Real-time fMRI neurofeedback reduces auditory hallucinations and modulates resting state connectivity of involved brain regions: Part 2: Default mode network -preliminary evidence
Clemens C C Bauer, Kana Okano, Satrajit Ghosh, Yoon Ji Lee, Helena Melero, Carlo de Los Angeles, Paul G. Nestor, Elisabetta C. del Re, Georg Northoff, Margaret Niznikiewicz, Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli
Psychiatry Research January 14, 2020 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112770 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Intervention study with real-time fMRI neurofeedback Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Patients with schizophrenia |
| Interventions | real-time fMRI neurofeedback meditation strategies |
| Topics | Default mode network Meditation |
| Keywords | Neurofeedback Resting State FMRI Schizophrenia object-oriented programming Audiology Electroencephalography |
| Citations | 87 |
| Key points | Meditation-enhanced real-time fMRI neurofeedback reduced default mode network hyperconnectivity and increased anticorrelation with the central executive network, and these changes correlated with reductions in auditory hallucinations. |
Abstract
Auditory hallucinations (AHs) are one of the most distressing symptoms of schizophrenia (SZ) and are often resistant to medication. Imaging studies of individuals with SZ show hyperactivation of the default mode network (DMN) and the superior temporal gyrus (STG). Studies in SZ show DMN hyperconnectivity and reduced anticorrelation between DMN and the central executive network (CEN). DMN hyperconnectivity has been associated with positive symptoms such as AHs while reduced DMN anticorrelations with cognitive impairment. Using real-time fMRI neurofeedback (rt-fMRI-NFB) we trained SZ patients to modulate DMN and CEN networks. Meditation is effective in reducing AHs in SZ and to modulate brain network integration and increase DMN anticorrelations. Consequently, patients were provided with meditation strategies to enhance their abilities to modulate DMN/CEN. Results show a reduction of DMN hyperconnectivity and increase in DMNCEN anticorrelation. Furthermore, the change in individual DMN connectivity significantly correlated with reductions in AHs. This is the first time that meditation enhanced through rt-fMRI-NFB is used to reduce AHs in SZ. Moreover, it provides the first empirical evidence for a direct causal relation between meditation enhanced rt-fMRI-NFB modulation of DMNCEN activity and post-intervention modulation of resting state networks ensuing in reductions in frequency and severity of AHs.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Functional connectivity of default mode network components: Correlation, anticorrelation, and causality Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study using resting-state fMRI and seed correlation analysis | |
| Patterns of Brain Activity Supporting Autobiographical Memory, Prospection, and Theory of Mind, and Their Relationship to the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2009 | Experimental study using fMRI | |
| Dynamic reconfiguration of the default mode network during narrative comprehension Human subjects | 2016 | Experimental study | |
| Broadband Cortical Desynchronization Underlies the Human Psychedelic State Healthy human participants | 2013 | Experimental study | |
| The brain on art: intense aesthetic experience activates the default mode network Human observers | 2012 | Observational study with fMRI and behavioral analysis |
Citations in the library
Cited by 18
- Reducing default mode network connectivity with mindfulness-based fMRI neurofeedback: a pilot study among adolescents with affective disorder history. Molecular Psychiatry June 1, 2023
- Mindfulness-based real-time fMRI neurofeedback: a randomized controlled trial to optimize dosing for depressed adolescents. BMC Psychiatry October 17, 2023
- A working model of neural activity and phenomenal experience in psychosis. Molecular Psychiatry December 1, 2024
- Mindfulness, cognition, and long-term meditators: Toward a science of advanced meditation. Imaging Neuroscience 2025
- Mindfulness-based Neurofeedback: A Systematic Review of EEG and fMRI studies. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology September 15, 2024
and 13 more in the library
Cites 21
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Default Mode Network Activity and Connectivity in Psychopathology Annual Review of Clinical Psychology March 29, 2012
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Functional connectivity of default mode network components: Correlation, anticorrelation, and causality Human Brain Mapping January 24, 2008
- Effects of Meditation Experience on Functional Connectivity of Distributed Brain Networks Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
and 16 more in the library