Neuroscientist Q&A: How Dance and Yoga Change the Brain for the Better

Dr. Julia Basso has been dancing since she was only a toddler. In faculty, she studied dance extra significantly — and as she turned extra conscious of — and extra intrigued by — the connection between the physique and the thoughts, she was additionally drawn to a different educational pursuit: the then-burgeoning discipline of neuroscience. She went on to earn a PhD in neuroscience and at present, she is a neuroscientist and the director of Virginia Tech’s Embodied Mind Laboratory, the place she delves into the science behind the brain-body connection.

Additionally a licensed yoga teacher, at present Basso is learning how the mind-body connection can change the mind. She’s not alone in pursuing this line of inquiry: Train has been proven, in research after research, to help and defend mind well being, and even promote cognitive abilities like reminiscence, by bettering blood circulation and decreasing irritation within the physique. In the meantime, yoga and meditation are additionally being studied for his or her potential to guard mind well being — and even cut back dementia threat — via stress discount and different neurological advantages. On the lab at Virginia Tech, Basso’s analysis includes the research of dance companions, and the exercise of their brains whereas they dance.  Finding out the mind exercise that happens throughout dancing, yoga, and meditation, she and her colleagues are piecing collectively simply what the mind-body connection can do for the mind.

Basso sat down with Being Affected person EIC Deborah Kan to debate the bidirectional relationship between bodily motion and the mind, and the human capability to make the most of the physique to spice up mind operate.  Read the transcript under. 

Being Affected person: I really like that you’ve a background in dance. Earlier than this Dwell Speak, you have been telling me that in faculty, you have been a dancer who additionally studied neuroscience. Inform me briefly about these early days and the way you made that connection.

Dr. Julia Basso: I’ve been dancing my whole life, ever since I used to be about three or 4. So, that’s all the time been a constant follow in my life. After I arrived at Middlebury Faculty in Middlebury, Vermont, I actually wished to deepen that follow. There’s a great dance program at Middlebury Faculty led by Andrew Olson and Penny Campbell on the time. That follow is de facto form of built-in into the world of somatic, actually understanding the physique and easy methods to use the physique as a instrument and its interconnection with the nervous system.

So, already embedded in that data was all of this relationship between the physique and mind. 

Neuroscience was simply beginning to form of pop onto the scene at the moment. As a matter of truth, I used to be one of many first neuroscience college students at Middlebury Faculty. It was an integration between biology and psychiatry or psychology on the time. So, neuroscience was new, and I made a decision to review each of those pathways, trying on the physique via dance and motion after which the mind. At the moment, folks have been like, “Nicely, how do these two issues join?” For me, it was all the time actually built-in: the physique, the mind, these fascinating connections.

Then, afterward, pursuing my Ph.D. in neuroscience or in behavioral and neural science, I actually began to grasp that properly, one of many the reason why there was such a disconnect between the physique and mind is as a result of early on, we as scientists as thinkers, actually had this disconnect between physique and mind with form of the time of Rene Descartes and mind-body dualism. So now, we’re actually beginning to combine. How is it that the physique impacts the thoughts and impacts the mind, and vice versa? I’m the director of the Embodied Mind Lab at Virginia Tech, and we opened up in August 2021. And so we’re actually delving into the science of the body-brain connection.

Being Affected person: What kind of analysis are you doing on the Embodied Mind Laboratory?

Basso: A couple of years in the past, I developed this speculation known as the synchronicity speculation of dance. So, it was coming from my background in dance, and particularly in improvisation. How after we interact on this work of improvisational motion, there are these emergent motion varieties that come collectively, these sorts of rhythms of individuals, and music and presence of our bodies and area. It was very a lot associated to the mind and neural oscillations and rhythms. I developed this speculation that states just a few issues, however basically that dance and thru motion practices, we will improve neural synchrony or neural coordination between totally different components of our mind. For instance, dance enhances sensory and motor coordination. 

