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The ability to read minds has long been a fascination of science fiction, but revolutionary new brain-imaging methods are bringing it closer to scientific reality. The New Mind Readers provides a compelling look at the origins, development, and future of these extraordinary tools, revealing how they are increasingly being used to decode our thoughts and experiences--and how this raises sometimes troubling questions about their application in domains such as marketing, politics, and the law. Russell Poldrack takes readers on a journey of scientific discovery, telling the stories of the visionaries behind these breakthroughs. Along the way, he gives an insider's perspective on what is perhaps the single most important technology in cognitive neuroscience today--functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, which is providing astonishing new insights into the contents and workings of the mind. He highlights both the amazing power and major limitations of these techniques and describes how applications outside the lab often exceed the bounds of responsible science. Poldrack also details the unique and sometimes disorienting experience of having his own brain scanned more than a hundred times as part of a landmark study of how human brain function changes over time. Written by one of the world's leading pioneers in the field, The New Mind Readers cuts through the hype and misperceptions surrounding these emerging new methods, offering needed perspective on what they can and cannot do--and demonstrating how they can provide new answers to age-old questions about the nature of consciousness and what it means to be human. -- Inside jacket flap.

Autonomic dysregulation is frequently observed in individuals with psychological distress, including mild depression, anxiety, loneliness, and chronic pain. Functional neurology offers a non-invasive, sensorimotor-based approach aimed at restoring autonomic balance through targeted neural stimulation. This case report explores the acute effects of a single-session multimodal functional neurology intervention on heart rate variability (HRV) in a 38-year-old female patient presenting with mild depression, moderate anxiety, high loneliness, psychological inflexibility, and chronic musculoskeletal pain. Baseline psychological assessments were conducted to characterize the patient’s emotional and cognitive profile, but no post-intervention psychological data were collected. HRV was measured before and after the intervention using photoplethysmography, with time and frequency domain analyses performed. Post-intervention results showed an increase in high-frequency (HF) power and a decrease in low-frequency (LF) power, suggesting enhanced parasympathetic modulation. These findings provide preliminary physiological evidence that a brief neuromodulatory intervention may positively influence autonomic function. Further controlled research is warranted to assess the consistency and clinical significance of these effects.

This exploratory observational study analyzed the neuropsychophysiological effects of Functional Neurology interventions on semicircular canal dysfunction, with a focus on enhancing neuromuscular responses and pain perception. A cohort of 45 healthy volunteers, comprising both males and females with an average age of 26.5 years, participated in this controlled, experimental study. The methodology involved baseline assessments of their psychophysiological state and physical abilities, followed by specific tests to analyze semicircular canal dysfunction. Participants then received customized Functional Neurology treatment aimed at correcting detected neuromuscular imbalances. The effects of Functional Neurology treatment were evaluated comparing variables such as hand strength, blood oxygen saturation, heart rate, and the Critical Flicker Fusion Threshold before and after the intervention. The study found a significant increase in the tolerance to semicircular canal stimuli, from an average of 1.0 ± 0.0 stimuli tolerated before intervention to 21.0 ± 14.0 post-treatment, suggesting that Functional Neurology can markedly improve neuromuscular responses in the context of vestibular dysfunction. However, no significant changes were observed in blood oxygen saturation or cortical arousal, indicating that these specific interventions may not affect all psychophysiological parameters. In conclusion, Functional Neurology interventions show promise in treating vestibular disorders by significantly enhancing neuromuscular response and pain tolerance, despite not impacting other psychophysiological measures. This research underscores the potential of Functional Neurology in improving the quality of life for individuals with vestibular dysfunctions and advocates for further exploration into its comprehensive neurophysiological effects.

This case report examines the impact of a single session of functional neurology on a 35-year-old female patient diagnosed with lactose intolerance. The patient presented with severe gastrointestinal symptoms, including frequent diarrhea, bloating, and vomiting upon dairy consumption. The intervention aimed to reset dysfunctional neurological programs believed to contribute to her condition. The study utilized a standardized lactose intolerance breath test to measure the hydrogen and methane levels at various intervals before and after treatment. Post-treatment results showed symptomatic relief with the patient reporting normalized bowel movements and the absence of previous symptoms. Despite these improvements, the biochemical markers at higher time points (150 and 175 min) post-treatment remained similar to the pre-treatment values, indicating persistent lactose malabsorption and highlighting the variability of hydrogen measurements. This case report suggests that a single session of functional neurology can significantly alleviate the symptoms of lactose intolerance. However, the preliminary nature of these results underscores the need for further research involving larger sample sizes and long-term follow-up to fully understand the treatment’s efficacy and underlying mechanisms.

