Mapping the Neurobiological Mechanisms of Trauma Interventions: A Scoping Review of Large-Scale Brain Network Perspectives (2020–2025)
Hui Fan
Open Mind 2026 preprint DOI: 10.17605/osf.io/kgwq7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Scoping review |
|---|---|
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Psychological intervention Cognition Intervention counseling Salience neuroscience Neuroimaging Interpretation philosophy Cognitive psychology Cognitive map Perspective graphical Psychotherapist |
| Key findings | The review will develop a mechanism-based classification of PTSD interventions based on their primary network target and dominant pathway of effect within the triple-network model. |
Abstract
This scoping review aims to systematically map the neurobiological evidence for psychological and pharmacologically-assisted interventions for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) published between 2020 and 2025. Grounded in the triple-network model (default mode network, salience network, and central executive network), the review will synthesize findings across a range of intervention types, including cognitive behavioral/exposure therapies, somatic/mindfulness-based approaches, imagery rescripting, EMDR, and targeted pharmacological augmentations such as MDMA-assisted and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. A mechanism-based classification will be developed based on each intervention's primary network target and dominant pathway of effect (e.g., top-down regulation, bottom-up modulation, or multi-network integration). The review is conducted within a participatory framework, involving researchers with lived trauma experience in data interpretation and validation of ecological validity.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Brain's Default Mode Network | 2015 | Review | |
| Default Mode Network Activity and Connectivity in Psychopathology | 2012 | Review | |
| 20 years of the default mode network: A review and synthesis | 2023 | Review | |
| On the relationship between the “default mode network” and the “social brain” | 2012 | Review | |
| The default mode network and social understanding of others: what do brain connectivity studies tell us Healthy subjects, with some studies on patients with autism and psychopathy | 2014 | Review |