NeuroFeedback, NeurOptimal and Electroencephalography

[Persej]

The only connection that I was able to find between brain and proanthocyanidins is NAD+.

Dietary proanthocyanidins boost hepatic NAD+ metabolism and SIRT1 expression and activity in a dose-dependent manner in healthy rats

Proanthocyanidins (PACs) have been reported to modulate multiple targets by simultaneously controlling many pivotal metabolic pathways in the liver. However, the precise mechanism of PAC action on the regulation of the genes that control hepatic metabolism ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Grape Seed Proanthocyanidin Extract Moderated Retinal Pigment Epithelium Cellular Senescence Through NAMPT/SIRT1/NLRP3 Pathway

Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cellular senescence is an important process in degenerative retinal disorders. Grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) alleviates senescence-related degenerative disorders; however, the potential effects of GSPE intake ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

You can also increase NAD+ with NMN and NR.

NMN vs NR: The Differences Between These 2 NAD+ Precursors

Discover details about NMN and NR from their molecular size to their positions in the biosynthesis pathway.

www.nmn.com

You can also get a direct NAD+ treatment.

I Got a $600 Brain 'Reboot' and It Changed My World

It's good to be skeptical about wonder drugs, because often there's nothing wonderful about them at all. So when a finance worker friend of mine told me he'd discovered a miracle treatment that gives him a huge advantage over his colleagues, I was dubious. "No—I'm full of energy every day and feel like a new person!" he promised. "I don't need to drink eight cups of coffee every day now; this is so much better, and I just get a top up every few weeks!"

I suspected he may have just found out about Modafinil, or one of the other study drugs internet psychonauts have already been using for years. But I was wrong. He sent me a link to a pharmacy in South Kensington offering intravenous "Brain Reboot Infusions," which of course sound far too much like something from Minority Report to be genuinely real. But I decided to give my friend the benefit of the doubt and do a little research anyway.

The main ingredient in the intravenous cocktail is nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or "NAD+." Discovered in 1906, it's a coenzyme found in all living cells that is "essentially responsible for converting food energy into cellular energy," according to Dr. Mark Collins, consultant psychiatrist at the Priory Hospital, Roehampton.

The internet tells me NAD+ is popular among the "anti-aging community," thanks to a Harvard Medical School study that found it rewound "aspects of age-related demise in mice." It's also supposedly good for: detoxing from alcohol and drugs, increasing energy and focus, reducing chronic fatigue, increasing your metabolism, and improving your cardiovascular health.

It still sounded like bullshit, but the only way I could tell for certain was to put it to the test. I'd quit drinking that particular week, and—as I'd learned online—this treatment could apparently help to mitigate my booze cravings, so the timing was perfect: I booked an appointment for the following day.

Zen Healthcare, just around the corner from Harrods, specializes in the kind of things you might expect a Knightsbridge clinic to specialize in: "bespoke weight loss therapies," travel vaccinations for far-flung locations, botox, "vampire facials," and, of course, Brain Reboot Infusions—which will set you back about $600. (Full disclosure: I got mine for free.)

I arrived a little early, but a Dr. Yassine was there to meet me and explain some of the side effects I might experience while receiving the treatment.

"You will feel your chest tighten and may get a headache," he said. "But this will pass."

I signed some waivers and was escorted to a room where Yassine took my blood pressure. Which, you'll be happy to hear, was normal.

"Are you OK with needles?" he asked.

"Yeah, fine."

Yassine inserted the drip and, a moment later, the "Brain Reboot Cocktail" was flowing through my veins. As he'd warned, I began to feel my chest tighten. Thirty minutes in, I started to wonder what I was doing—my head was aching, the discomfort was becoming kind of alarming, and I was suddenly acutely aware that a foreign substance had by now probably completely flooded my bloodstream. I toyed with the idea of hitting the buzzer Yassine had provided me with should I want to end the treatment, but I decided to stay the course.

Fifty minutes in, I felt a calm sense of positivity envelope my body. Yassine came in and said I had ten minutes left, which flew by. Removing the IV, he asked me how I felt.

"Kinda dreamy," I said.

"A lot of people say similar. Be careful on your way home."

I thanked Yassine more than I needed to. It was time for me to go.

