BCIA Continuing Education Posts

Quigley et al. (2024) delivered a comprehensive and much-needed revision of the methodological standards guiding research in heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) within psychophysiology.

The 1996 Task Force Report remains deeply influential today.

Breathing ensures healthy CO2 levels. The main functions of breathing are gas exchange and acid-base (pH) regulation.

Future standards must include open algorithms and population-level validation to increase clinical trust.

AI in mental health care can increase accessibility and offer scalable support, particularly through chatbots and virtual therapists.

Prospective value coding reconciles previous models of serotonin function.

Schizophrenia represents multiple disorders—"schizophrenias"—each potentially with distinct biological underpinnings.

SNS activity is too fast and irregular to be a primary driver of VLF rhythms.

Integrating biofeedback and neurofeedback represents a promising frontier in physiological self-regulation approaches.

Environmental and lifestyle factors accounted for 17% of disease mortality risk, while genetics contributed just 2%.

Positive Affect Therapy (PAT) represents a paradigm shift in the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders.

Cuijpers and colleagues (2021) emphasize the importance of integrating psychotherapy and medication in depression treatment.

The insular cortex is your brain's integration hub for bodily sensations, emotions, and thoughts.

The extended exhalation in sighing stimulates vagal nerve activity, promoting a calming effect on the nervous system.

Most studies were observational, making it challenging to establish causality between gut microbiota alterations and mental health outcomes.

Rubino and colleagues (2025) have proposed a new classification system based on how excess body fat impacts an individual's health.

Brady's Executive Monkey Study is a cautionary tale in research design and shows that flawed research has a long half-life, especially when

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy sounded the alarm about alcohol's cancer risks in Alcohol and Cancer Risk 2025.

We need to differentiate adaptive or benign sensory experiences from those requiring therapeutic intervention.

Neuroscientist Dr. Daniel Levitin has discovered that music is medicine for the brain.