The brain can be viewed as a multitiered evolutionary organ. Jason Brown’s microgenetic theory stipulates that the mind unfolds through successive phases from the brain stem, through the limbic system, towards the outer limits of the cortex, recapitulating the brain’s evolutionary and developmental history. While this progression and its phases have been documented throughout the literature, it currently lacks specificity in relation to neural networks such as the default mode network, the salience network, and the central executive network. Given that spatiotemporal neuroscience is process-oriented and already embeds large-scale neural networks within empirically derived spatial topographies and temporal dynamics, it provides a natural integrative framework for linking microgenetic theory with contemporary network-based models of brain function. This article concludes by demonstrating how this synthesis can be applied in practice by using it to ground a novel, process-oriented psychotherapeutic meta-framework, the neurodynamic approach. This article first aims to further develop the microgenetic theory from the work of Jason Brown. In contrast to the reigning paradigmatic neuropsychological approach, which attempts to localize neural and cognitive functioning within specific brain structures and regions, the microgenetic approach is a process-oriented approach that conceptualizes mental contents as evolving through the successive evolutionary layers of neural substrate. In this sense, mental processes are not fixed, static, and localized, but follow a spatiotemporal dynamic sequence as they unfold.
The following paper argues that Woolf's method of “watching my mind shape scenes” (1980: 154), that is, a method of “shaping & composing” her books (63), places her writings, and The Waves in particular, alongside Jason Brown's formulation of microgenetic theory, understood (in the first instance) as a short-term formation of a psychological process, and (by Brown himself) as “[t]he incessant flow of cognition, the continual appearance and disappearance of new form at each moment of our waking and sleeping life […]” (Brown, 1977: 11). However, and crucially, it is not by assembling multiple flows of sense data into more complex constructions that we might perceive the objective world, but by sculpting away the unfit to reveal the structure of the world as a surfacing reality. With Brown's microgenesis at the forefront, we provide a reading of Woolf's The Waves, focussing on how two of her major protagonists, Bernard and Rhoda, come to exemplify differing perceptual adaptations to object-formation across the trajectory of the novel. Brown, of course, reminds us that microgenetic moments in cognition may “induce[] confrontation and curtailment of possibility as a ground of struggle or resignation”: he names the mental process to perceived object as “[s]haping by otherness” (Brown, 2019: 126).
The concept of quality of life in medical sciences is regarded as a health indicator and is described in the literature as health-related quality of life (HRQoL). It encompasses various domains, including physical, functional, emotional, social, and economic aspects. It represents a subjective assessment of an individual's ability to function in daily life and their overall life satisfaction. Osteoarthritis is a chronic, progressive disease that gradually leads to joint dysfunction, resulting in difficulties in performing everyday activities. Surgical treatment is commonly used for advanced degenerative changes of the hip joint. The benefits of Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) include pain reduction and improved hip joint mobility, which contribute to enhanced quality of life. The study recruited patients who underwent THA between 2008-2009 and 2013-2014. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 131 participants were enrolled in the study, including 41 individuals assessed five years after THA and 40 individuals assessed ten years after surgery. The control group consisted of 50 participants from the general population without a diagnosis of lower-limb osteoarthritis. All participants were aged between 55 and 70 years. Quality of life was assessed using the Short Form-36 (SF-36) Health Survey. Significant differences were observed in the mean scores of physical health, mental health, and psychological well-being. Regarding physical functioning, significant differences were found among all three study groups. Scores related to role limitations due to emotional problems were significantly lower in the group assessed five years after surgery compared with both the ten-year postoperative group and the control group. In the psychological well-being domain, significant differences were observed between participants assessed five and ten years after surgery. Higher mean scores were recorded in the group evaluated ten years after THA. Mean mental health scores also differed significantly between participants assessed five and ten years after surgery. After adjustment for sociodemographic factors (age, sex, body mass index [BMI], education level, place of residence, employment status, and household management), the significant differences identified in the univariate analyses remained statistically significant and retained the same direction of association for physical functioning, mental health (including role limitations due to emotional problems), and psychological well-being. However, no significant differences were found for physical health. The findings of this study indicate differences in quality-of-life assessments between the study groups and the control group. These differences concern both physical and mental health domains. The quality of life of patients after THA varied between the postoperative groups and was lower than that of individuals in the control group.
The study investigated the relationship between cognitive functioning—including spatial abilities such as mental rotation—and physical activity (PA) in middle‑aged and older adults living in the community. A total of 104 volunteers aged 50–81 participated in the study. Neuropsychological assessment included measures of mental rotation, constructional abilities, attention, working memory, and executive functions. Physical activity was evaluated using the long‑form International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ‑LF), and weekly walking distance was monitored with pedometers. Participants also reported the types of home and leisure activities they performed. Non‑parametric correlation analyses were conducted for the whole sample and separately for men and women. Higher overall cognitive performance was associated with greater PA and more frequent engagement in home and leisure activities. In contrast, higher mental rotation accuracy was related to lower PA levels and slower performance in other cognitive tasks. Women who walked more during the study completed mental rotation tasks more slowly, whereas in men, better cognitive performance was linked to greater walking distance. Higher IPAQ‑LF scores were associated with faster completion of constructional tasks in the full sample and among women. In men, higher IPAQ‑LF scores were related to faster but less accurate mental rotation performance, as well as faster and more accurate working memory results. Participation in a wider range of home and leisure activities was associated with better cognitive functioning and higher PA. The findings suggest that better cognitive functioning is linked to higher PA levels and greater engagement in home and leisure activities among middle‑aged and older adults. The results also highlight the need for further research on mental rotation in adulthood and for continued neuropsychological studies incorporating PA monitoring. Physical activity, housework, and recreational activities may support cognitive functioning in ways accessible to most individuals.
Patients’ rights are a key element of healthcare quality, yet reports from the Patient Rights Ombudsman indicate persistent violations in Poland. Physicians’ knowledge and practical adherence to these rights influence communication, consent procedures, confidentiality and respect for autonomy. Previous studies show discrepancies between self-assessed knowledge and actual practice. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between March and October 2025 among physicians practising in Poland. An author-designed 38‑item questionnaire was completed by 139 respondents. Analyses included chi-square tests, Fisher-Freeman-Halton exact tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, effect sizes and Benjamini-Hochberg FDR correction. Respondents were grouped by age (≤45 vs >45 years) and professional experience (≤25 vs >25 years). Age and professional experience did not significantly differentiate familiarity with the main legal acts governing patients’ rights. After FDR correction, two associations remained significant: younger physicians more frequently reported participation in patients’ rights classes, and physicians with longer professional experience more often declared no experience of observing violations. Other nominal associations—such as perceived responsibility for informing patients or assessments of adherence—did not remain significant. Formal familiarity with legal acts was comparable across groups. Younger physicians more often reported education on patients’ rights, while more experienced physicians reported fewer observed violations. The findings support systematic, practice-oriented training and further multicentre studies using validated instruments.