I walked outside, and it hit me: I felt a surge of energy, but no jitters or edginess. My mood had noticeably improved. I felt poised, positive, and pumped-up. I remember thinking, This is awesome, and then saying exactly that out loud. I hopped on the subway, which was as crowded as ever, but for once all the back sweat and the fact it was nearly getting in my mouth didn't bum me out at all.

I woke up the next day at 7 AM and didn't feel horrendous, which is unusual for me. In fact, I felt great. The dreamy feeling had gone, but there was a definite improvement in energy levels, focus, and mindset. This continued throughout the rest of the day, and then for the following eight or so days. But what of its supposed effects on my otherwise unwavering love for beer?

"It's been known for decades that a high dose of vitamin B3—the 'poor man's' way of elevating NAD levels—has a beneficial effect for alcoholics, both in terms of detoxification and, perhaps more importantly, in reducing craving and anxiety levels after detoxification," said Dr. Mark Collins in an email.

And it seems the theory still holds: In all the time I could feel the treatment's effects, I didn't crave the cold embrace of a freshly poured pint even once.

That said, my cravings were just that: cravings. It's not like I was in the midst of a full-blown Stella dependence; I just like alcohol. So to find out how useful NAD+ therapy really is when it comes to drug or alcohol addictions, I asked Dr. Yassine to take me through the theory of how exactly a Brain Reboot Infusion can help someone suffering from withdrawal.

"NAD+ has a significant role in reducing the withdrawal effects by restoring the neurotransmitter balance, which shifts significantly after the drug that's been withdrawn has been removed," he explained. "As a result, the patient experiences almost no withdrawal symptoms whilst and after completing the infusion cycle."

Of course, Dr. Yassine works at a clinic that offers this procedure, so it would make sense for him to talk up NAD+. Still, Dr. Collins—who specializes in addictions and has no real reason to sing the treatment's praises—is also complimentary, if a little cautiously. "I have now witnessed its use in many patients and am very impressed with the short-term results," he said in his email, adding that "what is clearly needed is more research, and in particular longer-term outcome studies."

Dr. Yassine put me in touch with some patients, on the condition of anonymity, to hear how the treatment has worked out for them.

"I've been taking codeine for the last few months," said Jeff*. "It started with a back pain, and I never realized I was going to be hooked up. Then I tried to stop, and it was hell. But having tried NAD+ infusions, stopping codeine has been easier; I didn't feel all the debilitating symptoms I'd experienced earlier."

Ian*, who had been using crack and heroin, had a similar experience.

"I'd be lying if I said the thoughts [about picking up] aren't in my mind, and in my mind often, but that deep 'urge' that addicts will know about isn't there any longer," he said. "I also see a therapist to talk through and figure out why I'm driven to such behaviors, but as of right now, I feel a sense of self-control that I've not felt in a long time. I still have more treatments to go, and I feel I'll always need therapy, but thank God I decided to tell some strangers my deepest problems. Things could have been very different."

Ian's point is important: NAD+ therapy—while seemingly useful, according to everyone I spoke to—is not a panacea. While it may well dull cravings in some patients, it might not for others—and clearly it can't be relied upon exclusively without additional therapy and other forms of treatment.

For me, the treatment did exactly what it said it would, and there are promising signs that it helps with drug and alcohol withdrawal. But as for NAD+'s supposed anti-aging properties, or its ability to improve your metabolism and cardiovascular health, it's very early days. As Dr. Collins pointed out, much more research needs to be done before anything can be said for sure.

I Got a $600 Brain 'Reboot' and It Changed My World

NAD+ therapy can supposedly increase your energy, focus, and metabolism, improve your cardiovascular health, and help you detox from alcohol and drugs. All this, of course, sounds incredibly unlikely—so I thought I'd see for myself.

www.vice.com

 

[Persej]

The interesting thing about ADHD studies with grape seed extract is that it worked on children, but not on adults. And if the connection with NAD+ is true, then it makes sense, because children have more NAD+ than adults, so a little improvement in NAD+ production with grape seed extract might be enough for them but not for adults. So the adults probably won't feel many benefits if they take grape seed extract alone. Fortunately, there are many other things that can also improve NAD+. And,
fortuitously, I was taking a lot of them together, which would explain some of my experiences which I couldn't replicate because I had no idea what was going on. But it seems that things are finally starting to make sense.

