Molecular Psychiatry
June 1, 2023
Jiahe Zhang, Jovicarole Raya, Francesca Morfini et al.
65 citations
Adolescents with a lifetime history of depression or anxiety (n = 9) participated in a proof-of-concept study using personalized mindfulness-based fMRI neurofeedback to reduce default mode network hyperconnectivity, a neural mechanism linked to depressive symptoms. After a resting state fMRI localizer to map each adolescent's default mode and central executive networks, a brief mindfulness training and neurofeedback session followed. The neurofeedback successfully engaged the target brain state, with participants spending more time with default mode network activation lower than central executive network activation. Within-default mode network connectivity decreased in all nine adolescents, correlating with increased state mindfulness after the session. Reduced within-default mode network connectivity mediated the link between better neurofeedback performance and increased state mindfulness, suggesting this non-invasive method can modulate networks involved in adolescent depression.
Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging
April 1, 2025
Vaibhav Tripathi, Ishaan Batta, Andre Zamani et al.
23 citations
The default mode network (DMN) is linked to self-referential thinking, memory, and goal-directed cognition. Its functional connectivity with frontoparietal networks involved in attention and executive control may indicate cognitive health. This review examines DMN connectivity metrics as potential biomarkers across states like attention, mind wandering, and meditation, and in conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, depression, and ADHD. It also addresses the reliability of network estimation and offers recommendations for using functional connectivity measures as biomarkers of cognitive health.
BMC Psychiatry
October 17, 2023
Paul A Bloom, David Pagliaccio, Jiahe Zhang et al.
17 citations
Adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) may benefit from a non-invasive technique that combines mindfulness with real-time fMRI neurofeedback (mbNF) to reduce activity in the default mode network (DMN), a brain network linked to rumination. In a planned trial, 90 adolescents aged 13–18 with MDD will be randomly assigned to receive either 15 or 30 minutes of mbNF. During the procedure, participants practice mindfulness while a ball on a screen moves based on their brain activity, targeting the frontoparietal network relative to the DMN. The study will test whether mbNF reduces functional connectivity within the DMN and whether longer dosing produces greater effects, with secondary outcomes including changes in depressive symptoms and rumination.
bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology
September 15, 2024
Isaac N Treves, Keara D Greene, Zia Bajwa et al.
7 citations
preprint
A systematic review of EEG and fMRI studies combining mindfulness meditation with neurofeedback found that fMRI studies primarily aimed to downregulate the default-mode network (DMN). Although decreases in DMN activations were observed during neurofeedback, there is a lack of evidence for transfer effects, and most studies lacked adequate controls such as sham neurofeedback, so DMN decreases may be confounded by general task-related deactivation. EEG studies most robustly supported modulation of theta band activity. Both EEG and fMRI mindfulness-based neurofeedback have been implemented with high fidelity in clinical populations, but mental health benefits have not been established. The review recommends sham-controlled RCTs and clear reporting using CRED-NF guidelines.
April 14, 2024
Vaibhav Tripathi, Ishaan Batta, Andre Zamani et al.
preprint
The default mode network (DMN) supports self-referential thinking, memory, and understanding others. Its functional connectivity with frontoparietal and dorsal attention networks is anti-correlated: when attention turns outward, the DMN deactivates. This switching between internal and external modes, mediated by salience networks, may indicate cognitive health. Resting-state fMRI enables large-scale datasets for standardized connectivity benchmarks. This review examines DMN connectivity metrics as potential biomarkers of cognitive state in attention, mind wandering, meditation, and clinical conditions like anxiety, depression, ADHD, and PTSD. It also addresses reliability issues and offers recommendations for using connectivity measures as biomarkers of cognitive health.
Psychiatry research. Neuroimaging
October 1, 2025
Clemens C C Bauer, Jiahe Zhang, Francesca Morfini et al.
Auditory hallucinations affect 60-80% of schizophrenia patients and often resist antipsychotic treatment. This randomized, sham-controlled trial tested whether real-time fMRI neurofeedback targeting the superior temporal gyrus, combined with mindfulness meditation, produces specific neural changes beyond placebo. Twenty-three adults with medication-resistant hallucinations practiced mindfulness meditation while receiving neurofeedback from either the superior temporal gyrus or motor cortex. Both groups reported reduced hallucinations after neurofeedback, with no group differences in symptom reduction. However, real neurofeedback produced greater reductions in secondary auditory cortex activation and connectivity between auditory cortex and cognitive control regions (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate), which persisted in a crossover condition. Mindfulness meditation independently reduced primary auditory cortex activation. Region-specific neurofeedback targeting modulates auditory-cognitive control networks, potentially restoring the balance between bottom-up sensory processing and top-down control.
bioRxiv
September 15, 2024
I. Treves, Keara D Greene, Zia Bajwa et al.
A systematic review of EEG and fMRI studies that combine mindfulness meditation with neurofeedback (mbNF) found that fMRI studies primarily target downregulation of the default-mode network (DMN). Although some studies report decreases in DMN activation during neurofeedback, there is insufficient evidence for lasting transfer effects, and most studies lacked adequate control conditions such as sham neurofeedback, so DMN decreases may reflect general task-related deactivation rather than a specific effect of mbNF. EEG studies most consistently show modulation of theta band activity. Both EEG and fMRI mbNF have been implemented with high fidelity in clinical populations, but mental health benefits have not been established. The review recommends sham-controlled randomized trials and clearer reporting.
2023 11th International Conference on Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction Workshops and Demos
September 10, 2023
Clemens C C Bauer, Jiahe Zhang, Margaret Niznikiewicz et al.
Real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback (rt-fMRI-NF) may offer a way to alter specific, individualized brain systems underlying mental health conditions, addressing a gap where few therapies can change such patterns. Two recent studies from the authors' group suggest this technique is a potential treatment: one for auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia patients, and another for teenagers with a history of affective disorders. The approach aims to overcome methodological issues and lack of specificity that have hindered neurofeedback's acceptance in mental health.