There are cognitive processes as we’re partaking in choreography. There are artistic and rhythmic processes, all these items. So, the totally different mind areas form of come collectively. They combine. The circulation of knowledge is enhanced throughout dance. That’s known as intra-brain synchrony, the enhancement of mind circulation or mind connectivity. Subsequently, after we dance with different folks, we will truly improve the hyperlink or the communication of the rhythms between two folks’s brains, and that’s known as inter-brain synchrony. That is one thing I’m actually, actually enthusiastic about. 

What we do within the lab is that we research the brains of two or extra folks. We’ve been learning dyads. This may be mother-child relations, this might be romantic companions. We had Lil Buck and his crew come via for the Memphis Jookin: The Present. We studied Lil Buck’s mind together with Eric, one in every of his premier dancers. We truly have been ready to take a look at the synchronicity or the actions of the mind collectively whereas they danced. These are such skilled high-level dancers that once they’re doing these mirroring practices, following each other, you may’t inform who’s following who’s main, they’re so synchronous of their motion. It was actually stunning to observe.

Then we will take a look at the extent of the mind of what’s occurring. So, we’re beginning to see that in professional-level dancers, and even via some, we ran an interventional research the place we skilled improvisational dance. What we’re beginning to see is that via these coaching practices, we will begin to improve the rhythms of the mind.

Being Affected person: Once you have been two folks dancing collectively and scanning their brains, did you see the identical patterns? What did you see about what’s happening inside their brains?

Basso: Once you take a look at the mind sign via electroencephalography, via EEG, they appear to be sine waves. So, these rhythms are these patterns, and while you take a look at form of what comes out naturally from the entire mind, you see these rhythms: quick rhythms, gradual rhythms. What we do via statistics is we take them aside, and we take a look at, say, the alpha rhythm, or the theta rhythm, these totally different frequencies. What it means is that, say, if we take a look at theta exercise, which might be between 4 to eight hertz, and that’s basically, the mind is working for the motion potentials, or how the mind is firing 4 to eight instances per second, these populations of neurons, the circulation of knowledge out and in of those neurons. 

What we’re seeing is that, at these specific rhythmic frequencies, the brains begin to oscillate collectively in the identical rhythmic patterns. Not solely are we seeing the circulation of knowledge inside one particular person mind, however between two brains. We’re very on this by enhancing the way in which that brains are rhythmically speaking with each other if that may truly improve social connection. And in order that’s form of the top aim, proper?

Being Affected person: Once we spoke to Sara Lazar on meditation beforehand on Dwell Talks, she stated that one of many the reason why they’re discovering that meditation is so good for the mind is since you’re truly working at a distinct wavelength while you meditate. Totally different patterns and wavelengths are good for the mind in strengthening neuroplasticity. Did you discover that distinction in wavelengths while you studied totally different types of motion? 

Basso: Take the instance of meditation. Once you begin meditating, proper, and also you go into this meditative area, perhaps your eyes are closed. There’s a specific waveform known as the Alpha exercise that actually begins to return on board. Once we’re anxious, or after we’re form of on this hyper cognitive exercise the place we’re in that form of mode for lots of our day, just like the sympathetic exercise. By way of meditation, we will deliver us a bit into the parasympathetic: calm the nervous system, calm the brainwaves down, and get them to decelerate, proper? So, this concept of neuroplasticity, with the ability to make the most of the thoughts and with the ability to management your mind rhythms, is essential as a result of the concept is flexibility. 

We wish to have the ability to flexibly navigate the world, proper? If in our day-to-day we’re working, we’re actually stressed, after which we wish to be calm. We wish to come residence, we wish to settle down. We don’t wish to keep in that sympathetic hyper-activated mode. We wish to have the ability to come residence, settle down, chill out, perhaps with no glass of wine— to do it naturally, which might be actually great, proper? So it’s this capability that makes use of meditation, dance, and these different practices to assist create a versatile nervous system. And so, via these practices, after we deliberately say, “Okay, we’re going to meditate now.” We’re going from no matter state we’re in, and we’re going to follow pranayama. We’re going to follow deep respiration practices, proper? Then, we will make the most of these practices to assist calm us down.