 

[Persej]

I found a guy on YT who experiments with different things and also does lab testing. He says that he had no improvement in NAD+ with grape seed extract.

 

[Persej]

In recent years, there has been a lot of research on using the 40 Hz light therapy to stimulate the brain. You can find one review of that research here: Gamma oscillations and application of 40‐Hz audiovisual stimulation to improve brain function

They basically use a stroboscopic, 40 Hz, 50% duty cycle, light for visual stimulation. Which is sometimes also followed by the same 40 Hz audio stimulation. The problem with this method is that it produces a very unpleasant flickering light. But there is one study that showed that the same effect, although less strong, can be produced using the invisible flicker: Novel Invisible Spectral Flicker Induces 40 Hz Neural Entrainment with Similar Spatial Distribution as 40 Hz Stroboscopic Light

There is also a study that shows that cognitive task during this light therapy can improve the outcome: Cognitive tasks propagate the neural entrainment in response to a visual 40 Hz stimulation in humans

We are surrounded by flickering lights that have a negative effect on our brainwaves, but what if some flicker can be used for our benefit?

 

[Persej]

This sounds exactly how NeurOptimal neurofeedback works.

Novel Neurofeedback Technique Enhances Awareness of Mind-Wandering

Summary: Researchers have developed a novel neurofeedback technique based on Pavlovian conditioning that detects when a person’s mind is wandering.

Everyone knows the feeling. You are trying to concentrate on driving or studying, or paying attention in a boring meeting, but suddenly, you realize that you are thinking about something irrelevant to the task at hand.

While mind-wandering is sometimes associated with mental problems such as depression, it also contributes to our creativity. Therefore, what we need is not to avoid mind-wandering, but to learn how to manage it.

The first step to control mind-wandering is to realize that it is occurring. Once we notice it, we are free to stop or to continue it. At ATR, we developed the first method, a neurofeedback technique, to enhance awareness of mind-wandering.

We performed a double-blinded test with 36 participants and demonstrated that awareness of mind-wandering was significantly enhanced after 20 minutes of neurofeedback. Participants were assigned by computer to control and experimental groups and those assignments were withheld from experimenters.

During neurofeedback, artificial intelligence was used to identify mind-wandering of participants performing a task that requires concentration.

In the control group, soft tones were presented at irregular intervals. In the experimental group, those tones were sounded when neurofeedback detected that a participant’s mind was wandering.

However, until debriefing at the end of the experiment, participants in both groups were told that tones were meaningless and were instructed to ignore them.

Since people become aware that their minds are wandering at the time their attention is re-directed back to the external environment, we hypothesized that this novel neurofeedback creates a state in which participants become cognizant of mind-wandering whenever it occurs.

This study had two unique features. First, participants in the experimental group did not know that they had received neurofeedback and they didn’t realize that their awareness of mind-wandering had been enhanced. Second, in conventional neurofeedback, participants obtain rewards when they control their brains well.

In contrast, our neurofeedback employed no rewards or punishments. Instead, it was based on traditional (Pavlovian) conditioning.

This study did not reveal how long effects of this neurofeedback persist, but probably they will not last long. However, future studies will examine whether repeated neurofeedback endures in daily life, and we will also explore training techniques to improve mood and mental problems and to enhance creativity.

Novel Neurofeedback Technique Enhances Awareness of Mind-Wandering - Neuroscience News

Researchers have developed a novel neurofeedback technique based on Pavlovian conditioning that detects when a person's mind is wandering.

neurosciencenews.com

Absorption in mind-wandering (MW) may worsen our mood and can cause psychological disorders. Researchers indicate the possibility that meta-awareness of MW prevents these mal-effects and enhances favorable consequences of MW, such as boosting creativity; thus, meta-awareness has attracted psychological and clinical attention. However, few studies have investigated the nature of meta-awareness of MW, because there has been no method to isolate and operate this ability. Therefore, we propose a new approach to manipulate the ability of meta-awareness. We used Pavlovian conditioning, tying to it an occurrence of MW and a neutral tone sound inducing the meta-awareness of MW. To perform paired presentations of the unconditioned stimulus (neutral tone) and the conditioned stimulus (perception accompanying MW), we detected participants’ natural occurrence of MW via electroencephalogram and a machine-learning estimation method. The double-blinded randomized controlled trial with 37 participants found that a single 20-min conditioning session significantly increased the meta-awareness of MW as assessed by behavioral and neuroscientific measures. The core protocol of the proposed method is real-time feedback on participants’ neural information, and in that sense, we can refer to it as neurofeedback. However, there are some differences from typical neurofeedback protocols, and we discuss them in this paper. Our novel classical conditioning is expected to contribute to future research on the modulation effect of meta-awareness on MW.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0893608022004658

 

[Persej]

These headphones claim to use the same approach as explained in the previous post, but they don't offer any real-time feedback. Maybe they will add it in the future.

