Large-scale functional brain networks for consciousness

Interoceptive Ability and Emotion Regulation in Mind-Body Interventions: An Integrative Review

It is increasingly recognized that interoceptive ability, the capacity to detect, interpret, and consciously integrate signals related to the physiological condition of the body, is central to emotion experience and regulation. Interoceptive ability can be trained and improved through mind-body interventions. This article attempts to provide an integrative review of the link between interoceptive ability and emotion regulation in mind-body interventions. To this aim, (1) we address the constructs of interoceptive ability and mind-body interventions in relation to the double pathway of emotion regulation, and (2) we include a review of selected empirical and qualitative studies. These show that mindfulness meditation affects the brain-body axis through top-down processing, improving both interoceptive ability and emotion regulation. Interventions based on bottom-up processing through body movement and emotional expression are illustrated, but it is argued that they are still under-investigated. In light of the literature reviewed, we contend that interoceptive ability is a crucial aspect associated with the effects of mind-body interventions on emotion regulation. Additionally, we suggest that if studied through both quantitative and qualitative methods, interoceptive ability may serve as a general construct that allows a more integrated view of the polarities related to the spectrum of embodied experience: top-down and bottom-up emotion processing, observational and non-observational body awareness, conscious and unconscious level of interoception.

Art therapy and neuroscience: evidence, limits, and myths

The evidence base for the effectiveness of art therapy continues to grow, even as a mechanistic understanding of how art therapy works remains limited. One promising avenue for increasing our understanding of how and why art therapy works is through the lens of neuroscience. A neuroscience-based approach to art therapy provides opportunities for improving understanding of the neural processes that underlie the complex interaction between perception, cognition, emotion and behavior that play out in the art therapy process. Understanding how therapeutic change occurs can result in improved treatment and better outcomes for clients. However, it can be tricky to connect art therapy and psychological theory directly to neural responses. The purposes of this perspective are to provide an overview of the current evidence and limits of neurobiological concepts of neuroplasticity, mirror systems, and interoception as applied to art therapy practice, and to provide updated information about outdated concepts that are still actively used in clinical practice. Critical analysis and understanding of the current scientific knowledge base can then be used to guide art therapy practice and support the development of hypothesis-based research to determine the primary mechanisms that drive the observed effects of art therapy interventions.

Variability of large timescale functional networks in patients with disorders of consciousness

Objective

Most brain function assessments for disorders of consciousness (DOC) utilized quantified characteristics, measured only once, ignoring the variation of patients' brain states. The study aims to investigate the brain activities of patients with DOC from a new perspective: variability of a large timescale functional network.

Methods

Forty-nine patients were enrolled in this study and performed a 1-week behavioral assessment. Subsequently, each patient received electroencephalography (EEG) recordings five times daily at 2-h intervals. Functional connectivity and networks were measured by weighted phase lag index and complex network parameters (characteristic path length, cluster coefficient, and betweenness centrality). The relative coefficient of variation (CV) of network parameters was measured to evaluate functional network variability.

Results

Functional networks of patients with vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (VS/UWS) showed significantly higher segregation (characteristic path length) and lower centrality (betweenness centrality) than emerging from the minimal conscious state (EMCS) and minimal conscious state (MCS), as well as lower integration (cluster coefficient) than MCS. The functional networks of VS/UWS patients consistently presented the highest variability in segregation and integration (i.e., highest CV values of characteristic path length and cluster coefficient) on a larger time scale than MCS and EMCS. Moreover, the CV values of characteristic path length and cluster coefficient showed a significant inverse correlation with the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised scores (CRS-R). The CV values of network betweenness centrality, particularly of the cento-parietal region, showed a positive correlation with the CRS-R.

Conclusion

The functional networks of VS/UWS patients present the most invariant segregation and integration but divergent centrality on the large time scale networks than MCS and EMCS.

Significance

The variations observed within large timescale functional networks significantly correlate with the degree of consciousness impairment. This finding augments our understanding of the neurophysiological mechanisms underpinning disorders of consciousness.