Cessations of consciousness in meditation: Advancing a scientific understanding of nirodha samāpatti.

Absence of consciousness can occur due to a concussion, anesthetization, intoxication, epileptic seizure, or other fainting/syncope episode caused by lack of blood flow to the brain. However, some meditation practitioners also report that it is possible to undergo a total absence of consciousness during meditation, lasting up to 7 days, and that these "cessations" can be consistently induced. One form of extended cessation (i.

Gait Variability Is Associated With the Strength of Functional Connectivity Between the Default and Dorsal Attention Brain Networks: Evidence From Multiple Cohorts.

Background: In older adults, elevated gait variability when walking has been associated with both cognitive impairment and future falls. This study leveraged 3 existing data sets to determine relationships between gait variability and the strength of functional connectivity within and between large-scale brain networks in healthy older adults, those with mild-to-moderate functional impairment, and those with Parkinson's disease (PD).

Method: Gait and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were extracted from existing data sets on: (i) 12 older adults without overt disease yet with slow gait and mild executive dysfunction; (ii) 12 older adults with intact cognitive-motor function and age- and sex-matched to the first cohort; and (iii) 15 individuals with PD.

Attention and Default Mode Network Assessments of Meditation Experience during Active Cognition and Rest.

Meditation experience has previously been shown to improve performance on behavioral assessments of attention, but the neural bases of this improvement are unknown. Two prominent, strongly competing networks exist in the human cortex: a dorsal attention network, that is activated during focused attention, and a default mode network, that is suppressed during attentionally demanding tasks. Prior studies suggest that strong anti-correlations between these networks indicate good brain health.

Characteristics of Laryngeal Osteosarcoma: A Critical Review.

Laryngeal sarcomas constitute an extremely rare entity among head and neck malignancies. Furthermore, most of them are chondrosarcomas, and the osteogenic form remains a true rarity. In general, there is a lack of information on the characteristics of laryngeal osteosarcoma.

The Effects of Oxidation on the Antithrombotic Properties of Tea Lipids Against PAF, Thrombin, Collagen, and ADP.

Tea provides health benefits, while oxidation is part of tea processing. The effect of oxidation on the antithrombotic properties of tea lipid extracts was evaluated for the first time. Total lipids (TL) extracted from fresh tea leaves and commercial tea powder, before and after 30-60 min of oxidation, were further fractionated into neutral lipids (NL) and polar lipids (PL).