.......................................................................................................................... 4 List of articles ................................................................................................................. 5 Abbreviations.................................................................................................................. 8

The scientific study of Buddhist meditation has proceeded without much attention to Buddhist literature that details the range of psychological and physiological changes thought to occur during meditation. This paper presents reports of various meditation-induced light experiences derived from American Buddhist practitioners. The reports of light experiences are classified into two main types: ...

In his book, The Organization of Behavior, Donald Olding Hebb introduced the concepts of synaptic plasticity and cell assemblies to provide a theory of the neurophysiological basis of behaviour. Hebb's ideas, as presented in this book and other writings, influenced all areas of psychology and neuroscience. Hebb was born in Chester, Nova Scotia, Canada and attended Dalhousie University (BA, 1925...

Is it possible to enhance neural and cognitive function with cognitive training techniques? Can we delay age-related decline in cognitive function with interventions and stave off Alzheimer's disease? Does an aged brain really have the capacity to change in response to stimulation? In the present paper, we consider the neuroplasticity of the aging brain, that is, the brain's ability to increase...

The effect of the synaptic plasticity on the dynamics of a large neural network is studied. Our approach is analytic but inspired by the data, both simulated and experimental. We explain formation of the small strongly connected assemblies within a dynamical network following Hebb's rule. Also, we find the conditions for the synchrony effect in the stochastic network in the absence of large syn...

Homeostatic plasticity is considered to maintain activity in neuronal circuits within a functional range. In the absence of homeostatic plasticity neuronal activity is prone to be destabilized because Hebbian plasticity mechanisms induce positive feedback change. Several studies on homeostatic plasticity assumed the existence of a process for monitoring neuronal activity on a time scale of hour...

Neuronal membrane properties dictate neuronal responsiveness. Plasticity of membrane properties alters neuronal function and can arise in response to robust neuronal activity. Despite the potential for great impact, there is little evidence for a rapid effect of activity-dependent changes of membrane properties on many neuronal functions in vivo in mammalian brain. In this study it was tested w...

Synapses are located throughout the often-elaborate dendritic tree of central neurons. Hebbian models of plasticity require temporal association between synaptic input and neuronal output to produce long-term potentiation of excitatory transmission. Recent studies have highlighted how active dendritic spiking mechanisms control this association. Here, we review new work showing that associative...