- May
- 19
- 2020
Enhancing Well-being and Mindfulness via Ultrasonic Neuromodulation? Philosophical Challenges and Clinical Applications
The brain changes and adapts as a result of experience. Learning to play the piano, for example, leads to structural and functional neuroplastic changes in the brain. The same is true for mindfulness meditation, an attention-based practice that requires focusing on the present-moment experience with a non-reactive attitude. The neuroplastic changes induced by mindfulness correlate with enhanced physiological health, cognitive performance, emotional stability, and overall well-being. Mindfulness-based interventions are growing in popularity as they help to ameliorate mental, physical, and emotional symptoms and facilitate positive behavior change. Despite their effectiveness, mindfulness practices are difficult and time-consuming for most patients, creating a significant barrier to therapeutic effects. Thus, a technology that accelerates mindfulness training would be clinically valuable because the benefits would be more accessible to patients. In this talk, I present…
About Speaker
Dr. Jay Sanguinetti is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Arizona and a Research Assistant Professor at the University of New Mexico. His training was in philosophy, neuroscience, and cognitive psychology, and his dissertation investigated the neural processes of conscious and unconscious visual perception. Dr. Sanguinetti specializes in psychophysiological measures (EEG, fMRI, eye-tracking) of visual perception, emotion, and mindfulness meditation. His team investigates novel forms of brain stimulation, including the use of ultrasound and light-based stimulation to enhance memory, perception, and well-being. Dr. Sanguinetti has published widely, from topics on the neural basis of vision and the temporal dynamics of perception to understanding how the brain changes in Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia. His current interests include using noninvasive brain stimulation to enhance cognition and well-being.
Dr. Sanguinetti is presently investigating whether focused ultrasound neuromodulation can augment mindfulness practice in collaboration with Shinzen Young. They recently launched the Sonication Enhanced Mindful Awareness (SEMA) lab at the University of Arizona in collaboration with the Center for Consciousness Studies. The SEMA lab is developing accelerated mindfulness protocols for therapeutic interventions to treat addiction, chronic pain, and depression. Dr. Sanguinetti is the Assistant Director for the Center for Consciousness Studies, which runs the largest international conference on consciousness studies.