Search Results (213)

This paper introduces an innovative EEG sensor-based computational framework that establishes a pioneering nexus between personality trait quantification and neural dynamics, leveraging biosignal processing of brainwave activity to elucidate their intrinsic influence on cognitive health and oscillatory brain rhythms. By employing electroencephalography (EEG) recordings from 21 participants undergoing the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), we propose a machine learning (ML)-driven methodology to decode the Big Five personality traits—Extraversion (Ex), Agreeableness (A), Neuroticism (N), Conscientiousness (C), and Openness (O)—using classification algorithms such as support vector machine (SVM) and multilayer perceptron (MLP) applied to 64-electrode EEG sensor data. A novel multiphase neurocognitive analysis across the TSST stages (baseline, mental arithmetic, job interview, and recovery) systematically evaluates the bidirectional relationship between personality traits and stress-induced neural responses. The proposed framework reveals significant negative correlations between frontal–temporal theta–beta ratio (TBR) and self-reported Extraversion, Conscientiousness, and Openness, indicating faster stress recovery and higher cognitive resilience in individuals with elevated trait scores. The binary classification model achieves high accuracy (88.1% Ex, 94.7% A, 84.2% N, 81.5% C, and 93.4% O), surpassing the current benchmarks in personality neuroscience. These findings empirically validate the close alignment between personality constructs and neural oscillatory patterns, highlighting the potential of EEG-based sensing and machine-learning analytics for personalized mental-health monitoring and human-centric AI systems attuned to individual neurocognitive profiles. Full article

This study explores the dynamics of engaged spiritualities within contemporary Buddhist communities in Italy. By employing an ethnographic approach, the research examines how physical space fosters spiritual experiences, facilitates social interactions, and serves as a site for personal and collective transformation. The study integrates insights from religious studies, anthropology, and neuroscience to analyse the cognitive and emotional effects of meditation while also engaging with Foucault’s theories on power and space to understand Buddhist centres as structured environments that shape individual and collective subjectivities. The research highlights how engaged Buddhism in Italy adapts traditional practices to contemporary challenges, particularly in response to mental health concerns among university students. Through participant observation and interviews conducted during mindfulness and contemplative education programmes, the study demonstrates how meditation contributes to psychological well-being, emotional regulation, and social connection. This analysis aligns with theoretical discussions on the conceptualisation of spirituality in modern societies, illustrating how engaged spiritualities manifest in secular and pluralistic contexts. The findings suggest that Buddhist spaces in Italy function not only as sites of religious practice but also as transformative environments where power relations are renegotiated, identity is reconstructed, and alternative ways of living emerge. The study further explores how scientific advancements in neuroscience inform spiritual practices, shedding light on the reciprocal relationship between spiritual yearning and scientific inquiry. Finally, the research contributes to the debate on the future of engaged spiritualities in the face of global crises. It argues that while Buddhist communities in Italy preserve traditional wisdom, they also actively shape new forms of spiritual engagement that respond to contemporary social, political, and environmental challenges. This work situates engaged Buddhism as a key player in fostering alternative models of coexistence, well-being, and ethical responsibility in the modern world. Full article

Background and Objectives: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental condition characterized by social communication deficits, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors. At present, there is no pharmacological intervention that reliably targets the core symptoms of ASD; instead, medications are primarily used to manage associated or concurrent symptoms such as irritability, aggression, anxiety, attention difficulties, and sleep disturbances. This review summarizes the current evidence for pharmacological treatments in ASD, emphasizing how these interventions are used in a symptom-focused, adjunctive manner, and highlighting efficacy, mechanisms, limitations, and emerging therapeutic targets. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted across PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase to identify clinical trials, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and preclinical studies on pharmacological interventions for ASD. Seventy-seven references were integrated to reflect the current state of evidence. Results: Established pharmacological strategies include atypical antipsychotics for severe irritability and aggression, as well as antidepressants, stimulants and non-stimulant agents, mood stabilizers, and anxiolytics for selected comorbid symptoms, although efficacy is often modest and variable, and side effects can be significant. Adjunctive and investigational approaches targeting glutamatergic and GABAergic neurotransmission, monoaminergic systems, and neuroinflammatory and oxidative stress pathways show preliminary promise but remain experimental. Across all categories, pharmacological treatments are most effective when embedded in individualized, multimodal care plans that integrate behavioral, rehabilitative, and psychological interventions. Conclusions: This review maps pharmacologic strategies in ASD onto their underlying neurobiological mechanisms and clarifies how evidence strength differs across drug classes and symptom domains. Ongoing advances in genetics, synaptic and circuit-level neuroscience, and neuroimmune signaling are expected to yield more specific, mechanism-based pharmacological approaches for autistic behaviors, with the potential to improve long-term functioning and quality of life when combined with comprehensive psychosocial care. Full article

