Alpha rhythm transcranial electrical stimulation to inferior parietal cortex increases alpha power and phase synchrony while attending to mind-body self-states.

Self-referential processing (SRP) refers to the human brain's response to semantic and somatic self-related information. Recent developments in modulating semantic and somatic SRP using non-invasive brain stimulation supported the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation in modulating alpha electroencephalography (alpha-EEG) during SRP. Meanwhile, although alpha transcranial alternating current stimulation (alpha-tACS) shows greater efficacy in modulating alpha-EEG, the efficacy of alpha-tACS for modulating alpha-EEG during SRP has not been evaluated.

Yoga in Virtual Reality Increases Experience of Presence but May Be Less Satisfying, More Difficult, and More Nausea-Unbalance Inducing.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, yoga classes have increasingly been delivered in virtual formats via online videoconferencing. Virtual reality (VR) guided meditations have been found to be a satisfactory means of teaching meditation, but satisfaction with practicing yoga in VR has not been researched. The present study evaluated whether participants experience a greater sense of presence and satisfaction with yoga instruction provided through 360-degree videos when the videos are viewed in three dimensions through a VR headset compared to a standard two-dimensional display.

Transcranial direct current stimulation over medial prefrontal cortex reduced alpha power and functional connectivity during somatic but not semantic self-referential processing.

Past self-report and cognitive-behavioural studies of the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) on semantic self-referential processing (SRP) have yielded mixed results. Meanwhile, electroencephalography (EEG) studies show that alpha oscillation (8-12 Hz) may be involved during both semantic and somatic SRP, although the effect of tDCS on alpha-EEG during SRP remains unknown. The current study assessed the EEG and subjective effects of 2 mA tDCS over the mPFC while participants were SRP either on semantic (life roles, e.

Childhood trauma histories in men and women assessed by the childhood attachment and relational trauma screen (CARTS) and the global psychotrauma screen (GPS): Results from the global collaboration on traumatic stress (GC-TS).

Background: Whether there are biological sex differences in rates of childhood trauma exposure perpetrated by female versus male biological parents remains largely unknown. Moreover, the relative risk posed by various vulnerability factors for transdiagnostic mental health outcomes among females vs. males in adulthood has received insufficient attention.

A tale of two targets: examining the differential effects of posterior cingulate cortex- and amygdala-targeted fMRI-neurofeedback in a PTSD pilot study.

Introduction: Real-time fMRI-based neurofeedback (rt-fMRI-NFB) is a non-invasive technology that enables individuals to self-regulate brain activity linked to neuropsychiatric symptoms, including those associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Selecting the target brain region for neurofeedback-mediated regulation is primarily informed by the neurobiological characteristics of the participant population. There is a strong link between PTSD symptoms and multiple functional disruptions in the brain, including hyperactivity within both the amygdala and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) during trauma-related processing.

A randomized controlled trial of Deep Brain Reorienting: a neuroscientifically guided treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Background: Advanced neuroscientific insights surrounding post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its associated symptomatology should beget psychotherapeutic treatments that integrate these insights into practice. Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) is a neuroscientifically-guided psychotherapeutic intervention that targets the brainstem-level neurophysiological sequence that transpired during a traumatic event. Given that contemporary treatments have non-response rates of up to 50% and high drop-out rates of >18%, DBR is investigated as a putative candidate for effective treatment of some individuals with PTSD.

As simple as possible, but not simpler: Revisiting the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) complex PTSD items omitted in the shortened version.

Background: The risks of oversimplification of the symptomatology of Complex PTSD (CPTSD) have been highlighted in the literature.

Objective: To re-examine 10 items representing disturbances in self-organization (DSO) that were deleted from the original 28-item version of the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) when creating the current 12-item version.

Participants And Setting: An online convenience sample of 1235 MTurk users.

Increased top-down control of emotions during symptom provocation working memory tasks following a RCT of alpha-down neurofeedback in PTSD.

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been found to be associated with emotion under-modulation from the prefrontal cortex and a breakdown of the top-down control of cognition and emotion. Novel adjunct therapies such as neurofeedback (NFB) have been shown to normalize aberrant neural circuits that underlie PTSD psychopathology at rest. However, little evidence exists for NFB-linked neural improvements under emotionally relevant cognitive load.

Sense of self in mind and body: an eLORETA-EEG study.

The human brain engages the sense of self through both semantic and somatic self-referential processing (SRP). Alpha and theta oscillations have been found to underlie SRP but have not been compared with respect to semantic and somatic SRP. We recorded electroencephalography (EEG) from 50 participants during focused internal attention on life roles (e.

Examining the 4-D Model in Persons Enrolled in the Top DD Internet Intervention.

The 4-dimensional (4-D) model of trauma-related dissociation differentiates between dissociative experiences involving trauma-related altered states of consciousness and symptoms of distress that do not appear to involve alterations in normal waking consciousness across four phenomenological dimensions (i.e., our experience of time, thought, body, and emotions).

Global Psychotrauma Screen (GPS): psychometric properties in two Internet-based studies.

: Potentially traumatic stressors can lead to various transdiagnostic outcomes beyond PTSD alone but no brief screening tools exist for measuring posttraumatic responses in a transdiagnostic manner. : Assess the psychometric characteristics of a new 22-item transdiagnostic screening measure, the (GPS). : An internet survey was administered with English speaking participants recruited passively via the website of the Global Collaboration on Traumatic Stress (GC-TS) (  = 1,268) and actively via Amazon's MTurk (  = 1,378).

Differential mechanisms of posterior cingulate cortex downregulation and symptom decreases in posttraumatic stress disorder and healthy individuals using real-time fMRI neurofeedback.