“Having the ability to make the most of the thoughts and being
capable of management your mind rhythms is
crucial, as a result of the concept is flexibility.”

I’ve a research exhibiting that after we go into regular, on a regular basis life and encounter what is named psychosocial stressors, and this might be like, you get a cellphone name out of your boss, otherwise you get that e mail that actually hypes you up, that in your sympathetic nervous system, you’re gonna have truly a decreased stress response while you go into your daily. That, I feel, is the actually cool factor about it. You already know, it’s nice to meditate, it’s nice to do all these practices. But when they’re truly altering your nervous system, such you could go into the world after which have a extra calm response to what’s happening in our tense lives, that’s the actually essential factor.

Being Affected person: When individuals are dancing, are their brains working otherwise than once they’re perhaps simply studying a e book? How does this brain-body connection impression what’s occurring within the mind? 

Basso: Once we’re at relaxation, and after we’re form of on this meditative state, it’s extra this alpha exercise, form of restful state. We’re seeing that after we begin to dance, and we simply introduced this work on the American Faculty of Sports activities Medication convention final week, and we had Lil Buck’s mind on show there, we’re beginning to see that it’s driving extra of this theta exercise. Curiously sufficient, when individuals are watching or observing dance, and we as dancers know this while you watch one other dancer, your mind doesn’t appear to be it’s resting. Your mind truly seems prefer it’s dancing, which is a extremely cool factor known as the motion commentary community or the mirror neuron community. We’re in our heads, form of considering and looking out and seeing like it’s that we’re dancing. So, theta exercise, it’s this sort of exercise that comes on board after we begin to navigate and have interaction in one thing known as spatial navigation.

We’re beginning to transfer via the world and course of time and area a little bit bit otherwise. It’s a theme that’s very a lot related to our reminiscence methods, particularly in an space of the mind known as the hippocampus. A variety of work within the rodent world has been achieved on this discipline. As we form of navigate via time and area, knowledge exercise comes on board. It helps us to study and keep in mind data and consolidate data. 

Being Affected person: What are among the theories you may make now primarily based on scanning dancers’ brains?

Basso: I’m a behavioral neuroscientist, so my very first thing is that I all the time take a look at habits. I all the time wish to see the result of habits earlier than I take a look at the mind. What we’re seeing is that, apparently sufficient, that dance appears to be coaching a few of these social elements. Dance is growing empathy. It’s growing mindfulness, it’s lowering stress, and it’s serving to this social connectivity piece.

Even with a single acute session of dance, there are impacts on the extent of psychological well being. We see decreased ranges of despair and nervousness and in addition elevated ranges of shallowness and constructive have an effect on. So, I find it irresistible when I’ve an intervention that decreases your unfavorable affective states, will increase your constructive affective states, after which additionally will increase your social connection. 

“Even with a single acute session of dance, there
are impacts on the extent of psychological well being.
We see decreased ranges of
despair and nervousness and in addition elevated ranges
of shallowness and constructive have an effect on.”

That was among the work we did through the pandemic after we couldn’t be collectively in particular person. So, our entire world turned on-line. We even did this via the display screen. We have been dancing on-line collectively. We’ve discovered that dance enhances psychological well being features and will increase the social connectivity features. Those that acquire essentially the most of their psychological well being additionally confirmed the largest beneficial properties of their social connectivity. So, I name this the body-mind-community connection. Now, we’re beginning to examine a few of these behavioral outcomes with these mind outcomes. Our speculation is that we’re going to attach these social outcomes to the connection to inter-brain synchrony, and our first findings are that it’s occurring at this alpha-theta exercise, form of the place meditation places you.

Being Affected person: What position does music have in dance and the mind-body connection? Have you ever studied the impacts of various sorts of music?