Background/Objectives: Persuasive communication in moral decision-making contexts involves complex emotional and cognitive processes. This study aimed to investigate electrophysiological (EEG) dissimilarity between individuals during a persuasive interaction on a moral dilemma. Methods: Participants were paired into 14 dyads in which a member assumed the role of Persuasive Agent (PA) and the other of Persuasion Target (PT), discussing a moral decision-making scenario while their neural activity was recorded through an EEG hyperscanning paradigm. Dyads were later categorized based on perceived viewpoint change (high, mixed, low), and dissimilarity within dyads in EEG bands was analyzed across frontal, temporo-central, and parieto-occipital regions in left and right hemispheres. Results: Results showed a significant increase in frontal delta-band dissimilarity in mixed dyads, compared to temporo-central and parieto-occipital areas. The greater frontal delta dissimilarity in mixed dyads likely reflects divergent emotional and motivational engagement during persuasion. Specifically, individuals who changed their viewpoint may have exhibited stronger emotional resonance and attentional engagement compared to their partner. Conclusions: The study advances understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying persuasion in morally charged contexts and offers new insights into dyadic brain dynamics during complex social exchanges. Full article

The study of the nervous system in health and disease presents an extraordinary scientific challenge, one deeply rooted in the intrinsic complexity of brain structure and function across multiple scales of biological organization. The nervous system is not only a dense network of billions of neuronal and non-neuronal cells (i.e., glial cells) but is also a dynamic system influenced by genetic, molecular, cellular, systemic, metabolic, environmental, and social factors that collectively and continuously shape neurocognitive and physiological outcomes. Understanding this multifaceted system demands a multiscale integrated approach, spanning from the molecular and cellular levels to the macroscopic and population scales, leveraging cutting-edge technologies and interdisciplinary expertise. This commentary highlights the complexity inherent to neuroscience research and the critical need for integrated methodologies to advance personalized medicine and effective therapeutic strategies for neurological and psychiatric disorders. Full article

We investigate why the remarkable diversity of human identity, including gender fluidity, non-binary roles, and varied sexual orientations, is fundamentally rooted in the evolutionary and neurocognitive complexity of the human brain. Drawing upon interdisciplinary evidence from comparative biology, neuroimaging, anthropology, and social neuroscience, this paper explores how increased neural complexity across evolutionary trajectories supports behavioral plasticity and identity diversification. The concept of neural degeneracy, wherein different neural structures produce functionally similar outcomes, is central to understanding how individual and cultural diversity naturally emerges from the brain’s highly adaptable networks. By reviewing historical, prehistoric, and cross-species data, the paper demonstrates that identity diversity is neither recent nor culturally limited but has longstanding evolutionary and social foundations. Despite substantial scientific consensus on this inherent complexity, societal resistance persists, often driven by oversimplified and biologically reductionist interpretations of neuroscience. To counter these misunderstandings, the article introduces Complexity Neuroethics, a framework advocating the acknowledgment of diversity of identity expressions as an evolutionarily expected outcome of neurocognitive evolution. Ultimately, the review calls for a transformative dialogue between neuroscience and society, promoting policies, healthcare practices, and educational initiatives aligned with neuroscientific realities to foster more inclusive societies that embrace self-identity as an evolutionary and cognitive achievement. Full article

