dyslexia is a common complex neurodevelopmental disorder. Many theories and models tried to explain its symptomatology and find ways to improve poor reading abilities. The aim of this scoping review is to summarize current findings and several approaches and theories, focusing on the interconnectedness between motion, emotion and cognition and their connection to dyslexia. Consequently, we present first a brief overview of the main theories and models regarding dyslexia and its proposed neural correlates, with a particular focus on cerebellar regions and their involvement in this disorder. After examining different types of intervention programs and remedial training, we highlight the effects of a specific structured sensorimotor intervention named Quadrato Motor Training (QMT). QMT utilizes several cognitive and motor functions known to be relevant in developmental dyslexia. We introduce its potential beneficial effects on reading skills, including working memory, coordination and attention. We sum its effects ranging from behavioral to functional, structural and neuroplastic, especially in relation to dyslexia. We report several recent studies that employed this training technique with dyslexic participants, discussing the specific features that distinguish it from other training within the specific framework of the Sphere Model of Consciousness. Finally, we advocate for a new perspective on developmental dyslexia integrating motion, emotion and cognition to fully encompass this complex disorder.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michele Pellegrino
- Research Institute for Neuroscience, Education and Didactics, Patrizio Paoletti Foundation for Development and Communication, 06081 Assisi, Italy
| | - Tal Dotan Ben-Soussan
- Research Institute for Neuroscience, Education and Didactics, Patrizio Paoletti Foundation for Development and Communication, 06081 Assisi, Italy
| | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Kavi PC. Conscious entry into sleep: Yoga Nidra and accessing subtler states of consciousness. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2023; 280:43-60. [PMID: 37714572 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2022.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Human sleep is a dynamic and complex process comprising sleep stages with REM and NREM sleep characteristics that come in cycles. During sleep, there is a loss of responsiveness or a perceptual loss of conscious awareness with increasing thresholds for wakefulness as sleep progresses. There are brief bursts of wakefulness or Wake After Sleep Onset (WASO) throughout a nocturnal sleep. Conscious experience during nocturnal sleep is known to occur during lucid dreaming when one is aware during dreams when the dream is occurring. Most cultures have known lucid dreaming since antiquity. However, conscious experience during dreamless sleep is relatively lesser known. Nevertheless, selected Indo-Tibetan meditation literature has documented it since antiquity. Minimal Phenomenal Experience (MPE) research describes lucid dreamless sleep as its target phenomenology. "Conscious entry into sleep" posits tonic alertness is maintained post sleep onset through the sleep stages for sustained durations of time until an eventual loss of conscious awareness. Entering sleep consciously and being aware during dreamless sleep, including Slow Wave Activity, is plausibly to be in the state of "Yoga Nidra" or Yogic sleep. An attentive sleepful state provides access to subtler states of consciousness and significantly deepens the levels of silence. It is phenomenologically distinct from hypnagogic hallucinations and lucid dreaming. Unfortunately, sleep studies validating this phenomenology are yet to be done. Therefore, an experimental methodology akin to those used in lucid dreaming experiments is described.
