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Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience

ISSN 1662-5153

35 papers in the library · 1,123 citations · publishing 2009-2026

Papers

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Towards a neurophysiological model of kundalini: a theoretical framework informed by preliminary clinical observations

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience June 10, 2026 Swapan Samanta, Nirmal Sultania, Mukul Roychoudhury et al.

The purpose of the present paper is not to validate the metaphysical claims of yogic traditions, but to examine whether their phenomenological descriptions correspond to measurable physiological processes. The proposal advanced here is explicitly theoretical: a hypothesis-generating model informed by preliminary retrospective clinical observations, not a claim of established proof. All...

Same dose, different impact: acute cannabis intoxication impairs visuospatial working memory in both sexes, with disproportionate male vulnerability

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience April 16, 2026 Chen Hanna Ryder, Carmit Gal, Einav Levy et al.

Introduction With expanding global cannabis legalization and rising usage rates, elucidating the specific neurocognitive impact of acute cannabis intoxication across biological sexes is critical. Methods Using a 2 × 2 factorial design, we examined 154 adults: 77 individuals who use cannabis regularly (≥ 5 days/week for ≥ 1 year; 46 males, 31 females) and 77 matched controls (32 males, 45...

The magic of mushrooms: psilocybin influences behavior in the mangrove rivulus fish, Kryptolebias marmoratus.

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 2026 Dayna Forsyth, Nicoletta Faraone, Simon G. Lamarre et al.

Non-human models, including fish, are increasingly important for investigating how pharmacological agents such as hallucinogens influence behavior, physiology, and cellular processes. These models help to reveal underlying mechanisms and to support assessments of toxicological impact, efficacy, and safety. In this study, we used isogenic lineages of the amphibious mangrove rivulus (Kryptolebias...

Inflammatory state moderates response to cannabis on negative affect and sleep quality in individuals with anxiety

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience July 1, 2025 Richard G. Hunter, Annelise Madison, Jonathon K. Lisano et al.

Introduction Inflammation has been implicated as an underlying pathology in negative affect and sleep disruption. Cannabinoids like delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) have demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties. This study aimed to assess if cannabis use altered cytokine concentration and whether inflammatory status moderated the influence of 4 weeks of cannabis use on...

Enhanced functional connectivity between the default mode network and executive control network during flow states may facilitate creativity and emotional regulation, and may improve health outcomes.

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 2025 Kelly Barnett, Fabian Vasiu

Flow is characterized by complete immersion and optimal engagement in a task, striking a balance between challenge and skill. Recent neuroimaging studies suggest that flow involves dynamic interactions among large-scale brain networks, particularly the default mode network (DMN) and the executive control network (ECN). This review aims to synthesize current findings on how flow-related DMN-ECN...

Trauma and the default mode network: review and exploratory study

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience December 23, 2024 Aldrich Chan, Philip D. Harvey, R Hernandez-Cardenache et al. 9 citations

While PTSD continues to be researched in great depth, less attention has been given to the continuum of traumatic responses that resides outside this diagnosis. This investigation begins with a literature review examining the spectrum of responses through the lens of the default mode network (DMN). To build upon this literature, a systematic exploratory study was incorporated, examining...

Interoceptive awareness: MBSR training alters information processing of salience network

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience March 21, 2023 Shiao-Fei Guu, Yi-Ping Chao, Feng-Ying Huang et al. 28 citations

Mindfulness refers to a mental state of awareness of internal experience without judgment. Studies have suggested that each mindfulness practice may involve a unique mental state, but the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms remain unknown. Here we examined how distinct mindfulness practices after mindfulness-based intervention alter brain functionality. Specifically, we investigated the...

Adaptability, supernaturalness, and the neurocognitive basis of the self-transcendence trait: Toward an integrated framework through disaster psychology and a self-agency model

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience August 18, 2022 Motoaki Sugiura

OPINION article Front. Behav. Neurosci., 18 August 2022Sec. Emotion Regulation and Processing Volume 16 - 2022 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2022.943809

S-Ketamine Pretreatment Alleviates Anxiety-Like Behaviors and Mechanical Allodynia and Blocks the Pro-inflammatory Response in Striatum and Periaqueductal Gray From a Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Model

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience April 14, 2022 Shuai Yang, Ke Xu, Xuan Xu et al.

