Project: Spontaneous Change of Brain Blood Flow While Guessing - Research with Near Infrared

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All texts are of the exclusive responsibility of the authors

SPONTANEOUS CHANGE OF BRAIN BLOOD FLOW WHILE GUESSING

- RESEARCH WITH NEAR INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY (fNIRS)-

Mikio Yamamoto1,2,3, Hideyuki Kokubo1,2,3, Tsuneo Watanabe3,2,1and Kimiko Kawano4,1,2,3

1. Institute for Living Body Measurements, International Research Institute (Chiba, Japan)

2. Center for the Environmental Study of Life and Mind, Faculty of Science, TohoUniversity (Funabashi, Japan)

3. Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, TohoUniversity (Funabashi, Japan)

4. Centre for Informatics and Sciences, NipponMedicalSchool (Tokyo, Japan)

Grant nº 73/04

Objective: To study brain activities of clairvoyance by measuring brain blood flow using fNIRS.

[Test 1] Brain blood flow was measured while a subject guessed a hidden figure (Zenar symbols) in a forced-choice test. 8 male and 6 female healthy volunteers (average age, 46.6 y) scored degree of formulation of visual images in 3 min trials.Results of 69 trials showed that spontaneous blood flow change (SBFC) often occurred at the temporal lobe, and at that time the images were formulated clearly. This was designated instantaneous highly activated state of awareness. However, SBFC did not relate to successful clairvoyant tasks.

[Test 2]Brain blood flow was measured for 5 male and 6 female healthy volunteers (average age, 39.7 y) in a free-response test to guess unhealthy areas inside the human body or a small item hidden in a dark box. Two subjects were famous psychics fromRussia and China. The characteristic activated area of these psychics was the prefrontal area although other subjects showed activation of the right temporal lobe.

Conclusions:Brain activities of the famous psychics during clairvoyance were not similar to activities of other subjects. These psychics seemed to think, and not only formulate visual images.

Publications: Kokubo H et al.(2005a) Impression and spontaneous blood flow change at the temporal lobe while guessing for a hidden figure. J. Intl. Soc. Life Info. Sci.,23(2), 306-313.; Kokubo H et al. (2005b) Research on brain activities by functional near infrared spectroscopy while guessing for hidden figures. Japanese Journal of Parapsychology,10(1&2), 33-36.; Kokubo H et al. (2006a) Brain blood flow change with functional near infrared spectroscopy while guessing. J. Intl. Soc. Life Info. Sci.,24(1), 224-230.

Kokubo H et al. (2006b) Brain activity while guessing. Proceedings of 3rd Psi Meeting. Curitiba, Brazil.

Keywords: guess, clairvoyance, fNIRS, temporal lobe, prefrontal

Researchers’ Contacts:

Mikio Yamamoto

E-mail:

International Research Institute (IRI),

40A, KK Blbd., Sonno 1108-2, Inage, Chiba 263-0051 JAPAN

Phone: +81-43-255-5481 Fax: +81-43-255-5482

Hideyuki Kokubo

E-mail:

International Research Institute (IRI),

40A, KK Blbd., Sonno 1108-2, Inage, Chiba 263-0051 JAPAN

Phone: +81-43-255-5481 Fax: +81-43-255-5482

Tsuneo Watanabe

Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, TohoUniversity (Funabashi, Japan)

E-mail:

Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, TohoUniversity,

2-2-1 Miyama, Funabashi-shi, Chiba 274-8510 JAPAN

Kimiko Kawano

E-mail:

Centre for Informatics and Sciences, NipponMedicalSchool,

1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8602 JAPAN