EMDR is a beneficial therapy for single-occurrence traumas, reducing the stress and anxiety related to the event by reducing the activation of the amygdala and related brain circuitries. Lateralized eye movements used during this therapy mimic self-generated motion and can reduce the amplitude of the threat reflex, thereby reducing sympathetic autonomic arousal.
Sleeping for a balanced amount of time is crucial for getting both slow wave sleep, for bodily repair, and rapid eye movement sleep, for processing emotions through dreams.
Breathing plays an important role in brain function, particularly in the coordination of signals across neurons. While slower than other oscillations, breathing can impact cognitive function and disrupt neural networks through prolonged disruptions.
A study found that ongoing eye contact is not necessary for deep social connection which can lead to happiness. This challenges the assumption that connection requires ongoing eye contact or focus.
Occluding one eye for a few hours early in life can lead to permanent changes in how the brain perceives the outside world, creating imbalances in the brain machinery that compares information coming in through the two eyes. This can shut down the neural information for the occluded eye, leading to potential vision problems.
Retraining communication forms and language following a left hemisphere stroke is easier as compared to overcoming the complete lack of empathy and emotion that affects the people around the patient, which is a significant challenge. Researchers are gaining knowledge about strokes affecting the right hemisphere causing the loss of emotion or empathy.