The Mandala of the present moment.

“Mandala” is a Sanskrit word generally used to refer to a painting, diagram, or architectural structure with a particular symbolic meaning. Mandalas are often artistically beautiful and can be used to depict stages of the spiritual journey, the teachings or realm of a spiritual adept, or even life or the universe more generally. Perhaps the most well-known type of mandala are those comprising colored sand that can take many weeks to construct. In certain meditation traditions, the offering of a sand mandala concludes with the mandala being wiped with a brush to signify impermanence. Although mandalas often have elaborate designs, they can also be very simple. For example, there is an amusing story about the Indian Buddhist saint Naropa who was walking in the desert with his teacher, Tilopa. In his typical spontaneous manner, Tilopa decided to perform an initiation but Naropa had nothing on his person to offer his teacher. Consequently, Naropa proceeded to urinate in the sand in order to create a mandala that he could offer to his teacher. This was acceptable to Tilopa who then continued with the transmission. Some people find mandalas to be useful aids to meditation and spiritual practice. Among other applications, they can help spiritual practitioners work mindfully (i.e., during the creation of the mandala), engage in purification and healing practices, request blessings from spiritual teachers, and remember the transitory nature of life and phenomena. This paper explores how the mandala principle can be used to deepen our relationship with the present moment.N/

The Effects of Individual Upper Alpha Neurofeedback in ADHD: An Open-Label Pilot Study

International audienceStandardized neurofeedback (NF) protocols have been extensively evaluated in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, such protocols do not account for the large EEG heterogeneity in ADHD. Thus, individualized approaches have been suggested to improve the clinical outcome. In this direction, an open-label pilot study was designed to evaluate a NF protocol of relative upper alpha power enhancement in fronto-central sites. Upper alpha band was individually determined using the alpha peak frequency as an anchor point. 20 ADHD children underwent 18 training sessions. Clinical and neurophysiological variables were measured pre- and post-training. EEG was recorded pre- and post-training, and pre- and post-training trials within each session, in both eyes closed resting state and eyes open task-related activity. A power EEG analysis assessed long-term and within-session effects, in the trained parameter and in all the sensors in the (1-30) Hz spectral range. Learning curves over sessions were assessed as well. Parents rated a clinical improvement in children regarding inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. Neurophysiological tests showed an improvement in working memory, concentration and impulsivity (decreased number of commission errors in a continuous performance test). Relative and absolute upper alpha power showed long-term enhancement in task-related activity, and a positive learning curve over sessions. The analysis of within-session effects showed a power decrease ("rebound" effect) in task-related activity, with no significant effects during training trials. We conclude that the enhancement of the individual upper alpha power is effective in improving several measures of clinical outcome and cognitive performance in ADHD. This is the first NF study evaluating such a protocol in ADHD. A controlled evaluation seems warranted due to the positive results obtained in the current study

An Updated Portrait of the Portuguese Web

This study presents an updated characterization of the Portuguese Web derived from a crawl of 48 million contents belonging to all media types (2.5 TB of data), performed in March, 2008. The resulting data was analyzed to characterize contents, sites and domains. This study was performed within the scope of the Portuguese Web Archive.POSC/EU, UMI

A controlled study on the cognitive effect of alpha neurofeedback training in patients with major depressive disorder

1-12 p.International audienceCognitive deficits are core symptoms of depression. This study aims to investigate whether neurofeedback (NF) training can improve working memory (WM) performance in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). The NF group (n = 40) underwent eight NF sessions and was compared to a non-interventional control group (n = 20). The NF protocol aimed to increase the individual upper alpha power in the parieto-occipital area of the scalp. Main cognitive variable was WM, which was measured pre- and post- training along with other variables such as attention and executive functions. EEG was recorded in both eyes closed resting state and eyes open task-related activity, pre- and post- NF training, and pre- and post- the NF trials within each session. A power EEG analysis and an alpha asymmetry analysis were conducted at the sensor level. Frequency domain standardized low resolution tomography (sLORETA) was used to assess the effect at brain source level. Correlation analysis between the clinical/cognitive and EEG measurements was conducted at both the sensor and brain source level. The NF group showed increased performance as well as improved processing speed in a WM test after the training. The NF group showed pre-post enhancement in the upper alpha power after the training, better visible in task-related activity as compared to resting state. A current density increase appeared in the alpha band (8-12 Hz) for the NF group, localized in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC, BA 25). A positive correlation was found for the NF group between the improvement in processing speed and the increase of beta power at both the sensor and brain source level. These results show the effectiveness of this NF protocol in improving WM performance in patients with MDD

Perceived Stress Latent Factors and the Burnout Subtypes: A Structural Model in Dental Students

