We investigated ketamine's neuroplastic effects in healthy human subjects using integrated Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) measures before and 1-8 days after a single psychedelic dose of ketamine (1 mg/kg, intravenous). Eleven male participants underwent two PET/MRI scans with [11C]-UCBJ (synaptic density/plasticity), 1H-MRS (glutamate and GABA) and...
Psilocybin-assisted therapies are innovative therapeutic approaches, particularly in the treatment of depression. However, there are sparse studies providing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) evidence elucidating the underlying biological mechanisms that support clinical outcomes. This review aims to comprehensively gather all the evidence reported in psilocybin studies using fMRI...
bioRxivMarch 17, 2026Victor Altmayer, Sarah Moreno-Rodriguez, Marcela Ovando-Tellez et al.
preprint
Creativity is a hallmark of human cognition, characterized by the ability to connect seemingly distant concepts or ideas. Existing theories suggest that remote thinking can be achieved either spontaneously (constrained by the structure of semantic memory) or in a goal-directed manner (constrained by a creative goal). The present study investigates the neural correlates of goal-directed remote...
The nature of consciousness, specifically the state of "pure consciousness"—often characterized in contemplative traditions as a state of awareness devoid of intentional content—has transitioned from a topic of purely philosophical inquiry to a rigorous subject of neuroscientific study. This review synthesizes current clinical and neurobiological research to propose that oxytocin (OT), a...
This preprint was submitted on 31 March 2026. The author confirms that the research content is authentic, accurate, and reliable. The author takes all legal and academic responsibility for content presented in this work.This paper presents a first-person qualitative case study of an individual with extraordinarily high dream recall frequency, sustained high‑narrative dreaming, and unconscious...
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the brain functional network remodeling associated with the relief of negative emotions in patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH) treated with lever positioning manipulation (LPM) using resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) technology. METHODS: A prospective study included LDH patients (Group 1, n = 47) and age- and gender-matched healthy controls (Group 2, n = 43). Group 1...
Abstract Neural oscillatory activity within the alpha and theta bands have long been considered putative markers of state mindfulness, yet understanding of their functional role has been limited by the challenges of linking objective brain indices with subjective experience. To address this gap, the current study applied longitudinal network analysis to a unique dataset from 16 novices who...
PLoS BiologyMarch 10, 2026Ali Rezaei, Corson N. Areshenkoff, Daniel J. Gale et al.
Motor learning induces alterations in neural activity that can persist long after the effects of such learning have faded. These persistent neural alterations are thought to manifest behaviorally as "savings," or faster relearning, via access to a latent motor memory. How the human brain forms and retrieves these latent memories, and the specific neural systems involved, remains unresolved....
Hypnosis has traditionally been conceptualized as a clinical technique for reducing physiological symptoms (e.g., pain, nausea) and psychological symptoms (e.g., anxiety, intrusive thoughts), yet emerging neuroscientific evidence suggests it operates through the fundamental mechanisms of emotional regulation and self-integration. This integrative review synthesizes research on clinical hypnosis...
This paper proposes a neurophilosophical conceptual model of human consciousness structured as two functional brain states: the personal mode and the meta-reflective mode. The personal mode is defined as a motivationally and socially embedded configuration of neural processes oriented toward adaptation, identity maintenance, and ego-relevant concerns. The meta-reflective mode is characterized...
Abstract Psychedelics profoundly alter conscious experience, yet how they reshape the relationship between brain anatomy and function remains unclear. In particular, it is unknown whether psychedelic states reflect a global disruption of structure–function organization or a frequency– and network-specific reconfiguration of neural dynamics relative to the structural connectome. Here we address...
Background: The Default Mode Network (DMN) is consistently implicated in self-referential thinking and rumination and shows altered functioning in depression and anxiety disorders. The Attention Training Task (ATT), a core technique in metacognitive therapy, aims to reduce internally directed attention by enhancing flexible attentional control. While previous neuroimaging studies have...
Pain-induced reorganization of the default mode network (DMN) exhibits distinct temporal signatures in the acute and chronic stages, yet the mechanistic interplay between static/dynamic network topology and pain chronicity remains unclear. In this study, we utilized both static and dynamic graph theory analyses to characterize DMN reconfiguration in 50 patients with low back-related leg pain...
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...
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...
Individuals vary substantially in their responses to rewarding events and their motivation to pursue rewards. While the ventral striatum (VS) plays a central role in reward anticipation, its functional connectivity with the default mode network (DMN)-critical for self-referential processing and value integration-potentially represents a key mechanism through which trait differences manifest in...
Disruptions in default mode network (DMN) connectivity are well documented in Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet their associations with specific cognitive domains remain unclear. This study examined relationships between anterior and posterior DMN functional connectivity and memory, executive function, and language performance across the AD continuum. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of...
The Default Mode Network (DMN) is a collection of interconnected transmodal cortical areas that was originally found to be engaged when people do not focus on external sensory stimuli but instead attend to their inner thoughts. More recent experiments have shown that it is also recruited during externally oriented tasks that require the processing of concepts, including the increasingly complex...
Background and objectives: Multiple sclerosis (MS) exhibits racially disparate rates of disease progression. Black people with MS (B-PwMS) experience a more severe disease course than non-Hispanic White people with MS (NHW-PwMS). Here we investigated structural and functional connectivity as well as structure-function decoupling in the sensorimotor and default mode networks (SMN and DMN,...