Word: cortex
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...University of Wisconsin at Madison, Richard Davidson has used brain imaging to show that meditation shifts activity in the prefrontal cortex (right behind our foreheads) from the right hemisphere to the left. Davidson's research suggests that by meditating regularly, the brain is reoriented from a stressful fight-or-flight mode to one of acceptance, a shift that increases contentment. People who have a negative disposition tend to be right-prefrontal oriented; left-prefrontals have more enthusiasms, more interests, relax more and tend to be happier, though perhaps with less real estate...
...tissue beneath the hippocampus, an area called the perirhinal cortex, appears to create and recall memories based on images rather than experiences...
...that sends an electrical current through the vagus nerve--a major conduit wiring the heart and intestines--which then delivers it to the brain. Another approach, called regional transcranial magnetic stimulation, uses an electric coil shaped like a figure eight to create a magnetic field inside the pre-frontal cortex, which plays a key role in mood regulation...
...were caused by a failure of the brain to integrate tactile sensations and balance. Transient out-of-body experiences can occur in anyone, but a glance around is usually all it takes to ground the brain in reality again. The right angular gyrus, however, sits quite near the vestibular cortex, the seat of balance. Jolting the Swiss patient's gyrus apparently threw the delicate feedback system out of synch--creating a state of neural chaos that was exacerbated when she moved her eyes and body. Whether shamans achieve the same state through meditation is impossible to say. But if they...
WHAT IT DOES: Parts of the prefrontal cortex regulate emotion and are instrumental in processing rewards and motivation...