September 13, 2026
Félix Schoeller, Leonardo Christov-Moore, Ninette Simonian et al.
preprint
Aesthetic chills, psychogenic shivers elicited by emotionally charged stimuli such as music, offer a neurophysiological marker bridging subjective experience and measurable physiology. Although neuroimaging has localized chills to reward and interoceptive circuits and behavioral work has linked them to prosocial outcomes, their electrophysiological signature and its relationship to...
NPJ digital medicine
March 28, 2026
Aidan Cone, Sam Zuzick, Tiffany Durinski et al.
Escalating stress prevalence, particularly among essential service personnel whose cognitive compromise threatens public welfare, necessitates rapid, accessible non-pharmacological interventions. Individuals who struggle with endogenous cultivation of beneficial neuropsychological states may benefit from passive exogenous stimulation. This uncontrolled exploratory investigation (n = 74)...
Scientific Reports
October 26, 2024
Micah Alan Johnson, Ninette Simonian, Nicco Reggente
6 citations
In this randomized, controlled, and double-blind experiment with a relatively large sample (n = 262), a novel technique of audiovisual stimulation (AVS) was demonstrated to substantially improve self-reported mood states by reducing several negative affects, including anxiety and depression, and enhancing performance on mood-sensitive cognitive tasks. Most of the AVS effects were highly similar...
Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science
October 17, 2024
Nicco Reggente, Christian Kothe, Tracy Brandmeyer et al.
15 citations
Meditation practices have demonstrated numerous psychological and physiological benefits, but capturing the neural correlates of varying meditative depths remains challenging. In this study, we aimed to decode self-reported time-varying meditative depth in expert practitioners using electroencephalography (EEG). Expert Vipassana meditators ( n = 34) participated in 2 separate sessions....
Research Square
March 14, 2024
Micah Johnson, Ninette Simonian, Nicco Reggente
Abstract In this randomized, controlled, and double-blind experiment with a relatively large sample (n = 262), a novel technique of audiovisual stimulation (AVS) was demonstrated to substantially improve self-reported mood states by reducing several negative affects, including anxiety and depression, and enhancing performance on mood-sensitive cognitive tasks. Most of the AVS effects were...
January 31, 2024
Joshua Cain, Tracy Brandmeyer, Ninette Simonian et al.
9 citations
preprint
This study aims to assess the validity of focused ultrasound (FUS) stimulation as a method for facilitating meditative development, which may have application for novice or intermediate meditators seeking to improve their practice. A growing body of work suggests profound benefits to health and wellbeing following consistent meditation practice; however, successfully maintaining such a practice...
January 31, 2024
Nicco Reggente, Christian Kothe, Tracy Brandmeyer et al.
4 citations
preprint
Meditation practices have demonstrated numerous psychological and physiological benefits, yet capturing the neural correlates of varying meditative depths remains challenging. This study aimed to decode self-reported time-varying meditative depth in expert practitioners using EEG. Expert Vipassana meditators (n=34) participated in two separate sessions. Participants reported their meditative...
bioRxiv Preprint Server
October 25, 2023
Joel Frohlich, Ninette Simonian, Grant Hanada et al.
preprint
Stroboscopic or “flicker” stimulation is a form of periodic visual stimulation that induces geometric hallucinations through closed eyelids. While the visual effects of this form of sensory stimulation have received considerable attention, few studies have investigated the neural entrainment effects of periodic visual stimulation. Here, we introduce two variants of the classic flicker paradigm...