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Drugs like LSD still They have a lot to teach us about the way the brain works, and may shed light on the mysterious interface between consciousness and neuronal physiology, as suggested a new study.
Combining pharmacological interventions with non-invasive brain imaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), can provide information about normal and abnormal brain function.
LSD
In the study, a group of 20 healthy volunteers underwent brain scans in two separate sessions, fifteen days apart. In one of the sessions, participants took a placebo before entering the fMRI scanner, while in the other they were administered an active dose of LSD.
By comparing the results of the two sessions, the researchers found that LSD separates functional connectivity from the limitations of structural connectivity, while also altering the way the brain manages the balancing act between integration and segregation of information. In particular, the well-known LSD-induced sensation of 'ego dissolution' correlates with the reorganization of brain networks during a state of high global integration.
The drug-altered state of consciousness could be seen as an abnormal increase in the functional complexity of the brain, and the data show times when the brain reveals predominantly segregated patterns of functional connectivity.
As explained by the first author and neuroscience researcher Andrea Luppi, from the University of Cambridge, this study is part of the clarification of the dynamic functional connectivity, the theory that brain phenomena demonstrate states of functional connectivity that change over time, in the same way that our stream of consciousness is dynamic and always flowing.
While this takes place, and the human brain processes information, it must integrate that information into an amalgamated form of understanding, but at the same time segregate information, keeping different sensory streams separate from each other, so that they can be managed by particular neural systems.
In other words, the 'ego dissolution' of a psychedelic trip could be the subjective experience of the brain increasing its segregation dynamics, decoupling the brain's structure from its functioning, that is, its ability to integrate and amalgamate separate streams of information into a unified whole.
This distinction, the dynamics of brain integration and segregation, is something that is affected by psychedelic drugs, and with the advent of brain imaging technology, we can observe what happens when our regular functional connectivity is disrupted.
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The news
Describes how LSD allows the brain to function beyond the body itself
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.
A group of scientists has found for the first time embryonic remains of the group of dinosaurs carnivores including T.rex: fossilized jaws and claws show these record-sized babies closely resembled adults and were “born prepared” to hunt.
The bones indicate that these were larger than any other known dinosaur, 1 meter long, or the size of a medium dog, and that they hatched from what must have been enormous eggs, perhaps exceeding 43 cm.
Smaller cousins of the T. rex
The approximately 77-million-year-old jaw, about 3cm long, was unearthed in Montana and may belong to a species called Daspletosaurus.
The approximately 72-million-year-old wedge-shaped claw comes from the Canadian province of Alberta and may belong to a species called Albertosaurus.
Both are slightly smaller cousins of Tyrannosaurus rex. The largest known tyrannosaurs exceeded 12 meters in length and 8 tons in mass. The jaw has distinctive tyrannosaur features, including a deep groove on the inside and a prominent chin.
Edinburgh University paleontologist Greg Funston, lead author of the research published in the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, said that scientists were amazed at how similar embryonic bones were to adult tyrannosaurs and the jaws had functional teeth.
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The news
Embryonic remains of carnivorous dinosaurs such as a T. rex are found for the first time
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.
Experts call it "the best impression of a 215-million-year-old dinosaur footprint" found in a decade. But its discoverer is only 4 years old..
The four-year-old girl found the dinosaur footprint on a beach in Wales that dates back 220 million years. The footprint was most likely left by a small, thin dinosaur that walked on its two hind legs.
A pristine footprint
The print measures just over 10cm long. Experts believe the footprint was probably left by a dinosaur that was about 75 centimeters tall and 2.5 meters long and walked on its two hind legs.
https://www.xatakaciencia.com/paleontologia/se-encuentra-que-posiblemente-sea-dinosaurio-raro-hallado-fecha
Lily Wilder made the discovery on January 23 while walking along a beach in South Wales with his father and dog. The family was heading to the supermarket when Wilder saw the footprint printed on a rock.
Shortly after posting a photo of the discovery on social media, the National Museum of Wales contacted the Wilder family, and officials eventually recovered the print and took it to the museum.
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The news
A 4-year-old girl finds a dinosaur footprint in an almost perfect state of preservation
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.