Collapse
|
7
|
Madhira A, Srinivasan N. Letting it go: The interplay between mind wandering, mindfulness, and creativity. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2022.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
|
8
|
Embodied empathy and abstract concepts' concreteness: Evidence from contemplative practices. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2022.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/15/2023]
|
9
|
The cloud of unknowing: Cognitive dedifferentiation in whole-body perceptual deprivation. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2022.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
|
10
|
Quadrato motor training (QMT) influences IL-1β expression and creativity: Implications for inflammatory state reduction and cognitive enhancement. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2022.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
|
11
|
Paoletti P, Di Giuseppe T, Lillo C, Ben-Soussan TD, Bozkurt A, Tabibnia G, Kelmendi K, Warthe GW, Leshem R, Bigo V, Ireri A, Mwangi C, Bhattacharya N, Perasso GF. What can we learn from the COVID-19 pandemic? Resilience for the future and neuropsychopedagogical insights. Front Psychol 2022; 13:993991. [PMID: 36172227 PMCID: PMC9511169 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.993991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Patrizio Paoletti
- Istituto di Ricerca in Neuroscienze, Educazione e Didattica, Fondazione Patrizio Paoletti, Assisi, Italy
| | - Tania Di Giuseppe
- Istituto di Ricerca in Neuroscienze, Educazione e Didattica, Fondazione Patrizio Paoletti, Assisi, Italy
| | - Carmela Lillo
- Istituto di Ricerca in Neuroscienze, Educazione e Didattica, Fondazione Patrizio Paoletti, Assisi, Italy
| | - Tal Dotan Ben-Soussan
- Istituto di Ricerca in Neuroscienze, Educazione e Didattica, Fondazione Patrizio Paoletti, Assisi, Italy
| | - Aras Bozkurt
- Distance Education Department, Anadolu University, Eskişehir, Turkey
| | - Golnaz Tabibnia
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Kaltrina Kelmendi
- Department of Psychology, University of Prishtina, Hasan Prishtina, Pristine, Kosovo
| | - Gaye Watson Warthe
- Faculty of Health, Community and Education, Mount Royal University, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Rotem Leshem
- Department of Criminology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | | | - Anthony Ireri
- Department of Educational Psychology, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Cecilia Mwangi
- Department of Educational Psychology, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Nandan Bhattacharya
- UGC-Human Resource Development Centre, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Giulia Federica Perasso
- Istituto di Ricerca in Neuroscienze, Educazione e Didattica, Fondazione Patrizio Paoletti, Assisi, Italy
- *Correspondence: Giulia Federica Perasso
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Linares Gutiérrez D, Schmidt S, Meissner K, Wittmann M. Changes in Subjective Time and Self during Meditation. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11081116. [PMID: 35892973 PMCID: PMC9330740 DOI: 10.3390/biology11081116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Meditation induces an altered state of consciousness, which is often described by meditators as being in the present moment and losing one’s sense of time and self. Few studies have assessed these experiences. We invited 22 experienced meditators to participate in two experimental sessions lasting 20 min each (1) to meditate and (2) to read a story as a control condition. We measured their heart and breathing rates during these two sessions and conducted a metronome task before and after each session. In this task, participants had to group metronome beats into perceptual units, a measure of the duration of the present moment. In comparison to the reading condition, the heart and breathing rates showed a mix of increased as well as decreased bodily activity in the meditation condition. In the meditation condition, participants subjectively perceived their body boundaries less strongly, paid less attention to time, and felt time pass more quickly compared to the control condition. No differences between conditions were apparent for the metronome task. This study is the first to show how the sense of self and time are relatively diminished during meditation. Abstract This study examined the effects of meditative states in experienced meditators on present-moment awareness, subjective time, and self-awareness while assessing meditation-induced changes in heart-rate variability and breathing rate. A sample of 22 experienced meditators who practiced meditation techniques stressing awareness of the present moment (average 20 years of practice) filled out subjective scales pertaining to sense of time and the bodily self and accomplished a metronome task as an operationalization of present-moment awareness before and after a 20 min meditation session (experimental condition) and a 20 min reading session (control condition) according to a within-subject design. A mixed pattern of increased sympathetic and parasympathetic activity was found during meditation regarding heart-rate measures. Breathing intervals were prolonged during meditation. Participants perceived their body boundaries as less salient during meditation than while reading the story; they also felt time passed more quickly and they paid less attention to time during meditation. No significant differences between conditions became apparent for the metronome task. This is probably the first quantitative study to show how the experience of time during a meditation session is altered together with the sense of the bodily self.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Damisela Linares Gutiérrez
- Institute of Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, 79098 Freiburg, Germany
- Palliative Care Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Schmidt
- Institute of Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, 79098 Freiburg, Germany
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Medical Faculty, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Karin Meissner
- Division of Integrative Health Promotion, Department of Social Work and Health, Coburg University of Applied Sciences, 96450 Coburg, Germany
| | - Marc Wittmann
- Institute of Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, 79098 Freiburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|