Background/Objectives: Deception engages both emotional and cognitive processes, yet individual variability in these responses remains insufficiently understood. This study aimed to investigate how personality traits, perceived stress, and empathic distress shape psychophysiological and neurobiological responses during deception and emotional processing. Methods: Thirty healthy young adults completed a protocol combining a deception task with emotional stimulus exposure, while heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and electroencephalographic (EEG) activity were continuously recorded. Participants were characterized using measures of Dark Triad traits, perceived stress (PSS-10), and empathic distress. Results: The results showed increased HR and reduced HRV during deceptive responses, reflecting heightened cognitive effort and autonomic arousal. In contrast, morally or socially evaluative stimuli were associated with right-frontal EEG asymmetry, suggesting engagement of emotional regulation processes. Cluster analysis revealed distinct reactivity profiles: individuals with high stress and empathic distress exhibited amplified autonomic activation and reduced cortical inhibition, whereas those with higher Machiavellianism and psychopathy displayed attenuated HR/HRV modulation and stable EEG patterns, suggestive of emotional detachment and adaptive inhibition. These findings suggest that deception is a dynamic, context-dependent process influenced by individual personality traits and stress-regulation capacities. Conclusions: The study offers valuable insights into the psychophysiological mechanisms underlying deceptive behavior, with meaningful implications for both forensic and affective neuroscience. Full article

Criminal laws and their deserts-based punishments, particularly in Anglo-American systems, remain grounded in folk psychology assumptions about free will, willpower, and agency. Yet advances in neuropsychiatry, neuromicrobiology, behavioral genetics, multi-omics, and exposome sciences, are revealing how here-and-now decisions are profoundly shaped by antecedent factors. This transdisciplinary evidence increasingly undermines the folk psychology model: some argue it leaves “not a single crack of daylight to shoehorn in free will”, while others suggest the evidence at least reveals far greater constraints on agency than currently acknowledged. Historically, courts and corrections have marginalized brain and behavior sciences, often invoking prescientific notions of monsters and wickedness to explain harmful behavior—encouraging anti-science sentiment and protecting normative assumptions. Earlier disciplinary silos, such as isolated neuroscience or single-gene claims, did little to challenge the system. But today’s integrated sciences—from microbiology and toxicology to nutrition and traumatology, powered by omics and machine learning—pose a threat to the folk psychology fulcrum. Resistance to change is well known in criminal justice, but the accelerating pace of biopsychosocial science makes it unlikely that traditional assumptions will endure. In response to modern science, emergent concepts of reform have been presented. Here, we review the public health quarantine model, an emergent concept that aligns criminal justice with public health principles. The model recognizes human behavior as emergent from complex biological, social, and environmental determinants. It turns away from retribution, while seeking accountability in a way that supports healing and prevention. Full article

Humans form deep attachments to some nonhuman animals, yet these attachments are unequally distributed across the tree of life. Drawing on evolutionary biology, comparative cognition, neuroscience, and cultural anthropology, this narrative review explains why empathy and affective preference are typically stronger for phylogenetically closer species—especially mammals—than for distant taxa such as reptiles, fish, or arthropods. We synthesize evidence that signal recognizability (faces, gaze, vocal formants, biological motion) and predictive social cognition facilitate mind attribution to mammals; conserved neuroendocrine systems (e.g., oxytocin) further amplify affiliative exchange, particularly in domesticated dyads (e.g., dog–human). Ontogenetic learning and media narratives magnify these effects, while fear modules and disgust shape responses to some distant taxa. Notwithstanding this average gradient, boundary cases—cephalopods, cetaceans, parrots—show that perceived agency, sociality, and communicative transparency can overcome phylogenetic distance. We discuss measurement (behavioral, psychophysiological, neuroimaging), computational accounts in predictive-processing terms, and implications for animal welfare and conservation. Pragmatically, calibrated anthropomorphism, hands-on education, and messaging that highlights agency, parental care, or ecological function reliably broaden concern for under-represented taxa. Recognizing both evolved priors and cultural plasticity enables more equitable and effective science communication and policy. Expanding empathy beyond its ancestral anchors is not only an ethical imperative but a One Health necessity: safeguarding all species means safeguarding the integrity of our shared planetary life. Full article