Objectives: The present study aimed to analyze the psychophysiological and neuromuscular reflex modifications following a single functional neurology intervention in individuals presenting vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) cancellation dysfunction. Methods: A total of 66 healthy participants, comprising an experimental group (n = 48; 22 females, 26 males; mean age 28.1 ± 7.8 years) and a control group (n = 18; 9 females, 9 males; mean age 28.6 ± 7.0 years), underwent comprehensive assessments at four distinct measurement moments: baseline, post-indicator muscle failure pre-intervention, immediately post-functional neurology intervention, and post-intervention indicator muscle failure, assessing neuromuscular (handgrip strength) and psychophysiological parameters, including blood oxygen saturation, heart rate, cortical arousal (critical flicker fusion threshold, CFFT), and pain perception (pressure pain threshold, PPT). The functional neurology treatment was tailored based on the ®NeuroReEvolution protocol, emphasizing individualized proprioceptive recalibration, trigger point desensitization, and holistic neuroreflex modulation. Results: Statistical analyses indicated significant improvements within the experimental group following intervention. Specifically, tolerance to VOR cancellation stimuli significantly increased from a baseline of 1.0 ± 0.0 to 129.0 ± 36.7 post-intervention (p < 0.001, η2 = 0.926), whereas the control group demonstrated no meaningful change. Furthermore, significant enhancements were noted in pressure pain threshold (27.49 ± 0.67 to 35.69 ± 0.60 kgf; p = 0.029), handgrip strength (20.41 ± 0.72 N to 26.56 ± 0.52 N; p = 0.012), and critical flicker fusion threshold (32.24 ± 0.45 Hz to 38.32 ± 0.60 Hz; p = 0.003). Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate that a single functional neurology intervention significantly improved psychophysiological responses and neuromuscular reflex performance in participants with vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) cancellation dysfunction. Specifically, the intervention led to marked enhancements in pain tolerance, cortical arousal, and handgrip strength, and notably, an increased tolerance to VOR cancellation stimuli, indicating improved vestibular control. Cardiovascular parameters remained stable, highlighting the safety of the intervention. These findings support functional neurology as an effective therapeutic approach to address VOR-related dysfunctions by promoting neurophysiological resilience and motor function optimization.

Background: Myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) are hyperirritable spots in skeletal muscle associated with pain and dysfunction, often impacting individuals’ quality of life. Various interventions, such as dry needling and manual therapy, have shown limited effects in addressing these conditions. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a functional neurology intervention in reducing pain and improving muscle function in patients with MTrPs in the upper trapezius muscle. We hypothesized that a single session of functional neurology intervention would significantly increase the pressure pain threshold (PPT) and improve peripheral vascular response in individuals with myofascial trigger points compared to a control group. Methods: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted with 63 participants randomly assigned to an experimental (receiving functional neurology treatment) or control group. Pre- and post-treatment assessments were conducted, and both intra- and inter-group comparisons were performed using algometry to measure the PPT and infrared thermography to analyze peripheral vascular response. Data were analyzed using dependent and independent t-tests with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: The experimental group demonstrated a significant 46.4% increase in PPT, while the control group showed negligible changes. Thermographic analysis indicated improved peripheral blood flow in the experimental group, reflected by increased skin temperatures and reduced thermal anomalies. No significant differences were observed between the groups at baseline. Conclusions: A single session of functional neurology intervention significantly reduced pain and improved muscle function in patients with MTrPs. These findings suggest that functional neurology offers a promising non-invasive alternative to traditional treatments, with potential implications for more rapid and sustained therapeutic outcomes.

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the psychophysiological effects of functional neurology intervention on dysfunction in vestibular saccadic stimuli, focusing on its impact on muscle performance, psychophysiological arousal, and pain perception. Methods: Seventy-five healthy volunteer participants were randomly divided into two groups: an experimental group that received functional neurology treatment and a control group that did not. Both groups underwent the same evaluations at four distinct time points. Key measurements included pressure pain threshold (PPT), hand strength, critical flicker fusion threshold (CFFT), blood oxygen saturation, heart rate, and the number of saccadic stimuli tolerated until dysfunction in an indicator muscle (anterior deltoid). The functional neurology intervention involved proprioceptive reflexes, trigger point desensitization, and systemic approaches to rectify neuromuscular dysfunctions. Results: The results showed that the functional neurology intervention significantly increased the number of saccadic stimuli tolerated, from 3.6 ± 3.3 to 26.1 ± 8.7, indicating an improvement in neuromuscular endurance. Additionally, PPT readings exhibited an upward trend from baseline to post-intervention, with the final reading averaging at 10.2 ± 5.3 kgf, and hand strength measurements showed a modest but significant increase post-intervention. Notably, CFFT and blood oxygen saturation levels remained relatively stable, suggesting that the intervention’s primary impact was on neuromuscular performance and pain perception rather than on cognitive arousal or systemic oxygenation. Heart rate data indicated a decrease post-intervention, implying potential improvements in autonomic nervous system function. In contrast, the control group did not present significant changes in any of the psychophysiological parameters evaluated. These findings underscore the potential of targeted functional neurology treatments to enhance physical performance and provide valuable therapeutic benefits for neuromuscular and cognitive dysfunctions. Conclusions: Functional neurology interventions can effectively improve muscle endurance, pain management, and overall neuromuscular health, highlighting its relevance as a therapeutic modality in sports performance optimization and rehabilitation contexts.

