June 2026
Default mode network
What June 2026's 14 new studies found, synthesized from the papers below. All Default mode network research →
The synthesis
Synthesized from 14 studies in the library · AI-generated, grounded in the abstracts below
Found by searching the library for Default mode network, DMN, default-mode network, then ranked by relevance.
Research on the default mode network (DMN) in June 2026 shows that psychedelics consistently attenuate bottom-up signal flow within the DMN, and psilocybin accelerates transitions between brain states while preserving overall coverage. The DMN is also implicated in social connection, verbal memory, and value-based decision-making, with altered DMN patterns linked to conditions like ADHD and end-stage renal disease. However, most studies are small or exploratory, and the durability and clinical significance of these findings remain unclear.
Evidence by study
Direction is which way each study's own result points, not our rating of the study.
What the directions mean
- Supports:
- the study found the intervention worked, or its hypothesis held.
- Opposes:
- it found the opposite, no benefit or a harm.
- No effect:
- no significant difference either way.
- Mixed:
- effects in both directions within the same study.
- Unclear:
- the abstract does not report a direction.
| Study | Design | Sample size | Direction | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrocortical Indices of Default Mode Network-Related Activity in ADHD and Modulation Through Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. 2026 | randomized controlled trial | 54 | Supports | ADHD patients showed reduced EEG power and increased mvPFC activation compared to controls, and MBCT increased beta power and precuneus activation, suggesting clinical utility of considering basal brain state in ADHD. |
| Longitudinally altered default mode network and insula multimodal brain pattern in end-stage renal disease during sustained hemodialysis treatment. 2026 | observational cohort | 39 | Supports | A longitudinally altered DMN-insula pattern was associated with cognition in ESRD patients on hemodialysis and predicted follow-up cognition, with validation in independent cohorts. |
| The Default Mode Network and Behavior: a Model to Analyse Psycho-Physiological Interactions in Resting State fMRI. 2026 | theoretical or methodological paper | Unclear | Proposes that intrinsic connectivity networks are low to moderately related to behavioral and personality traits, or at least not in a direct way. | |
| Distinct brain responses to psilocybin and escitalopram in depression captured by the Fluctuation-Dissipation Theorem 2026 | double-blind randomised controlled trial | Mixed | Psilocybin and escitalopram produce opposite reconfigurations of hierarchical non-equilibrium brain dynamics in MDD treatment, and baseline measures distinguished responders from non-responders within each treatment. | |
| Hierarchical systems in the default mode network when reasoning about self and other mental states. 2026 | experimental study | Supports | A functional hierarchy for mental state reasoning exists in the brain, with ventral mPFC supporting self-specific reasoning, dorsal mPFC supporting both self and other reasoning, and PCC differentiating the target of mental state inference. | |
| Psychedelics disrupt hierarchical cortical propagations in the default mode network of humans and mice. 2026 | meta-analysis of four independent datasets | Supports | All tested psychedelics (MDMA, psilocybin, LSD) attenuate signal flow magnitude and bottom-up directionality within the DMN, and this attenuation is uniquely associated with self-reported outcomes. | |
| From Retrieval to Revelation: Is Pre-Conceptual Awareness a Baseline or an Ontological Ground? 2026 | theoretical or philosophical paper | Unclear | Argues that pre-conceptual awareness can be coherently understood as both a developmental baseline and a disclosure of ontological reality through a dual-aspect framework. | |
| EEG microstate dynamics during psilocybin intoxication relate to acute experience and persisting psychological changes 2026 | double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study | 15 | Supports | Psilocybin accelerates transitions between brain states (increased GFP peaks, reduced microstate lifespan, increased frequency of occurrence) while largely preserving microstate coverage, and individual differences in these dynamics correlate with acute subjective experience and persisting psychological changes at 28 days. |
| Making new connections: An fNIRS machine learning classification study of inter-brain synchrony in the default mode network. 2026 | observational cohort | 140 | Supports | Greater feelings of connection during deep conversations are associated with increased DMN synchrony, with the right TPJ subregion emerging as the strongest predictor. |
| The neurobiological basis of the awe experience in affective disorders: an exploratory EEG study 2026 | exploratory study | Mixed | People with affective disorders showed reduced environmental differentiation in awe responses and elevated theta power in bilateral frontal and temporal regions compared to healthy controls, along with more pronounced VR-induced reductions in alpha-band global efficiency. | |
| Recollection of verbal materials engages the default mode network more strongly than recollection of visual materials: An fMRI meta-analysis. 2026 | meta-analysis | Supports | Recollection of verbal materials shows stronger and more widespread engagement of the default mode network than recollection of visual materials. | |
| The Pupil‐Brain System at Rest: Spontaneous Pupil Fluctuations as Markers of Neuromodulatory and Network Dynamics 2026 | review | Supports | Spontaneous pupil fluctuations during rest show robust spatiotemporal and spectral coupling with neural activity across micro- and macro-scales, serving as integrative markers linking subcortical neuromodulation with large-scale cortical dynamics. | |
| Story, Daydreams, and the Default Mode Network. 2026 | theoretical or philosophical paper | Unclear | Proposes that Freud's psychoanalysis functioned as an observational tool that revealed operations of the default mode network, and that in PTSD, disrupted functional connectivity in the DMN and alarm system alters time perception, safety, and narrative. | |
| Contributions of default mode network to subjective valuation and maladaptive decision making. 2026 | review | Supports | The default mode network directly supports subjective valuation and value-based decision-making, acting as an integrative hub rather than a passive system. |
ADHD patients showed reduced EEG power and increased mvPFC activation compared to controls, and MBCT increased beta power and precuneus activation, suggesting clinical utility of considering basal brain state in ADHD.
