Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
June 3, 2026
Isabella Goodwin, Dominic Oliver, Edward Chesney et al.
Global shifts towards the liberalisation of cannabis policies have increased the potency of cannabis products, alongside their accessibility, diversity, and the number of inexperienced cannabis consumers. There is a lack of systematic evidence on the subjective effects of cannabis' main psychoactive compound, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). We systematically reviewed and meta-analysed data from...
Psychopharmacology
May 7, 2026
Emillie Beyer, M. Skumlien, Govinda Poudel et al.
Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) affects ~ 50 million individuals worldwide and is associated with alterations in brain reward pathways. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) show promise in reducing substance use and aberrant brain function in substance use disorders (SUD), but the effects on CUD or brain reward function have not been investigated. To examine whether a 2-week MBI vs. active...
Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation
2026
Ethan Murphy, Chao Suo, Govinda Poudel et al.
The consumption of cannabinoids is highly prevalent and has been associated with altered structural, functional, and metabolic brain integrity, measured using PET and neuroimaging tools. However, the current neuroimaging evidence has been summarized by distinct modalities that measure different metrics of brain integrity, precluding a comprehensive understanding of the underlying neurobiology....
Mindfulness (N Y)
September 26, 2025
Saampras Ganesan, Nicholas T. van Dam, Sunjeev K. Kamboj et al.
3 citations
Neurofeedback Training Facilitates Awareness and Enhances Emotional Well-being Associated with Real-World Meditation Practice: A 7-T MRI Study.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
October 26, 2024
Saampras Ganesan, Nicholas T. van Dam, Sunjeev K. Kamboj et al.
3 citations
preprint
Meditation can benefit well-being and mental health, but novices often struggle to effectively recognize and disengage from mental processes during meditation due to limited awareness, potentially diminishing meditation's benefits. We investigated whether personalised high-precision neurofeedback (NF) can improve disengagement from mental activity during meditation and enhance meditation's...
Brain Research Bulletin
October 15, 2023
Saampras Ganesan, Bradford A. Moffat, Nicholas T. van Dam et al.
13 citations
Mapping the neurobiology of meditation has been bolstered by functional MRI (fMRI) research, with advancements in ultra-high field 7 Tesla fMRI further enhancing signal quality and neuroanatomical resolution. Here, we utilize 7 Tesla fMRI to examine the neural substrates of meditation and replicate existing widespread findings, after accounting for relevant physiological confounds. In this...
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
January 3, 2023
Saampras Ganesan, Bradford A. Moffat, Nicholas T. van Dam et al.
1 citation
preprint
Abstract Objectives Mapping the neurobiology of meditation using 3 Tesla functional MRI (fMRI) has burgeoned recently. However, limitations in signal quality and neuroanatomical resolution have impacted reliability and precision of extant findings. Although ultra-high strength 7 Tesla MRI overcomes these limitations, investigation of meditation using 7 Tesla fMRI is still in its infancy....
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
October 1, 2022
Saampras Ganesan, Emillie Beyer, Bradford A. Moffat et al.
Meditation trains the mind to focus attention towards an object or experience. Among different meditation techniques, focused attention meditation is considered foundational for more advanced practices. Despite renewed interest in its functional neural correlates, there is no unified neurocognitive model of focused attention meditation developed via quantitative synthesis of contemporary...