 

[Persej]

What kind of magic is this?

I made an AI summary of the third video for those who don't want to watch it:

00:00:00​

Dr. Clark Elliott discusses his personal journey of recovery from a traumatic brain injury in the YouTube video "The Ghost in my Brain". He highlights the prevalence of brain injuries across various demographics and the challenges of misdiagnosis and dismissal faced by those affected. Through his experience, Elliott showcases the promising field of brain plasticity and the transformative effects of neuro optometric brain rehabilitation techniques. By sharing his struggles with daily tasks, cognitive deterioration, and sensory overload following his injury, he emphasizes the importance of raising awareness about new treatment possibilities and destigmatizing brain injuries in society.

• 00:00:00 In this section, Dr. Clark Elliott discusses the prevalence of head injuries and the long-term impacts it can have on individuals from all walks of life. He highlights the common misdiagnoses and dismissals faced by those suffering from brain trauma, ranging from military veterans to young soccer players and elderly individuals. Despite the historical lack of understanding and treatment options for brain injuries, Dr. Elliott emphasizes the promising field of brain plasticity, which posits that the brain is adaptable and can reassign functions to healthy areas. Through his own personal journey of recovery, he sheds light on the importance of raising awareness about new treatment possibilities and the need to destigmatize brain injuries in society.
• 00:05:00 In this section, Clark Elliott discusses his book "The Ghost in my Brain" and the three purposes behind it. He shares that the detailed account of his brain injury experiences has resonated with readers who felt relieved to know they were not alone in their struggles. Elliott receives numerous heartfelt messages from people worldwide, including military personnel, expressing gratitude for believing in them and acknowledging their experiences. He emphasizes the importance of neuro Optometric brain rehabilitation techniques, backed by hard science, and celebrates the remarkable capabilities of the human brain, highlighting its computational power compared to millions of desktop computers.
• 00:10:00 In this section, the speaker reflects on his unique position resulting from a brain injury that slowed down his processing speed, allowing him to observe and record the slow-motion processing of his brain, which later led to the publication of a book about his recovery journey. Despite being told he would not recover, he showed dramatic improvement within just 3 weeks of starting Optometric and cognitive restructuring treatments. The speaker describes the insidious nature of concussions, sharing personal experiences of struggling with daily tasks and cognitive deterioration, emphasizing the importance of simple treatments like paper and pencil exercises and prescription eyeglasses in aiding his full recovery after two years of dedicated effort.
• 00:15:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the challenges of diagnosing brain injuries due to the difficulty in recognizing the missing aspects caused by the damage. He shares personal experiences such as losing the right side of his world, inability to initiate actions like rising from a chair or walking through doorways, and struggling with balance problems. Additionally, he explains the complex relationship between the inner ear, visual system, and proceptive sense in maintaining balance, detailing how he had to rely heavily on his damaged visual system to compensate for his impaired inner ear function. The speaker also touches upon the importance of the visual system in processing sounds and creating visual images from speech, showcasing the intricate connections within the brain affected by his injury.
• 00:20:00 In this section, the speaker describes how his head injury affected his ability to use his visual system to interpret speech and maintain balance, resulting in intense nausea and pain when engaging in tasks requiring visualization. He also discusses the constant pain, decision-making difficulties, and inability to multitask commonly associated with head injuries. Despite struggling with tasks like copying a simple drawing or making decisions, the speaker found relief and regained function through working with a professional, showcasing the journey towards recovery after experiencing the challenges brought on by his injury.
• 00:25:00 In this section, the speaker shares how a head injury affected his ability to process auditory information, leading to difficulties like prolonged seizures and challenges with automatic processing of audio signals into meaningful symbols. He discusses the necessity to wear glasses in some cases to help with hearing difficulties, highlighting the importance of visual spatial processing in human cognition. Additionally, he reflects on the significant impact of losing the ability to understand time due to impairments in ordinality and ordering properties of numbers, citing examples of others with head injuries facing similar struggles. The speaker also describes the overwhelming experience of sensory overload without the ability to filter incoming stimuli, likening it to a state of constant sensory chaos that can feel like madness.