A single session of functional neurology led to the integration of multiple retained primitive reflexes in a child, resulting in improved motor coordination and cognitive function. This case highlights functional neurology as a promising treatment for neurodevelopmental challenges.

Background: Eye movement research serves as a critical tool for assessing brain function, diagnosing neurological and psychiatric disorders, and understanding cognition and behavior. Sex differences have largely been under reported or ignored in neurological research. However, eye movement features provide biomarkers that are useful for disease classification with superior accuracy and robustness compared to previous classifiers for neurological diseases. Neurological diseases have a sex specificity, yet eye movement analysis has not been specific to our understanding of sex differences. Methods: The study involved subjects recruited from 804 sites equipped with RightEye Vision Systems, primarily located in optometry practices across the United States. Subjects completed six eye movement assessments: circular smooth pursuit (CSP), horizontal smooth pursuit (HSP), vertical smooth pursuit (VSP), horizontal saccades (HS), vertical saccades (VS), and fixation stability (FS). Eye movements were analyzed and classified in accordance with age and sex by multiple t-tests and linear regression models. Results: This study represented a large sample size of 23,557 subjects, with 11,871 males and 11,686 females representing ages from birth through 80 years of age. We observed statistically significant differences for all eye movement functions between males and females. Conclusions: We demonstrate that eye movements are sex-specific and offer normative data to compare sex-specific eye movement function by age. Novel baseline metrics can be compared to individual performance, regardless of sex. This study represents significant progress in linking eye movements with brain function and clinical syndromes, allowing researchers and clinicians to stratify individuals by age and sex.

Background A recent hypothesis purports that spinal manipulation may cause changes at a brain level. Functional Neurology, a mainly chiropractic approach, promotes the use of spinal manipulation to improve ‘brain function’ as if it were a proven construct. No systematic review has been performed to investigate how well founded this hypothesis is. Objective To investigate whether spinal manipulation has an effect on ‘brain function’ that is associated with any clinical benefits. Method In this systematic review, the literature was searched in PubMed, Embase, and PEDro (final search February 2018). We included randomized or non-randomized controlled studies, in which spinal manipulation was performed to any region of the spine, applied on either symptomatic or asymptomatic humans, and compared to a sham or to another type of control. The outcome measures had to be stated as direct or proxy markers of ‘brain function’. Articles were reviewed blindly by at least two reviewers, using a quality checklist designed for the specific needs of the review. Studies were classified as of ‘acceptable’, ‘medium’, or ‘low’ methodological quality. Results were reported in relation to (i) control intervention (sham, ‘inactive control’, or ‘another physical stimulus’) and (ii) study subjects (healthy, symptomatic, or with spinal pain” subjects/spinal pain”), taking into account the quality. Only results obtained from between-group or between-intervention comparisons were considered in the final analysis. Results Eighteen of 1514 articles were included. Studies were generally of ‘low’ or ‘medium’ methodological quality, most comparing spinal manipulation to a control other than a sham. Thirteen out of the 18 studies could be included in the final analysis. Transitory effects of different types of ‘brain function’ were reported in the three studies comparing spinal manipulation to sham (but of uncertain credibility), in “subclinical neck/spinal pain” subjects or in symptomatic subjects. None of these three studies, of ‘medium’ or ‘acceptable’ quality, investigated whether the neurophysiological effects reported were associated with clinical benefits. The remaining 10 studies, generally of ‘low’ or ‘medium’ quality, compared spinal manipulation to ‘inactive control’ or ‘another physical stimulus’ and similarly reported significant between-group differences but inconsistently. Conclusion The available evidence suggests that changes occur in ‘brain function’ in response to spinal manipulation but are inconsistent across and - sometimes - within studies. The clinical relevance of these changes is unknown. It is therefore premature to promote the use of spinal manipulation as a treatment to improve ‘brain function’.