Brain Imaging Behav February 28, 2026
Inefficient default mode network hyperconnectivity characterizes chronic low back-related leg pains: a static and dynamic functional MRI study.
Scientific Reports February 26, 2026 Gianluca Rho, Francesco Bossi, Ngawang Norbu et al.
Meditation is a complex cognitive practice associated with significant neurophysiological changes, particularly in long-term practitioners. These individuals represent an ideal human model for investigating neural changes associated to their consistent, frequent, and sustained cognitive engagement. However, in Western societies, long-term practitioners are relatively rare compared to Eastern...
Current Addiction Reports February 21, 2026 Draulio B Araujo, Lucas O. Maia, Tiago Arruda Sanchez et al.
Summarizes preclinical and clinical evidence on ayahuasca—a traditional Amazonian brew combining N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and β-carbolines—in treating depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use, eating, and personality disorders. Preclinical work shows enhanced neuroplasticity, reduced inflammation, and oxidative stress. Human neuroimaging reveals decreased default...
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) February 12, 2026 Mihai Alexandru
Multiple lines of neuroscientific evidence have converged on a set of closely related findings: the mammalian brain endogenously synthesizes N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) at neurotransmitter-comparable concentrations (Dean et al., 2019); psychedelic compounds suppress the default mode network (DMN) and dissolve ego boundaries (Carhart-Harris et al., 2012; Tagliazucchi et al., 2016); the brain...
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) February 10, 2026 Isaac N Treves, Clare Shaffer, Alexandra Decker et al.
Mind body practices like meditation and yoga, which are widely used to support mental health, involve paying attention to internal bodily sensations like the breath. During these practices, individuals often report "interoceptive lapses," moments when attention drifts away from the body. While lapses in attention to the external world have been widely studied, far less is known about...
Cureus February 1, 2026 Héctor Aceituno, Juan José Valero, Luisana Maldonado-De Santiago et al.
Although previous neurophysiological studies validated aspects of unconscious processing, a detailed characterization of specific neural circuits required modern functional neuroimaging techniques. This systematic review examines the shared neural substrates between dreaming and free association of ideas, two paradigmatic manifestations of unconscious processing. A systematic search was...
Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences February 1, 2026 Devayani Joshi, Alexa Tompary, Aaron Kucyi
The default mode network (DMN) is a distributed set of brain regions engaged during wakeful rest. Spontaneous thoughts - internally directed mental experiences that arise with relative freedom and few constraints on their content or transitions - are ubiquitous during wakeful rest. Spontaneous memory reactivation - neural events in which recently learned information is reinstated - also occurs...
European journal of radiology February 1, 2026 Stacy Ruther, Eric S. Jackson, Eric vanSonnenberg
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an evidence-based program that integrates meditation, bodily awareness, and yoga to manage stress and reduce anxiety. Neuroimaging studies suggest that MBSR modulates brain networks involved in emotion regulation, self-awareness, and attention, though findings remain inconsistent. Structural and functional MRI (fMRI) have been used to investigate...