🧠 Neuroplasticity at a Cellular Level   Long term potentiation is the process of strengthening synapses based on patterns of activity or stimulation to the neuron. This process is believed to provide the foundation for a highly adaptable nervous system. Long term potentiation can be elicited by activating NMDA-type glutamate receptors, typically through the activity …

Neuroplasticity at a Cellular Level Read More »

How does our breathing affect our nervous system? 🧠 When we hyperventilate, we decrease the amount of free calcium in the blood. This causes sodium channels on neurons to become unstable, and sodium begins to come into the cell, raising the resting membrane threshold and making the cell more easily excitable. So why does this matter …

How does our breathing affect our nervous system? Read More »

Behold, the bizarre homunculus. The sensory receptors in our body are distributed unevenly. Receptors are densely concentrated in areas where high acuity and fine movements are needed, such as the fingertips, and sparse in other areas where a superior sensory distinction is not necessary, such as the back. This creates a distortion of our body …

The Clinical Applications of the Homunculus Read More »

How do we know where are we in space? Our ability to sense not only where our own body is, but the space around our bodies is accomplished through multiple networks working and communicating together. Holmes NP, Spence C. The body schema and the multisensory representation(s) of peripersonal space. Cogn Process. 2004;5(2):94–105. doi:10.1007/s10339-004-0013-3

Dr. Klotzek and Dr. Ellis demonstrating techniques for applying clinical neuroscience in practice to scholars from Life University! We love seeing how excited and dedicated these students are! 🧠👏🏼 #carricktrained #carrickinstitute #chiropractic #chirostudent#physicaltherapy #physicaltherapystudent #neuroscience #neurology#clinicalneurology

Our ability to maintain balance relies on three main components: 1️⃣ Vision 2️⃣ Vestibular Function 3️⃣ Proprioception When we take an individual through a balance progression, our goal is to eliminate each component one at a time to narrow down which system that person is relying on. ▪️ Begin with feet together, eyes open, on a solid surface- here …

The Three Components of Balance Read More »

Traditionally, the cerebellum was thought to only play a role as the brain’s chief motor coordinator. We now know today that the cerebellum does so much more than that. The cerebellum contains body maps that help to give us an embodied sense of self. It’s constant communication with the body and cortex through feedforward, feedback …

The Cerebellum: Fine-Tuning Motor Commands Read More »

What happens to our body during stress? 🙇🏻‍♀️ A hallmark feature of stress consists of activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis that is initiated when visceromotor neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus (PVH) stimulate the release of pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormones (ACTH) into the bloodstream, which in turn, activates glucocorticoid secretion from the adrenal gland. These …

What Happens to the Body During Stress? Read More »

Mitochondria as the link between intelligence, health and aging? 🧠🦠 Mitochondria are the “powerhouse” of the cell, responsible for producing energy for the cell, among other functions. ⚡️ Energy availability, in turn, is the lowest common denominator needed for the development, maintenance, and optimal functioning of all biological systems. This study aims to review the relationship between intelligence, …

Mitochondria as the link between intelligence, health and aging? Read More »

Stress Awareness Tip: Virtual Reality has been used effectively to promote relaxation and reduce stress. Virtual Reality works by changing the sensory input that our brain receives, changing our brain’s interpretation of our current reality. There are currently three approaches to virtual reality that aim to achieving relaxation, stress reduction and emotion regulation. 1️⃣ Relaxing VR: …

Virtual Reality for Stress Reduction Read More »

A new twist to the saying ‘playing from the heart.’ 🎶 – – Researchers found an increase in heart rate before an error in playing occurs in expert pianist. 🎹 This change in heart rate sends crucial signals to the brain to perceive error before we are even consciously aware of it! This information from the heart helps …

Using Heart Rate to Predict Errors in Expert Pianist Read More »

How do we know where we are in space? Within our inner ear, we have semicircular canals. There are 6 total canals- 3 on each side- that are activated by different head positions in response to angular movements or rotations. These canals work in conjunction with other systems in our body (i.e otoliths, proprioceptive systems, …

How do we Know Where we are in Space? Read More »

Stress Tip: Can we use heart rate variability (HRV) as a tool to measure stress levels? The oscillations of our heart are complex and are constantly changing in response to our environment. This allows for the cardiovascular system to rapidly adjust to sudden physical and psychological challenges and maintain homeostasis. Think about a time when …

Can we use heart rate variability (HRV) as a tool to measure stress levels? Read More »

Receive. Interpret. Respond. It’s one of the key concepts within the functional neurology paradigm. A sensory stimulus is sent to the brain for processing, which then creates a motor output. Because of this intimidate brain-body connection, our programs have a heavy focus on using sensory modalities to modulate brain function and create a new, desired …

Receive. Interpret. Respond: The Functional Neurology Paradigm Read More »