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BIAL Foundation
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TI:"Cortical Oscillations and Altered States of Consciousness: The Study of Meditative States and Functional Brain Connectivity"
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DocumentCortical Oscillations and Altered States of Consciousness: The Study of Meditative States and Functional Brain Connectivity2012

Reference code: PT/FB
Entity holding: BIAL Foundation
Location: S. Mamede do Coronado
Title:
BIAL Foundation Archive
Start date: 1994
History:
The BIAL Foundation was created in 1994 by Laboratórios BIAL in conjunction with the Council of Rectors of Portuguese Universities. BIAL’s Foundation mission is to foster the scientific study of Man from both the physical and spiritual perspectives.
Along the years the BIAL Foundation has developed an important relationship with the scientific community, first in Portugal and after worldwide. Today it is an institution of reference which aims to stimulate new researches that may help people, promote more health and contribute to new milestones to gain access to knowledge.
Among its activities the BIAL Foundation manages the BIAL Award, created in 1984, one of the most important awards in the Health field in Europe. The BIAL Award rewards both the basic and the clinical research distinguishing works of major impact in medical research.
The BIAL Foundation also assigns Scientific Research Scholarships for the study of neurophysiological and mental health in people, arousing the interest of researchers in the areas of Psychophysiology and Parapsychology.
To date the BIAL Foundation has supported 461 projects, more than 1000 researchers, with research groups in twenty-seven countries, resulting, until April 2013, in about 600 full papers, out of which 172 published in indexed international journals with an average impact factor of 3.6 and a substantial number of citations (1665).
Since 1996 the BIAL Foundation organizes the Symposia entitled "Behind and Beyond the Brain", a Forum that gathers well renowned neurosciences speakers and the BIAL Foundation Fellows which are spread around the world.
Classified as an institution of public utility, the BIAL Foundation includes among its patrons the Portuguese President, the Portuguese Universities Rectors' Council and the Portuguese Medical Association.
URL: http://www.bial.com/pt/
Accessibility: By permission

Reference code: PT/FB/BL
Entity holding: BIAL Foundation
Title: BIAL Grants
Start date: 1994
History:
In 1994 the BIAL Foundation launched a programme of science research grants with the aim of encouraging the research into Man’s physical and mental processes, namely in fields still largely unexplored but which warrant further scientific analysis, as Psychophysiology and Parapsychology.
Since its launch, applications to the BIAL grants have been increasing. Up to now 461 projects have been supported, involving more than 1000 researchers from 27 countries.
The approved applications have benefited from grants in amounts comprised between €5,000 and €50, 000. The amount to be granted is fixed by the Scientific board according to the needs of each project.
The supported projects have originated, until April 2013, in about 600 full papers, 172 out of which were published in indexed international journals with an average impact factor of 3.6 and a substantial number of citations (1665).
Among the BIAL Foundation fellows is worth highlighting the presence of scientists from prestigious universities from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Russia, Germany, Japan, France, Canada, and many others.
The BIAL grants are promoted biannually.

Reference code: PT/FB/BL-2008
Location: Arquivo PCA - Pastas 1 a
Title:
2008 Grants
Start date: 2009-01

Reference code: PT/FB/BL-2008-074
Location: Arquivo PCA - Pasta 10/2008
Title:
074 - Cortical Oscillations and Altered States of Consciousness: The Study of Meditative States and Functional Brain Connectivity
Duration: 2009-08 - 2011-10
Researcher(s):
Jose Luis Perez Velazquez, William Gaetz
Institution(s): The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto (Canada)
Contents: Contents:
Bursary agreement
Application form
Correspondence
Financial report and expenditure documents
Progress reports
Final report
Language: eng
Author:
Perez Velazquez, J. L.
Secondary author(s):
Gaetz, W.
Number of reproductions:
1
Keywords:
Psychophysiology / Altered states of consciousness / Meditation / Brain structure and function / Body structure and function / Movement

Reference code: PT/FB/BL-2008-074.03
Location: Arquivo PCA - Pasta 10/2008
Title:
Cortical Oscillations and Altered States of Consciousness: The Study of Meditative States and Functional Brain Connectivity
Publication year: 2012
URL:
http://www.bial.com/imagem/Bial%20Sonhos%20Miolo_Total%20Bolsas.pdf
Abstract/Results: ABSTRACT:
Objectives: The purpose of our research is to study the coordinated collective cortical activity
derived from magnetoencephalographic (MEG) recordings during the practice of meditation. Some
publications demonstrated an enhancement of synchronization of brain signals (scalp
electroencephalographic recordings) during meditation. However other results have cast some
doubt in these observations; specifically, studies that showed that gamma activity inferred from
scalp EEG recordings is largely the result of increased tone in head muscles that closely associates
with brain function.
Methods: MEG recordings were taken of participants (“experts” as those with >4 years of practice,
and novices) during a control period and during one-pointed (samatha) and insight (vipassana)
meditation. In addition, simultaneous electromyographic (EMG) recordings were taken to assess
scalp muscle activity. The neurophysiological activity (MEG signals) is analysed in terms of phase
synchronization at different frequency bands from 4 to 35 Hz.
Results & Discussion: The EMG signals of scalp sensors showed that there was no increase in
power at any frequency during meditation in the “expert” group, hence these results do not
support our hypothesis of a possible enhancement of muscle activity during meditation practice.
No significant change in synchronization amongst the MEG sensor signals during meditation was
noted, thus we could not reproduce previous published results with expert practitioners. This
could be due to several factors: 1) we used MEG and not EEG (EEG uses a common reference and
that poses problems when assessing synchrony); 2) our subjects performed other types of
meditation; and finally, 3) other studies used monks with a level of expertise probably much higher
than that of our participants.
Conclusions: Two likely conclusions may be apparent from the comparison between our results
and those of other studies. The differences may be due to the distinct methods used for recording
of brain signals or, if this were not to be the case (to prove this, the exact same analysis would
have to be done on all sets of data and ideally by one group), then the other inference is that the
neurophysiological changes at the level here studied (synchronization) only appears after very
extensive meditation practice.
Accessibility: Document does not exist in file
Language:
eng
Author:
Perez Velazquez, J. L.
Secondary author(s):
Gaetz, W.
Document type:
Conference abstract
Number of reproductions:
1
Reference:
Perez Velazquez, J.L., & Gaetz, W. (2012). Cortical Oscillations and Altered States of Consciousness: The Study of Meditative States and Functional Brain Connectivity. In Aquém e além do cérebro. Behind and beyond the brain. Proceedings of the 9th Symposium of Fundação Bial (p. 31/63). Porto: Fundação Bial.
Indexed document: No
Keywords: Meditation / Magnetoencephalography / Phase synchronization

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