Preprints.org
January 30, 2026
Luis Miguel Gallardo, Saamdu Chetri
preprint
Hypnosis has traditionally been conceptualized as a clinical technique for symptom reduction, yet emerging neuroscience evidence suggests it functions more fundamentally as a mechanism of emotion regulation and self-integration. This integrative review synthesizes research from cognitive neuroscience, affective science, and clinical hypnosis to examine how hypnotic states modulate large-scale...
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
January 26, 2026
Fernando Mora López, Johynny Solís Solís, Ekaterina Daniela Hernández Baker et al.
This review examines the therapeutic efficacy of psilocybin for major depressive disorder by integrating findings from clinical trials, meta-analyses, and mechanistic research. A comprehensive literature search across major scientific databases identified empirical studies evaluating psilocybin’s effects on depressive symptomatology, safety, and underlying neurobiological mechanisms....
International Journal of Innovative Technologies in Social Science
January 23, 2026
Jakub Klepacz, Radosław Swędrak, Marzena Swojnóg et al.
The escalating global burden of mental health disorders, coupled with the stagnation of innovation in traditional monoaminergic pharmacotherapy (e.g., SSRIs), has precipitated a critical need for novel therapeutic paradigms. This article presents a comprehensive systematic review of the so-called "Psychedelic Renaissance," focusing on the clinical resurgence of classical serotonergic...
medRxiv Preprint Server
January 14, 2026
Gaia Zin, Guy Nagels, Jeroen Van Schependom et al.
preprint
Introduction The balance between excitatory and inhibitory (E/I) neural processes is a fundamental principle of brain function, and its disruption has been implicated in the pathophysiology of multiple sclerosis (MS). In vivo assessment of E/I balance has traditionally relied on electrophysiological measures, and despite the abundance of fMRI data on MS, no fMRI-based technique has so far been...
2026
Femi Oyebode
Abstract The term ‘self’ refers to a dynamic and evolving concept that is contrasted with our awareness of physical objects in the world and as such is the centre and focus of our internal experiences, as an awareness of ourselves as a centre of experience. This chapter deals with the philosophical accounts of John Locke, David Hume, Immanuel Kant and Derek Parfit. These varying accounts...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
2026
Sonora Yun, Martijn Figee
Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) poses a significant challenge, with many patients failing to achieve remission with conventional therapies. While repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is an established and effective neuromodulatory treatment for TRD, a notable proportion of patients do not fully respond. Despite the clinical utility of rTMS, response variability remains a...
Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)
2026
Tiara Bounyarith, David Braun, Aaron Kucyi
Much of a typical individual's mental life is characterized by spontaneous thoughts that occur independently of external stimuli. In prior studies, ongoing mental experiences and their neural correlates have been captured using thought probes presented at random intervals during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). However, this approach results in temporally imprecise estimates of...
Frontiers in Neuroscience
2026
Misuzu Oishi, Kei Sasaki, Noriko Sakurai et al.
Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is a tingling sensation that originates in the occipital region and spreads along the neck and spine, elicited by specific audiovisual stimuli known as ASMR triggers. The characteristics of ASMR-related changes in brain activity relative to other external stimuli, and whether these changes are specific to ASMR, remain unclear. The aim of this study is...
Brain Communications
2026
Ying Wang, Chenglong Cao, Hao Chen et al.
Microvascular decompression is the standard surgical intervention for classical trigeminal neuralgia attributed to NVC. However, up to 30% of patients experience poor outcomes despite technically successful surgery, suggesting non-peripheral mechanisms. This study investigates whether central neural reorganization-manifested as altered cortico-subcortical connectivity and white matter...
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
2026
Vasil Kolev, Kosio Beshkov, Peter Malinowski et al.
2 citations
The present study applied spectral Granger causality (GC) analysis to EEG recordings obtained during focused attention meditation (FAM), open monitoring meditation (OMM), and loving kindness meditation (LKM) in highly experienced meditators. The aim of the investigation was to characterize distinct connectivity signatures associated with each meditation style by examining the strength,...
Open MIND
2026
Thyagarajan Shivashanmugam, Anish Mehta
This component develops a constraint-based framework for the empirical specification of tranquil states in meditation research. The manuscript proposes that tranquil states are characterized by the co-attenuation of default mode network activity and salience-network baseline drive, while distinguishing this configuration from broader trait effects, altered states, or generalized reductions in...
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
2026
Josh Roeloffs, Jack A Tuszynski
Dual-process theory of the brain distinguishes fast, parallel, late-commitment cognition (System 1) from slow, sequential, early-commitment cognition (System 2), yet lacks a mechanistic explanation for how these modes operate or how the brain switches between them. Quantum cognition research demonstrates that human decision-making follows quantum probability models under low confidence and...
Medical Research Archives
2026
Abdullah Alabdulgader
Recent advances in psychedelic neuroscience have revitalized scientific inquiry into the biological foundations of consciousness. Large-scale neuroimaging studies have consistently demonstrated that psychedelics increase functional integration across distributed brain networks while weakening the stability of normally dominant neural architectures associated with self referential processing and...
Brain Communications
2026
Tobias Bauer, Charlotte Gauvry, Sebastian Markett et al.
Hemispherotomy is a surgical intervention for severe drug-resistant epilepsy that fully disconnects the lesional brain hemisphere from the rest of the nervous system. This creates a rare opportunity to explore whether consciousness can be sustained without external input. The default-mode network, linked to introspective mental activity, is considered a necessary, though not sufficient,...
Frontiers in Psychology
2026
Human-Friedrich Unterrainer
Altered states of consciousness range from psychotic disintegration to mystical union, with oceanic affectivity - experiences of ego dissolution, boundlessness, and affective merging - constituting a central feature. While such states can be induced by psychedelics, they also occur through trauma, meditative practices, or within compulsive addictive cycles. In addition, oceanic states may offer...
Open MIND
2026
Hui Fan
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,...
Online Publication Service of Würzburg University (Würzburg University)
2026
Katja Ehrmann
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a prevalent mental disorder, with a lifetime prevalence of 2-3%, characterized by intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions). These thoughts and behaviors take up a significant amount of time, cause immense distress, and compromise the quality of life of those who suffer from OCD. In addition to psychological factors such as...