Basso: One of many tasks that the lab has ongoing is a venture on music remedy for people with Alzheimer’s illness and associated dementia and their caregivers. We’re very fascinated by how music and if you happen to don’t have language, whether or not that might be a toddler hasn’t developed language or in later phases of dementia when there’s language loss— how can we talk?

“Dance is growing empathy. It’s growing
mindfulness, it’s lowering stress, and
it’s serving to this social connectivity piece.”

We’re considering that motion and music is likely to be one in every of these methods to try this and to create this inter-brain synchrony or interpersonal synchrony, particularly essential for somebody with Alzheimer’s illness and their caregiver or different kinds of relations. 

I used to be simply studying this just lately that a few of our reminiscence for language, or perhaps our episodic reminiscence, is likely to be shared in several reminiscence networks than our reminiscence for music. And so these items is likely to be preserved for longer. That’s one of many hypotheses about why we’re capable of join via music.

Additionally, yesterday, I used to be in a music remedy session with people with dementia, we have been enjoying the drums collectively. We have been enjoying one thing the place we communicated via drumming. So first, I’d go, then one of many people would go, proper? And we’d shuttle. Although that particular person wasn’t talking, we have been capable of talk via drumming.

“We’re considering that motion and music
is likely to be one in every of these methods to try this and
to create this inter-brain synchrony or interpersonal
synchrony, particularly essential for somebody with
Alzheimer’s illness and their caregiver
or different kinds of relations.” 

So, we had a dialog, and it was actually magical and great. I’d say, within the absence of language, for no matter purpose, we will make the most of these nonverbal types of communication, like dance, and music, to speak and to attach. 

Being Affected person: In a earlier Dwell Speak with Rebecca Chopp, she spoke to us about taking an artwork class after her dementia prognosis and unleashing a talent for portray she didn’t know existed. Creativity, for some purpose, looks like one thing that may flourish. What do we all know concerning the artistic a part of the mind and the way it’s impacted by dementia?

Basso: With dementia, and a few of these sorts of Alzheimer’s illness and delicate cognitive impairment even early on, we see that there’s a loss in what is named our govt functioning community. So, that might be our prefrontal cortex, our hippocampus, these important seats of studying and reminiscence. These are essentially the most plastic mind areas. These are the mind areas that reply most readily to train to bodily exercise. So there are another networks, proper, that harbor creativity, that could be preserved which may not be degenerating or having that neurodegenerative course of happen, that may be sustained.

The mind may be very plastic. We all know that the mind when within the absence of part of the mind if there’s a traumatic mind harm, the mind preserves itself. So, perhaps one other half takes over. Within the absence of the flexibility to kind episodic recollections or form of keep in mind data, there is likely to be different kinds or modes that take over. Creativity is likely to be one in every of these methods and is likely to be an essential integral option to faucet in.

“Within the absence of the flexibility to kind
episodic recollections or form of keep in mind
data, there is likely to be different
sorts or modes that take over.”

We all know that early on in evolution, one of many first issues we have been doing to speak with one another within the absence of verbal language was transferring, dancing, and recreating rhythms and patterns. So, it’s a really early type of communication. Simply considering theoretically, like perhaps we make the most of these strategies and return to these early types of communication to actually faucet into well being and wellness for people that don’t have that capability anymore. 

Being Affected person: What’s the following part of your analysis?

Basso: We’re working with an entire vary of people. Our latest research is mother-child dance for mothers with PTSD and postpartum despair. We’re whether or not we will use a few of these instruments to reinforce that connectivity between that dyad. Now we have a spread of research happening in people with disabilities and autism spectrum dysfunction, trying to see if dance may help to reinforce social connectivity. We accomplice with totally different neighborhood companions like CEP Virginia, for instance.

We simply began work with Grounded, a program out in Memphis, Tennessee, to work with people, weak populations in adolescence and in form of the varsity system who’re uncovered to violent communities. We’re seeing if we will use dance and artistic artwork packages to reinforce well being and wellness in a spread of people.

Katy Koop is a author and theater artist primarily based in Raleigh, NC.