Meditation
Regarding professor’s promise to get through the silent meditation retreat (a.k.a vipassana), it would be interesting to have any clear and consistent explanation about that experience. There are some special effects as a part of destination point of the experience, which are similar to those mentioned in the episode about psilocybin (timeline from 1 hour 17 min to 1 hour 32 min). I’m wondering if the same brain areas are activated through the deepest meditative states and what is the mechanism. I passed through 3 vipassana retreats and it’s quite interesting to have a glimpse on that processes with scientific approach.
Current research on recovering neural connections atrophied by autoimmune conditions such as MS
Conditions that degrade neural connections can gradually impair things like gait, bladder function, etc. MS, specifically, attacks the myelin sheathing around the nerves. Activation of nerve pathways typically prompts the fortifying of myelin, which suggests that regularly activating as many neural pathways as possible is a good idea to counter the effects of MS. However, if some neural pathways have sufficiently degraded, it might be difficult to produce activation in these pathways to strengthen them again. What does current research know about the possibilities of regaining neural function in the body, e.g. through inducing neuroplasticity? Are there any recommendations that can be derived from the literature on how best to attempt this?
Irlen syndrome (Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome)
My kids both have problems similar to dyslexia - blurred or moving letters (especially black on white paper) and other objects (floor lines in the gym, tapping a basketball etc.). These get worse with prolonged reading, tiredness, too much light and strain. My son especially says that objects will "get confused" - meaning they move, ripple, blur. He is extremely light sensitive and will get headaches. His MRI is clean, there are no neurological issues. They both use colored paper and notebooks at school as well as colored filters (lenses - glasses) which help them immensely with reading, light sensitivity, objects being still, and they virtually eliminated my son's daily headaches. Now the official medicine here (Slovenia and most of EU, I believe) does not recognize the syndrome as a true medical condition claiming that there is not enough evidence for it. This means there is resistance in schools providing accommodations as well as huge out of pocket expenses for the evaluations and filters. The proponents of the syndrome and users are fighting to have the syndrome recognized as a disease / medical condition. Can you review the available research and give us your take on it? Thank you!