This study aims to explore the regulatory effect of S-ketamine on the mechanical allodynia, anxiety-like behaviors and microglia activation in adult male rats exposed to an animal model of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The rat PTSD model was established by the exposure to single-prolonged stress (SPS), and 1 day later, rats were intraperitoneally injected with 5 mg/kg S-ketamine or...

The Regulation of Glutamate Transporter 1 in the Rapid Antidepressant-Like Effect of Ketamine in Mice

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience March 2, 2022 Yaping Chen, Mengxin Shen, Xu Liu et al.

Accumulating evidence suggests that glutamate clearance plays a critical role in the pathophysiology and treatment of depression. Preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated that ketamine provides an immediate and sustained antidepressant effect. However, the precise mechanism of its action remains to be elucidated. Glutamate transporter 1 (GLT1) participates in glutamate clearance;...

Friend of the Devil: Negative Social Influences Driving Substance Use Disorders

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience February 10, 2022 Matthew B Pomrenze, Franciely Paliarin, Rajani Maiya 27 citations

Substance use disorders in humans have significant social influences, both positive and negative. While prosocial behaviors promote group cooperation and are naturally rewarding, distressing social encounters, such as aggression exhibited by a conspecific, are aversive and can enhance the sensitivity to rewarding substances, promote the acquisition of drug-taking, and reinstate drug-seeking. On...

Prophylactic action of ayahuasca in a non-human primate model of depressive-like behavior.

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 2022 Maria Lara Porpino de Meiroz Grilo, Geovan Menezes de Sousa, Lilían Andrade Carlos de Mendonça et al. 12 citations

Observational studies of long-term users of ayahuasca, an Amazonian psychedelic brew, suggest an increase in resilience via improvements in emotion and cognition. Ayahuasca has also demonstrated clinical antidepressant effects in human and animal studies; however, its potential prophylactic action in depression has not been previously studied. Therefore, this experimental study sought to...

Self-Administration of Entactogen Psychostimulants Dysregulates Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) and Kappa Opioid Receptor Signaling in the Central Nucleus of the Amygdala of Female Wistar Rats

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience December 16, 2021 Sophia Khom, Jacques D. Nguyen, Sophia A. Vandewater et al. 12 citations

Male rats escalate intravenous self-administration of entactogen psychostimulants, 3,4-methylenedioxymethcathinone (methylone) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) under extended access conditions, as with typical psychostimulants. Here, we investigated whether female rats escalate self-administration of methylone, 3,4-methylenedioxypentedrone (pentylone), and MDMA and then studied...

Novel Insights Into the Neurobiology of the Antidepressant Response From Ketamine Research: A Mini Review

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience December 3, 2021 Michael Colla, Hanne Scheerer, Steffi Weidt et al. 9 citations

The serendipitous discovery of ketamine's antidepressant effects represents one of the major landmarks in neuropsychopharmacological research of the last 50 years. Ketamine provides an exciting challenge to traditional concepts of antidepressant drug therapy, producing rapid antidepressant effects seemingly without targeting monoaminergic pathways in the conventional way. In consequence, the...

Punishment on Pause: Preliminary Evidence That Mindfulness Training Modifies Neural Responses in a Reactive Aggression Task

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience July 23, 2021 Hadley Rahrig, James M. Bjork, Camila Tirado et al. 17 citations

Reactive aggression, a hostile retaliatory response to perceived threat, has been attributed to failures in emotion regulation. Interventions for reactive aggression have largely focused on cognitive control training, which target top-down emotion regulation mechanisms to inhibit aggressive impulses. Recent theory suggests that mindfulness training (MT) improves emotion regulation via both...

Gut Microbiota in Depression: A Focus on Ketamine

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience June 23, 2021 Alina Wilkowska, Łukasz P. Szałach, Wiesław Jerzy Cubała 32 citations

According to the WHO, major depressive disorder is the leading cause of disability worldwide, and it is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease. The pathophysiology of this common and chronic disease is still not completely understood. The gut microbiome is an increasingly recognized environmental factor that can have a role in depression, acting through the...

Natural and Experimental Evidence Drives Marmosets for Research on Psychiatric Disorders Related to Stress

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience June 11, 2021 Maria Bernardete Cordeiro de Sousa, Maria Lara Porpino de Meiroz Grilo, Nicole Leite Galvão‐coelho 7 citations

Knowledge of the behavioral ecology of marmosets carried out in their natural habitat associated with the advent of a non-invasive technique for measuring steroid hormones in feces has made a significant contribution to understanding their social relationships and sexual strategies. These studies showed that they are mainly monogamous, live in relatively stable social groups according to a...