• 00:30:00 In this section, Clark Elliott discusses the intense alienation he experienced after a head injury, feeling like an exile from the human race and longing to be human again. Despite being told his brain injury was permanent and feeling hopeless, he was one of the few who experienced recovery through a treatment plan based on neuroplasticity. Using context-free visual puzzles and prescription eyeglasses, the treatment focused on building new cognitive pathways in his brain and avoiding damaged areas. By emphasizing healthy pathways to the visual cortex, his brain was able to reconfigure and adapt, allowing him to regain visual-spatial reasoning abilities necessary for his work as a professor of artificial intelligence.
• 00:35:00 In this section, Clark Elliott describes his journey of relearning basic visual-spatial concepts through intensive cognitive exercises with a therapist. Starting from identifying simple shapes like triangles and squares, he gradually progressed to complex visual puzzles that required cognitive processing and constraint recognition. He also underwent optometric treatment involving Neurodevelopmental Brain Techniques, where his optometrist altered the input to his retina to reconfigure his brain's processing paths. Through prism glasses and various tests like the Padula visual midline shift and the King-Devick test, his brain was trained to improve visual-spatial processing, ultimately impacting his overall cognitive functioning. Additionally, he highlights a case where a student struggled with physics due to visual processing difficulties, showcasing the importance of addressing underlying visual-spatial challenges in cognitive tasks.
• 00:40:00 In this section, Clark Elliott discusses the importance of depth perception in relation to the balance between the processing abilities of our eyes. He explains how when one eye lags behind the other in focusing and adjusting angles, it can result in a loss of depth perception, making it difficult to understand spatial relationships in tasks like mental rotations required for studying Physics. He also delves into the three categories of retinal input, including non-image forming pathways that play a significant role in our spatial awareness, emotions, and overall grounding in the world. Elliott highlights the impact of glasses on these pathways, emphasizing the importance of considering these aspects when addressing visual processing issues to fully comprehend human perception.
• 00:45:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the profound impact of receiving treatment for brain injury using prisms to correct visual issues. The treatment resulted in a remarkable transformation as the individual regained lost abilities and memories, symbolized by the metaphorical return of his former self. While reflecting on the potential scientific and spiritual explanations for his experience, the speaker expresses immense gratitude for the individuals who helped him regain his life. The speaker emphasizes the importance of neurodevelopmental optometry in addressing the effects of head injuries, highlighting the successful results and broader acceptance of this approach in the medical community. Additionally, the speaker outlines the impact of cognitive restructuring and visual puzzles in treating certain classes of mild traumatic brain injury, underscoring the urgency of addressing the epidemic of head injuries in the United States.
• 00:50:00 In this section, Clark Elliott discusses the significant changes in his brain state when wearing prescription eyeglasses, even with his eyes closed, due to the impact of non-image forming retinal processing pathways that operate in low light conditions. He also explores the potential applications of neurodevelopmental optometry in assisting stroke victims, emphasizing the importance of addressing processing problems to make individuals more comfortable. While he acknowledges the scarcity of practitioners specializing in this area, he mentions the Neuro Optometric Rehabilitation Association (NORA) as a resource to find neurodevelopmental optometrists across the United States. Although Clark Elliott highlights the unique approaches of practitioners like Deborah Zalinsky and Donal Lee, he also notes the need for more professionals trained in this field to help the millions of individuals who could benefit from such interventions.
• 00:55:00 In this section, Clark Elliott discusses the importance of neurodevelopmental Optometry in understanding that humans are visual-spatial beings, highlighting the newness of this concept in the fields of Optometry, Neuroscience, and Medicine. He reflects on his personal experiences dealing with challenges resulting from a head injury, including struggles with decision-making and rule-following. Elliott shares a humorous anecdote about being in "rule following mode" and not being able to enter a store despite a sign inviting him in, illustrating the complexities he faced. When asked about the potential impact of brain plasticity treatment on individuals who are visually impaired from birth, Elliott explains that even those who are completely blind still have internal visual-spatial representations of the world around them, suggesting that there may be possibilities for adaptation and response to such treatments.

