Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
February 12, 2026
Mihai Alexandru
preprint
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.
preprint
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...
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...
Frontiers in Neuroscience
January 28, 2026
Dongsheng Zhang, Xiaoling Zhang, Lei Wang et al.
Introduction: Disruptions in functional connectivity (FC) within the default mode network (DMN) are well established as a key neuropathology underlying cognitive impairment in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Subcortical nuclei, including the basal forebrain (BF) and mediodorsal thalamus, play critical roles in regulating DMN-associated cognitive processes and are particularly vulnerable to...
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
January 26, 2026
Fernando Mora López, Johynny Solís Solís, Ekaterina Daniela Hernández Baker et al.
preprint
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...
January 9, 2026
Valerie van Mulukom
preprint
This article proposes a dual-self states framework to demonstrate how phenomenology and neuroscience of embodied and altered states of consciousness illuminate the nature of consciousness and the sense of self. It argues that consciousness is best conceived as dynamic configurations of a reflective and an experiential self state, rather than as static, taxonomic layers of self. The reflective...
Scientific Reports
January 6, 2026
Gregory V Chernov, Mikhail Y Mel'nikov, Alexis V Belianin et al.
Decision-making under risk lies at the core of strategic action in human activities. Nevertheless, the neural mechanisms underlying decision-making in trial-and-error-based learning in the absence of explicit risk ratios have not been thoroughly understood. This study investigates the neural correlates of long-term success during repeated risky decision-making. We combined a motion detection...
Cureus
January 5, 2026
Geoff Cook
This narrative review synthesizes evidence identified through targeted searches of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science (2010-2025), with a focused selection of human and mechanistic studies examining GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s), food cue reactivity, prospective cognition, mindfulness-based interventions, and neural network dynamics relevant to 'food noise' and the default mode network...
Frontiers in toxicology
2026
Linda L Chao, Salvatore Torrisi
Potentially more than 100,000 US troops were exposed to organophosphorus (OP) nerve agents when an ammunition bunker at Khamisiyah, Iraq was destroyed shortly after the end of the 1991 Gulf War (GW). We previously reported evidence of differences in brain structure and function in GW veterans with predicted exposure to the Khamisiyah plume compared to veterans without predicted exposure. Here,...
Neurotrauma reports
2026
Bhanu Sharma, Alejandro Amador-Tejada, Eric Koelink et al.
Submaximal aerobic exercise is an evidence-informed strategy for concussion management. However, its impact on the concussed pediatric brain remains poorly understood. A seminal adult study reported stability of default mode network (DMN) functional connectivity before and immediately after aerobic exercise in adults with mild traumatic brain injury. Comparable data do not exist in children,...
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
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...