Neural Design Principles for Subjective Experience: Implications for Insects.

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 2021 Brian Key, Oressia Zalucki, Deborah J Brown

How subjective experience is realized in nervous systems remains one of the great challenges in the natural sciences. An answer to this question should resolve debate about which animals are capable of subjective experience. We contend that subjective experience of sensory stimuli is dependent on the brain's awareness of its internal neural processing of these stimuli. This premise is supported...

Evolving Consciousness: Insights From Turing, and the Shaping of Experience.

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 2020 Thurston Lacalli

A number of conceptual difficulties arise when considering the evolutionary origin of consciousness from the pre-conscious condition. There are parallels here with biological pattern formation, where, according to Alan Turing's original formulation of the problem, the statistical properties of molecular-level processes serve as a source of incipient pattern. By analogy, the evolution of...

Glutamate in Salience Network Predicts BOLD Response in Default Mode Network During Salience Processing

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience October 2, 2019 F. von Düring, I. Ristow, M. Li et al.

Background Brain investigations identified salience network (SN) comprising the dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex (dACC) and the Anterior Insula (AI). Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies revealed the link between the glutamate concentration in the ACC and alterations in attentional scope. Hence, we investigated whether glutamate concentration in the dACC modulates brain response during...

Atypical Anxiety-Related Amygdala Reactivity and Functional Connectivity in Sant Mat Meditation

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience December 4, 2018 Chenyi Chen, Yu-Chun Chen, Kuan-Ling Chen et al.

While meditation has drawn much attention in cognitive neuroscience, the neural mechanisms underlying its emotional processing remains elusive. Sant Mat meditators were recruited, who adopt a loving-kindness mode of meditation along with a vegetarian diet and an alcohol-restricted lifestyle and novices. We assessed their State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and scanned their amygdala reactivity...

Effect of Ketamine on LTP and NMDAR EPSC in Hippocampus of the Chronic Social Defeat Stress Mice Model of Depression

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience October 9, 2018 Yu Yang, Weina Ju, Haining Zhang et al. 80 citations

Depression is a common mental disorder that is associated with memory dysfunction. Ketamine has recently been demonstrated to be a rapid antidepressant. The mechanisms underlying how depression induces memory dysfunction and how ketamine relieves depressive symptoms remain poorly understood. In this work, we have three groups of male C57BL/6J mice: mice exposed to chronic social defeat stress...

Effect of Cultural Priming on Social Behavior and EEG Correlates of Self-Processing

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience October 8, 2018 Gennady G. Knyazev, Ekaterina A. Merkulova, Alexander N. Savostyanov et al.

Humans are social beings and the self is inevitably conceptualized in terms of social environment. The degree to which the self is perceived as fundamentally similar or fundamentally different from other people is modulated by cultural stereotypes, such as collectivism and individualism. These stereotypes are not hardwired in our brains and individuals differ in the degree to which they adopt...

It’s Tea Time: Interference of Ayahuasca Brew on Discriminative Learning in Zebrafish

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience August 27, 2018 Bruno Lobão‐soares, Paulianny Eduardo-Da-Silva, Hugo Amarilha et al. 15 citations

Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew traditionally used in shamanistic and vegetalistic rituals and has recently received lot of attention due to potential cognitive benefits. Ayahuasca effects are caused by the synergistic interaction of β-carbolines (harmine, harmaline and tetrahydroarmine) contained in Banisteriopsis caapi stalks combined with the N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) from Psychotria...

Acute MDMA and Nicotine Co-administration: Behavioral Effects and Oxidative Stress Processes in Mice

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience August 2, 2018 Barbara Budzynska, Artur Wnorowski, Katarzyna Kaszubska et al. 9 citations

3,4-Methylenedioxy-methylamphetamine (MDMA), a synthetic substance commonly known as ecstasy, is a worldwide recreational drug of abuse. As MDMA and nicotine activate the same neuronal pathways, we examined the influence of co-administration of nicotine (0.05 mg/kg) and MDMA (1 mg/kg) on cognitive processes, nicotine-induced behavioral sensitization and on processes linked with oxidative stress...