randomized controlled trial Sample size: 54
A longitudinally altered DMN-insula pattern was associated with cognition in ESRD patients on hemodialysis and predicted follow-up cognition, with validation in independent cohorts.
observational cohort Sample size: 39
Proposes that intrinsic connectivity networks are low to moderately related to behavioral and personality traits, or at least not in a direct way.
theoretical or methodological paper
Psilocybin and escitalopram produce opposite reconfigurations of hierarchical non-equilibrium brain dynamics in MDD treatment, and baseline measures distinguished responders from non-responders within each treatment.
double-blind randomised controlled trial
A functional hierarchy for mental state reasoning exists in the brain, with ventral mPFC supporting self-specific reasoning, dorsal mPFC supporting both self and other reasoning, and PCC differentiating the target of mental state inference.
experimental study
All tested psychedelics (MDMA, psilocybin, LSD) attenuate signal flow magnitude and bottom-up directionality within the DMN, and this attenuation is uniquely associated with self-reported outcomes.
meta-analysis of four independent datasets
Argues that pre-conceptual awareness can be coherently understood as both a developmental baseline and a disclosure of ontological reality through a dual-aspect framework.
theoretical or philosophical paper
Psilocybin accelerates transitions between brain states (increased GFP peaks, reduced microstate lifespan, increased frequency of occurrence) while largely preserving microstate coverage, and individual differences in these dynamics correlate with acute subjective experience and persisting psychological changes at 28 days.
double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study Sample size: 15
Greater feelings of connection during deep conversations are associated with increased DMN synchrony, with the right TPJ subregion emerging as the strongest predictor.
observational cohort Sample size: 140
People with affective disorders showed reduced environmental differentiation in awe responses and elevated theta power in bilateral frontal and temporal regions compared to healthy controls, along with more pronounced VR-induced reductions in alpha-band global efficiency.
exploratory study
Recollection of verbal materials shows stronger and more widespread engagement of the default mode network than recollection of visual materials.
meta-analysis
Spontaneous pupil fluctuations during rest show robust spatiotemporal and spectral coupling with neural activity across micro- and macro-scales, serving as integrative markers linking subcortical neuromodulation with large-scale cortical dynamics.
review
Proposes that Freud's psychoanalysis functioned as an observational tool that revealed operations of the default mode network, and that in PTSD, disrupted functional connectivity in the DMN and alarm system alters time perception, safety, and narrative.
theoretical or philosophical paper
The default mode network directly supports subjective valuation and value-based decision-making, acting as an integrative hub rather than a passive system.
review
Points of agreement
- Psychedelics consistently attenuate bottom-up signal flow within the DMN across species and compounds.
- Psilocybin accelerates transitions between brain states while preserving overall coverage of canonical states.
- DMN is involved in social connection, with synchrony in the right TPJ predicting feelings of connection.
- DMN supports verbal memory more strongly than visual memory.
- DMN is implicated in value-based decision-making and subjective valuation.
- Altered DMN patterns are associated with psychiatric and medical conditions like ADHD, depression, and ESRD.
Conflicts
- One study found psilocybin and escitalopram produce opposite reconfigurations of brain dynamics, while another found psychedelics attenuate bottom-up propagation, suggesting different levels of analysis may yield different conclusions.
- Theoretical papers disagree on whether pre-conceptual awareness is a baseline or an ontological ground, though they propose a dual-aspect resolution.
Gaps
- Durability of effects beyond short-term follow-up (e.g., 28 days) is not established.
- Sample sizes are small in several studies (e.g., n=15, n=39, n=54), limiting generalizability.
- Blinding and placebo controls are not consistently reported across studies.
- Most studies focus on healthy or specific clinical populations; broader populations are underrepresented.
- Dose-response relationships for psychedelics are not systematically examined.
- The relationship between DMN dynamics and long-term clinical outcomes remains unclear.