Background: Students of health-professions suffer high levels of stress and burnout. the aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between perceived stress latent factors ('tenseness' and 'frustration') and the features ('overload', 'lack of development' and 'neglect') of the three burnout subtypes ('frenetic', 'under-challenged' and 'worn-out', respectively), in a sample of Spanish dental students.Methods: the study employed a cross-sectional design. A sample of Spanish dental students (n = 314) completed the 'Perceived Stress Questionnaire' and the 'Burnout Clinical Subtype Questionnaire Student Survey'. the associations among variables were observed by means of structural equation modelling using the unweighted least squares method from polychoric correlations.Results: Strong associations among perceived stress factors and the burnout characteristics were observed, although a distinct pattern of relations was observed for each burnout subtype. the 'overload' was moderately and positively associated with both 'tenseness' (0.45), and 'frustration' (0.38) dimensions of perceived stress; the 'lack of development' was positively associated with the 'frustration' dimension (0.72), but negatively associated with 'tenseness' (-0.69); the 'neglect' showed a weaker positive associated with 'frustration' (0.41), and a small negative association with 'tenseness' (-0.20). the model was a very good fit to the data (GFI = 0.96; RSMR = 0.07; AGFI = 0.96; NFI = 0.95; RFI = 0.95).Conclusions: the stress factors of 'frustration' and 'tenseness' seems to be related in a distinct way to the burnout subtypes in Spanish dental students. This finding suggests that intervention programs specifically tailored to these subtypes may be a promising future direction.Research Network on Preventative Activities and Health Promotion, Aragon Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Health and Sports (University of Zaragoza)Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry (University of Santiago de Compostela)Fac Hlth & Sport Sci, Huesca, SpainUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Prevent Med, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Bristol, Sch Social & Community Med, Bristol, Avon, EnglandUniv New S Wales, Ctr Res Excellence Mental Hlth & Sustance Use, Sidney, BC, CanadaUniv Balearic Isl, Inst Univ Invest Ciencies Salut IUNICS, Mallorca, SpainUniv Zaragoza, Miguel Servet Univ Hosp, Zaragoza, SpainPrimary Care Prevent & Hlth Promot Res Network Re, Zaragoza, SpainUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Prevent Med, São Paulo, BrazilResearch Network on Preventative Activities and Health Promotion, Aragon Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Health and Sports (University of Zaragoza): RD06/0018/0017Web of Scienc

Efectos positivos y validación de un programa de intervención breve centrado en la terapia de compasión basada en los estilos de apego

Objectives: In this study, we analyzed the validation and effects of a brief intervention of Attachment-Based Compassion Therapy (ABCT). Specifically, the aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of this brief protocol in improving compassion and other related variables. Method: The intervention consists of two five-hour sessions, in a controlled trial with one intervention group (ABCT) and one control group. Before and after the intervention, a short questionnaire was administered, focused on compassion and other related variables (i.e. transcendence beliefs, happiness, endo-group solidarity, and global identity). Participants in the experimental group were 17 healthy adults (i.e., students and university teachers) attending a compassion intervention based on ABCT. The control group was composed of 44 participants who did not attend the intervention. Results: Results showed that, compared to the control group, the brief ABCT intervention significantly improved compassion, which was the main aim of the intervention, and further analysis showed that it also significantly increased transcendence beliefs and endo-group solidarity. Moreover, the ABCT intervention were empirically validated. Conclusions: These results confirm and validate the potential of a brief ABCT intervention.Objetivos: Este estudio pretende analizar la validación y los efectos de una intervención breve centrada en la Terapia de compasión basada en los estilos de apego (ABCT). Específicamente, se trata de evaluar la eficacia de este breve protocolo para mejorar la compasión y otras variables relacionadas. Método: La intervención consta de dos sesiones de cinco horas, en un ensayo controlado con un grupo de intervención (ABCT) y un grupo control. Antes y después de la intervención, se administró un cuestionario, centrado en la compasión y otras variables relacionadas (creencias de trascendencia, felicidad, solidaridad endogrupal e identidad global). Los participantes en el grupo experimental fueron 17 adultos sanos (estudiantes y profesores universitarios) que asistieron a una intervención de compasión basada en ABCT. El grupo de control estuvo compuesto por 44 participantes que no asistieron a la intervención. Resultados: Los resultados mostraron que en comparación con el grupo control, la intervención breve ABCT mejoró significativamente la compasión, que era el objetivo principal de la intervención, y un análisis posterior mostró que también aumentaron significativamente las creencias de trascendencia y la solidaridad endogrupal. Además, la intervención ABCT fue validada empíricamente. Conclusiones: Estos resultados confirman y validan el potencial de una intervención breve en ABCT

Metabolic syndrome improvement in depression six months after prescribing simple hygienic-dietary recommendations

BACKGROUND: Changes in diet and exercise have been separately demonstrated to improve Depression, although scientific evidence available is scarce. In a previously published controlled study, just recommending these and other lifestyle measures (sleep restriction and sunlight exposure) in combination once, patients experienced improvements in their depressive symptoms six months later. In this sample, one in three depressive patients had metabolic syndrome (MetS) at baseline. First line treatment of MetS condition is hygienic-dietetic, being Mediterranean diet and exercise especially important. Therefore we analyzed if lifestyle recommendations also improved their metabolic profile. FINDINGS: During the sixth month evaluation, a smaller number of patients from the group receiving hygienic-dietary recommendations met MetS criteria comparing with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that costless lifestyle recommendations, such as exercise and Mediterranean diet, have the capacity to promote both mental and physical health in a significant proportion of depressive patients. Further research is needed to confirm or discard these preliminary findings