Background: Inter-brain synchrony (IBS)—the temporal alignment of neural activity between individuals during social interactions—has emerged as a key construct in social neuroscience, reflecting shared attention, emotional attunement, and coordinated behavior. Enabled by hyperscanning techniques, IBS has been observed across a range of dyadic contexts, including cooperation, empathy, and communication. This systematic review synthesizes recent empirical findings on inter-brain synchrony (IBS)—the temporal alignment of neural activity between individuals—across psychological and neurodevelopmental conditions, including stress, anxiety, depression, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods: Drawing on 30 studies employing hyperscanning methodologies (EEG, fNIRS, fMRI), we examined how IBS patterns vary by clinical condition, dyad type, and brain region. Results: Findings indicate that IBS is generally reduced in anxiety, depression, and ASD, particularly in key social brain regions such as the dorsolateral and medial prefrontal cortices (dlPFC, mPFC, vmPFC), temporoparietal junction (TPJ), and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), suggesting impaired emotional resonance and social cognition. In contrast, stress elicited both increases and decreases in IBS, modulated by context, emotional proximity, and cooperative strategies. Parent–child, therapist–client, and romantic dyads exhibited distinct synchrony profiles, with gender and relational dynamics further shaping neural coupling. Conclusions: Collectively, the findings support IBS as a potentially dynamic, condition-sensitive, and contextually modulated neurophysiological indicator of interpersonal functioning, with implications for diagnostics, intervention design, and the advancement of social neuroscience in clinical settings. Full article

Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) is a major cause of drug-resistant epilepsy, yet its molecular basis remains poorly understood. Numerous studies have analyzed RNA, protein, and microRNA alterations, but results are often inconsistent across subtypes and methodologies. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic review integrating transcriptomic, proteomic, and microRNA data from 117 human studies of FCD subtypes I–III. Differentially expressed factors were extracted, categorized by subtype, and analyzed using pathway enrichment and network approaches. Our integrative analysis revealed convergent dysregulation of neuroinflammatory, synaptic, cytoskeletal, and metabolic pathways across FCD subtypes. Consistently altered genes, including IL1B, TLR4, BDNF, HMGCR, and ROCK2, together with dysregulated microRNAs such as hsa-miR-21-5p, hsa-miR-155-5p, and hsa-miR-132-3p, were linked to PI3K–Akt–mTOR, Toll-like receptor, and GABAergic signaling, emphasizing shared pathogenic mechanisms. Importantly, we identified overlapping transcript–protein patterns and subtype-specific molecular profiles that may refine diagnosis and inform therapeutic strategies. This review provides the first cross-omics molecular framework of FCD, demonstrating how convergent pathways unify heterogeneous findings and offering a roadmap for biomarker discovery and targeted interventions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Decision-making under socially evaluative stress engages a dynamic interplay between cognitive control, emotional appraisal, and motivational systems. Contemporary models of multi-level co-regulation posit that these systems operate in reciprocal modulation, redistributing processing resources to prioritise either rapid socio-emotional alignment or deliberate evaluation depending on situational demands. Methods: Adopting a neurofunctional approach, a novel dual-task protocol combining the MetaCognition–Stress Convergence Paradigm (MSCP) and the Social Stress Test Neuro-Evaluation (SST-NeuroEval), a simulated social–evaluative speech task calibrated across progressive emotional intensities, was implemented. Twenty professionals from an HR consultancy firm participated in the study, with concurrent recording of frontal-temporoparietal electroencephalography (EEG) and bespoke psychometric indices: the MetaStress-Insight Index and the TimeSense Scale. Results: Findings revealed that decision contexts with higher socio-emotional salience elicited faster, emotionally guided choices (mean RT difference emotional vs. cognitive: −220 ms, p = 0.026), accompanied by oscillatory signatures (frontal delta: F(1,19) = 13.30, p = 0.002; gamma: F(3,57) = 14.93, p ≤ 0.001) consistent with intensified socio-emotional integration and contextual reconstruction. Under evaluative stress, oscillatory activity shifted across phases, reflecting the transition from anticipatory regulation to reactive engagement, in line with models of phase-dependent stress adaptation. Across paradigms, convergences emerged between decision orientation, subjective stress, and oscillatory patterns, supporting the view that cognitive–emotional regulation operates as a coordinated, multi-level system. Conclusions: These results underscore the importance of integrating behavioural, experiential, and neural indices to characterise how individuals adaptively regulate decision-making under socially evaluative stress and highlight the potential of dual-paradigm designs for advancing theory and application in cognitive–affective neuroscience. Full article