Background: Intrinsic connectivity networks, including the default mode network (DMN), are frequently disrupted in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) is the main hub of the posterior DMN, where the therapeutic regulation of this region with real-time fMRI neurofeedback (NFB) has yet to be explored.

Methods: We investigated PCC downregulation while processing trauma/stressful words over 3 NFB training runs and a transfer run without NFB (total n = 29, PTSD n = 14, healthy controls n = 15).

Self-Referential Processing Effects of Non-invasive Brain Stimulation: A Systematic Review.

Systematic reviews of neuroimaging studies confirm stimulus-induced activity in response to verbal and non-verbal self-referential processing (SRP) in cortical midline structures, temporoparietal cortex and insula. Whether SRP can be causally modulated by way of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has also been investigated in several studies. Here we summarize the NIBS literature including 27 studies of task-based SRP comparing response between verbal and non-verbal SRP tasks.

Validation and cross-cultural comparisons of the German Childhood Attachment and Relational Trauma Screen (CARTS).

: Child maltreatment is embedded in a complex system of familial, societal and cultural influences. However, the microsystemic framework in which child maltreatment occurs has not been sufficiently accounted for in previous measures of trauma history. In order to include this relational context, a novel survey method, the Childhood Attachment and Relational Trauma Screen (CARTS), was developed, focusing specifically on the familial environment and childhood attachment relationships.

Meditating in Virtual Reality 3: 360° Video of Perceptual Presence of Instructor.

Objectives: The need for remote delivery of mental health interventions including instruction in meditation has become paramount in the wake of the current global pandemic. However, the support one may usually feel within the physical presence of an instructor may be weakened when interventions are delivered remotely, potentially impacting one's meditative experiences. Use of head-mounted displays (HMD) to display video-recorded instruction may increase one's sense of psychological presence with the instructor as compared to presentation via regular flatscreen (e.

A randomized, controlled trial of alpha-rhythm EEG neurofeedback in posttraumatic stress disorder: A preliminary investigation showing evidence of decreased PTSD symptoms and restored default mode and salience network connectivity using fMRI.

Objective: The default-mode network (DMN) and salience network (SN) have been shown to display altered connectivity in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Restoring aberrant connectivity within these networks with electroencephalogram neurofeedback (EEG-NFB) has been shown previously to be associated with acute decreases in symptoms. Here, we conducted a double-blind, sham-controlled randomized trial of alpha-rhythm EEG-NFB in participants with PTSD (n = 36) over 20-weeks.

Peripersonal Space and Bodily Self-Consciousness: Implications for Psychological Trauma-Related Disorders.

Peripersonal space (PPS) is defined as the space surrounding the body where we can reach or be reached by external entities, including objects or other individuals. PPS is an essential component of bodily self-consciousness that allows us to perform actions in the world (e.g.

Introduction to the special issue: Complementary medicine and integrative health approaches to trauma therapy and recovery.

The popularity of complementary and integrative health (also complementary integrated health; CIH) approaches has significantly increased in recent years. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), part of the National Institutes of Health, about 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 9 children used CIH approaches to healing. Some reports estimate that the use of CIH approaches will continue to increase (Clarke et al.

Screening for psychotrauma related symptoms: Japanese translation and pilot testing of the Global Psychotrauma Screen.

: The impact of traumatic experiences or adverse life experiences has been shown to potentially affect a wide range of mental health outcomes. However, there was no brief instrument to screen for a range of psychological problems in different domains after a potentially traumatic event, and for risk factors and protective factors. : The aim of this study is to examine the internal consistency and concurrent validity of the Japanese version of the Global Psychotrauma Screen (GPS) in a traumatized sample in Japan.

Meditating in virtual reality: Proof-of-concept intervention for posttraumatic stress.

We investigate the potential therapeutic application of virtual reality (VR) technology as an aid to meditation practice among persons varying in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. In this within-group mixed-methods study, 96 young adults practiced both VR- and non-VR-guided meditations and reported on their experience of positive affect (PA), negative affect (NA), other meditative experiences and perceived satisfaction-credibility of each meditation. Participants reported more PA and greater perceived satisfaction-credibility following the VR as compared to non-VR-guided meditations primarily when the VR meditation was practiced first, before the non-VR meditation, as opposed to vice versa.

The hijacked self: Disrupted functional connectivity between the periaqueductal gray and the default mode network in posttraumatic stress disorder using dynamic causal modeling.

Self-related processes define assorted self-relevant or social-cognitive functions that allow us to gather insight and to draw inferences related to our own mental conditions. Self-related processes are mediated by the default mode network (DMN), which, critically, shows altered functionality in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In PTSD, the midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG) demonstrates stronger functional connectivity with the DMN [i.

Proof of Concept of an Eclectic, Integrative Therapeutic Approach to Mental Health and Well-Being Through Virtual Reality Technology.

Across three studies, we provide a proof-of-concept evaluation of an integrative psychotherapeutic application of virtual reality (VR) technology. Study 1 ( = 36) evaluated an unguided "safe-place" imagery task, where participants were instructed "to create a safe space… [such as] a scene, item, design, or any visual representation that makes you feel safe" using either the Google Tilt Brush application (VR condition), the standard Microsoft Paint application (2-D condition), or via eyes-closed mental imagery alone (IMG condition). Study 2 ( = 48) evaluated a narrative episodic recall task, where participants viewed their childhood and adult homes and places of schooling either using either the Google Earth VR application (VR condition) or the standard Google Earth application (2-D condition) or recalled these places with their eyes closed via mental imagery alone (IMG condition).