01:00:00​

Clark Elliott, the speaker in the video "The Ghost in my Brain," recounts his journey with prescription eyeglasses that improved his cognitive functions post-traumatic brain injury, emphasizing the importance of peripheral processing and balancing brain activity. Despite setbacks like losing a pair of glasses, he found that even wearing them briefly in the morning could reset his progress. Elliott's experience led him to deepen his understanding of the connections between perception, cognition, and consciousness, drawing on his spiritual beliefs for guidance during his recovery. Additionally, he reflects on the brain as a visual spatial device and touches on the complexities of human memory and cognitive abilities, raising questions about human consciousness and emotional experiences. Lastly, Elliott discusses the profound changes in his spiritual life and sense of connectedness to the universe after his brain injury, acknowledging the transformative impact of such trauma on one's perception of the world.

• 01:00:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the unique visual spatial processing abilities of individuals who are blind or have impaired vision, highlighting the importance of understanding the brain as a visual spatial device even in the absence of retinal input. The speaker touches on the plasticity of the brain and its ability to adapt and change throughout life, drawing parallels with their own experience of using neurodevelopmental glasses to improve visual processing. They emphasize the significance of addressing peripheral and non-image forming processing in addition to prescription glasses to optimize visual functioning post-injury or impairment. The speaker also shares their personal journey of trying multiple pairs of glasses with various adjustments to enhance their visual perception.
• 01:05:00 In this section, Clark Elliott recounts his journey with different pairs of prescription eyeglasses that helped improve his cognitive functions following a traumatic brain injury. By wearing glasses that emphasized peripheral processing and balanced the activity between the left and right sides of his brain, he experienced significant improvements in his ability to solve complex problems and visualize spatial information. Despite losing a pair of glasses and experiencing regression, he found that even wearing them for a short time in the morning helped reset his progress. Through this process, Elliott gained a deeper appreciation for the connections between perception, cognition, and consciousness, drawing on his spiritual beliefs for guidance throughout his recovery.
• 01:10:00 In this section, the speaker reflects on a moment of dissociation he experienced after a brain injury, comparing it to reading a technical manual with no emotional connection. He delves into the idea of the brain as a physical device, discussing the complex nature of human memory and cognitive abilities. Through a thought experiment involving replacing brain cells with computers, he raises questions about what defines human consciousness and emotional experiences, ultimately highlighting the limitations of equating the brain to a mere physical entity.
• 01:15:00 In this section, Clark Elliott reflects on the profound changes he experienced in his spiritual life and sense of connectedness to the universe after sustaining a physical brain injury. He highlights that these shifts were eye-opening for him, as they brought to light the stark contrast between his previous beliefs and the reality he faced post-injury. Elliott acknowledges the undeniable impact a brain injury can have on one's perception of the world, citing the disappearance of spiritual concepts and connectedness as evidence of the profound effects of such trauma.

But the AI skipped the part where he talks about how he saw a ghostly thing behind his back slowly coming closer to his body until it finally merged with him. He thinks that it was his soul that merged with him once his brain became healthy again. He thinks that the brain is a tool that connects us to something greater than ourselves, and that connection, which he lost after the car accident, was restored with this therapy.

 

[monotonic]

The part about glasses is interesting.

ADHD Glasses: A Comprehensive Guide to Improving Focus and Reducing Visual Stress

Discover how ADHD glasses can improve focus, reduce visual stress, and support individuals with ADHD in daily life. Explore their benefits today!

neurolaunch.com

It seems to be about reducing visual stress and improving visual processing. Rose tinted glasses are a real example.

After learning about glasses and customizing my prescription, I will say that another way to achieve something similar would be to get glasses with low lens distortion, or altering the prescription to prioritize spatial accuracy (rather than fully correcting astigmatism for instance). Lenses have residual demagnification and disrupt the depth-convergence relationship we use to judge distance. Minus lenses (for nearsightedness) make everything look further away, especially things up close. This can create a sense of detachment, like watching your life through a screen (some people seem to be addicted to minus lenses, hence the epidemic of "over-minusing" by optometrists, or at least they blame patients for this). Of course everything being blurry also creates detachment, so there is a balance to be reached.