Background/Objectives: Recent social neuroscience research has increasingly shifted from individual moral decision-making to the study of how people negotiate moral dilemmas in interpersonal contexts. This multimethod hyperscanning study investigated whether initial differences in moral decision-making orientation within a dyad influence neural and autonomic synchronization during a joint moral negotiation. Methods: Fourteen dyads were classified as homologous or heterologous based on the similarity or dissimilarity of their individual decision-making orientations. Each dyad was asked to negotiate and reach a shared decision on a moral dilemma involving a realistic health emergency scenario. Electroencephalography (EEG) and autonomic signals were recorded simultaneously. Dissimilarity indices were computed to assess inter-brain and autonomic synchronization. Results: EEG analyses revealed a significant effect only in the delta frequency band: all dyads, regardless of orientation, showed greater dissimilarity in the left frontal region compared to the left temporo-central and right parieto-occipital regions. In addition, autonomic data indicated greater heart rate variability (HRV) dissimilarity in homologous dyads than in heterologous ones. However, these results did not confirm our initial hypotheses, indicating the opposite pattern. Conclusions: Left frontal delta dissimilarity emerged as an exploratory candidate marker of moral negotiation across dyads. Greater HRV dissimilarity in homologous dyads suggests that, in these dyads, successful negotiation may be supported by complementary rather than synchronized autonomic responses. This multimethod hyperscanning approach highlights the complex and partially dissociable contributions of neural and autonomic processes to the regulation of shared moral decision-making. Full article

Cuteness is commonly associated with visual features such as large eyes, a disproportionately large head, round body shapes, and small size. While these traits are most often observed in infants and young animals, they also appear in inanimate objects and digital representations intentionally designed to evoke emotional appeal. Drawing on developmental psychology, behavioral science, neuroscience, and cultural studies, this paper examines five core emotional responses to cute stimuli: caretaking, socializing, whimsical, cute aggression, and kama muta (the feeling of being emotionally moved). These responses emerge from an interplay between evolutionary mechanisms, such as caregiving instincts, and cultural frameworks that shape how cuteness is perceived, expressed, and valued. The analysis highlights not only biological foundations but also cultural moderators, with particular attention to gender differences and the pervasive role of kawaii aesthetics in Japan’s popular culture, communication, and everyday life. This paper provides an overview of these emotional responses, situates them within their theoretical foundations and broader psychological and social implications, and proposes a framework for future research. Full article

Autism Spectrum Disorder presents one of the most complex challenges in contemporary neuroscience. This review adopts an unconventional narrative structure, drawing inspiration from song titles by The Beatles to explore the multifaceted biological, developmental, and social dimensions of autism. Spanning historical perspectives to embryonic origins and adult cognition, we examine critical topics including cortical folding, sensory processing, and the contributions of various brain regions such as the cerebellum and brainstem. The role of mirror neurons and other neural systems in shaping social behavior is discussed, alongside insights from animal models that have advanced our understanding of autism’s underlying mechanisms. Ultimately, this manuscript argues that autism is not merely a biomedical challenge, but a broader societal issue intersecting with education, human rights, and identity. Following the long and winding road of scientific discovery, we advocate for a more empathetic, interdisciplinary, and human-centered approach to autism research. Though the path ahead remains uncertain, every step informed by evidence and driven by collaboration brings us closer to deeper understanding, greater inclusion, and more effective support. Full article