The Feeling Brain

10/09/2025

On how consciousness reaches into vast unconscious systems that silently shape our lives

02/04/2025

Surprise! Dreams are conscious.

Subjectively falling asleep and waking up refreshed eight hours later is something of an illusion.

Perhaps because we dream after losing consciousness every day, we tend to forget that dreams are actually conscious events.

But we now know beyond reasonable doubt that our eight hours of unconscious sleep is interrupted by periods of waking consciousness, which are easily distinguishable in the electrical activity of the cortex (almost exactly like waking); many times we can also see the distinctive signature of “slow, regular, horizontal eye movements” – called REM.

So the first point is that subjectively falling asleep and waking up refreshed eight hours later is something of an illusion.

In fact, we are not densely unconscious every second of being asleep — it only seems like that in the morning.

🧠 When scientists started studying night-time EEG they discovered periods of waking activity in the EEG, labeled “paradoxical sleep” by French scientist Michel Jouvet. The word “paradoxical” was suggested that waking EEG happened several times during what we think of as a continuously unconscious eight hours of sleep. When we wake people up during the paradoxical period, sleepers tell us about their dreams — which are in fact conscious states of a kind.

📜 This was already realized by the authors of the Mandukya Upanishad, the shortest and best-known scripture of Vedanta.

💫 Dreams are an interaction between the unconscious and conscious.

The unconscious is the dominant force of the dream. You overlook all your realm of the waking scene while you are dreaming.

From "The Developing Brain & Consciousness" BaarsLab.com course — The Story of Spikes and Waves.

https://bernardbaars.substack.com/p/surprise-dreams-are-conscious

Subjectively falling asleep and waking up refreshed eight hours later is something of an illusion. From "The Developing Brain & Consciousness" BaarsLab.com course — The Story of Spikes and Waves.

17/03/2025

There seems to be a tug of war between those deep midbrain nuclei and the control system which involves the prefrontal cortex. Various areas of the prefrontal cortex have somewhat different effects, but prefrontal is associated with self-regulation, while midbrain nuclei have to do with impulses, motivations, emotions, and so on. The prefrontal cortex is sometimes called the “organ of civilization” or as Dr. Heather Berlin dubs it, “the brake system”.

In the last two decades a whole new generation of brain instruments has come to light.

Exploring deep midbrain nuclei and the control system, which involves the prefrontal cortex.

28/02/2025

🧠 “Consciousness” has several meanings.

It is used in biomedical science to refer to the state of waking consciousness, as assessed by responsiveness to questions, commands, and mild pain, by the classical scalp EEG of waking, and by the ability to describe oneself and current events.

However, in scientific work “consciousness” is also used to refer to the “dimension of conscious vs. unconscious brain events” - that is, as an experimental variable that allows us to study brain differences attributable to consciousness.

This usage is profoundly different from the first, since it involves...

🧠 Keep reading at bernardbaars.substack.com !! 🧠

07/02/2025

Sleep Strengthens Emotionally Charged Memories During Non-REM Phase

A new study reveals that positive emotions enhance perceptual memories during sleep, specifically in the non-REM stage.

Researchers trained mice to associate a texture with a positive experience and found that this memory lasted longer than neutral ones.

The amygdala, along with the motor and sensory cortices, plays a key role in reinforcing these memories.

19/01/2025

🪶💦🌊 "A layered body-wide multiscale network of connective tissue that allows tensional loading and shearing mobility along its interfaces." The layering is of collagen (stiff) layers interwoven with hyaluronic acid (fluid) interstitial layers. The site specific organization of these determines the site specific balance between "tensional loading" and "shearing mobility." Very excited to be part of this!

We propose that the fasciae and the fascial interstitia within are an anatomical system, a body-wide multiscale network of connective tissue allowing tensional loading and shearing mobility. Its four...

15/12/2024

One of our favorite episodes of the On and the !

Taken from episode 26: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnDnsPDxWMwIn this clip:Dr. Stuart Firestein specializes in the olfactory system ⎯ why and how our br...

06/11/2024

Gut Bacteria Modulate Stress Responses Over Time

A new study reveals that gut bacteria play a significant role in regulating the body’s response to stress by interacting with circadian rhythms, highlighting a potential pathway for developing microbiome-based mental health therapies.

Researchers found that depleting certain gut bacteria can lead to heightened stress responses through the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis at specific times of day, suggesting that these bacteria act as modulators of stress and are influenced by natural daily cycles.

The research identified the bacterium Limosilactobacillus reuteri as a key player in this process, helping to modulate stress hormones.

This finding underscores the importance of maintaining a balanced gut microbiome for mental well-being.

05/11/2024

Amygdala Cells Linked to Anxiety

Researchers have identified distinct cell types in the amygdala, a brain region central to processing fear and anxiety, which could enable more targeted treatments for anxiety disorders.

Using gene expression analysis in human and macaque brains, scientists discovered specific cells, including FOXP2-expressing “gatekeeper” cells that help regulate emotional responses.

This study shows that each cell type has unique functions, with some types linked to genes associated with anxiety and potential drug receptors.

These insights may help pinpoint specific “chokepoints” in the amygdala’s cellular networks that contribute to extreme anxiety.

Targeting these cell types could lead to more effective treatments.

The findings bridge human and animal research, offering a clearer path for developing new therapies.

https://neurosciencenews.com/amygdala-cells-anxiety-27966/