We are a non-profit research and philanthropy foundation.

 
 
 
 

Our Mission

We develop and implement pioneering methods in applied neuroscience to alleviate suffering and enhance lives.

Through research and innovation, we capture the novel synergies between traditional and nontraditional modalities to enrich the quality of peoples' lives, within and beyond the boundaries of healthcare.

 

 

We are devoted to...

 

"In addition to all of its amazing functions⁠—including movement and sensation⁠—the brain rewrites our destiny on a daily basis."

- Dr. Amir Vokshoor

 

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Reductionism in science can often lead to either confusion or oversimplification. Here's an argument against such reductionism when it comes to the famous neurotransmitter, serotonin! #INI #Serotonin #Depression #MentalHealth
Music has always been mysterious and fascinating from a neuroscientific point of view. It is something that has bound humanity together since our early days as a species. Here, we can see how dance and music lead to increased joy and that this sense of happiness seems to interact well with those suffering from dementia! https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/exploring-the-positive-effects-of-music-and-dance-on-dementia-322665 #INI #Music #dementia #neuroscience #dance
Another integral link between the brain and body: the thyroid, a central player in hormonal control and influencer of symptoms like anxiety, stress, weight gain/loss, and energy levels. https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/thyroid-study-explores-link-between-physical-illness-and-mood-disorder-322579 #INI #Mood #Brain #Research #Medicine
Big Questions in Neuroscience: Consciousness Following from our recent posts on studying the dynamics of consciousness, here at the INI we wanted to show you a sneak peak into some of our own research methods for looking into the brain! Here's our subject "J1", fully kitted-out in our EEG apparatus getting his brain scanned! #INI #innovation #EEG #research #Consciousness
Big Questions in Neuroscience: What is Consciousness? Following from our post last week surrounding the debate about what, where, and how consciousness works, here's a group that thinks they have hit upon something important! In this study, brain activity was compared between two groups of people, some "awake" and others comatose. The groups shared some activity, while other brain activity was, of course, different. They hypothesize that in these differences lie some crucial activity that they think pinpoints the signature of consciousness. What do you think? Does consciousness equate to the neural activity of an "awake" individual or is there something more they are missing? https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/neural-patterns-of-consciousness-identified-65433 #INI #Consciousness #Research #Brain #Neuroscience
Big Questions in Neuroscience: What is Consciousness? How would you define consciousness? Is it that intangible sense of "being you"? Is there a spiritual component, or is it an illusion caused by huge masses of neuronal activity? This is one of the huge problems we face in modern neuroscience. There are those who think consciousness is computationally derived and is a product of complex systems and therefore can be designed and coded in lab. Others assert there's an uniqueness to our humanity that allows for consciousness that can't be truly replicated in other systems. Modern neuroscience will continue to strive for depth in understanding this topic. How close that "understanding" is is a topic of debate almost as contentious as the topic of consciousness itself! https://www.quantamagazine.org/neuroscience-readies-for-a-showdown-over-consciousness-ideas-20190306/ #neuroscience #consciousness #TheHardProblem #INI
How do you deal with boredom? There is a positive association between boredum and anxiety and so how we deal with this sort of downtime can have a big impact on our brains! #anxiety #boredum #mentalhealth #wellness #research #neuroscience
Happy Birthday to the INI’s Director of Research and Operations, Johny Tran! Join us in wishing him many more happy years to come!
Today is PTSD Awareness Day. National PTSD Awareness Day is a day dedicated to creating awareness regarding PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). It is acknowledged annually on the 27th of June. The US Senate officially designated this day in 2010. In 2014 the Senate designated the whole month of June as PTSD Awareness Month. In the US, 6.8% of adults will experience PTSD in their lifetimes with women twice as likely as men to experience it (10.4% to 5%) frequently as a result of sexual trauma. Veterans are another group highly likely to experience PTSD during their lives, with Vietnam War veterans at 30%, Gulf War veterans at 10%, and Iraq War veterans at 14%.
How we feel about so many of things we read online has a lot to do with how we want to feel and how other people we respect feel, study finds. ...................................... #brainhealth #neuroscience #vitality #research #science
Don't miss our very own Amir Vokshoor featured on the latest episode of Meet the Doctors! "Dr. Vokshoor was born in Tehran, Iran, where his father was a doctor. When he was nine, they moved to Virginia where he learned to do X-rays for his uncle, an orthopedic surgeon. Going to medical school, he inadvertently walked into the wrong operating room and saw a white glistening membrane in the very center of the brain. He was hooked. Instead of focusing on orthopedics, he became a neurosurgeon. Recently he realized he wanted to become a better integrative doctor by helping his patients prepare for surgery and get into the recovery mindset for a quicker healing process. On the cutting edge of technology, he uses tools such as the first spinal surgery robot in L.A. county and 3D-printed titanium implants." https://meetthedoctors.wpengine.com/dr-amir-vokshoor/ .................................... #neurosurgeon #Innovation #neuroscience #health #wellness #meditation
Our spinal anatomy, especially in the cervical (neck) area is specifically adapted toward handling the bio-mechanical load of keeping our skull upright. Modern technology, like smart phones, that cause us to constantly lean our heads down to see are causing us to spend much time in a position in which our bodies are not adapted. As a consequence, our anatomy is forced to adapt to this strain in unique ways, as seen by these "horns" emerging on the back of peoples' heads. Frightening and fascinating! From the article: "New research in biomechanics suggests that young people are developing hornlike spikes at the back of their skulls — bone spurs caused by the forward tilt of the head, which shifts weight from the spine to the muscles at the back of the head, causing bone growth in the connecting tendons and ligaments. The weight transfer that causes the buildup can be compared to the way the skin thickens into a callus as a response to pressure or abrasion." https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/06/20/horns-are-growing-young-peoples-skulls-phone-use-is-blame-research-suggests/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.3f6639c8d9a4 ..................................... #INI #Innovation #modern #smartphones #anatomy #skull #horns #latest #science #study #research #science