Preprints.org
January 30, 2026
Luis Miguel Gallardo, Saamdu Chetri
preprint
Hypnosis, traditionally seen as a clinical technique for symptom reduction, may more fundamentally function as a mechanism of emotion regulation and self-integration. This integrative review proposes that hypnotic states reorganize emotional experience and self-referential processing by modulating large-scale brain networks—the default mode network, executive control network, and salience network. The authors introduce a formal model in which hypnotic induction enhances experiential plasticity through coordinated network reconfiguration, enabling adaptive emotion regulation and reduced dissociative fragmentation. Central to this framework is the construct of Fundamental Peace, a dynamic neuro-experiential state involving flexible attentional control, emotional coherence across self-states, reduced self-referential rigidity, and compassionate self-awareness, distinct from equanimity or well-being. The framework is evaluated against alternative theories, and testable predictions are specified.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
January 26, 2026
Fernando Mora López, Johynny Solís Solís, Ekaterina Daniela Hernández Baker et al.
Psilocybin, acting as a 5-HT2A receptor agonist, alters brain connectivity in networks involved in self-referential processing and emotional regulation, accompanied by neuroplastic changes such as enhanced synaptogenesis and functional reorganization. Neuroimaging shows reduced amygdala activity and modifications in default mode and executive networks. Clinical evidence indicates substantial reductions in depressive symptoms, with meta-analyses reporting large effect sizes and durable benefits lasting from weeks to a year. Randomized controlled trials show rapid onset and higher remission rates than conventional treatments, even in treatment-resistant depression. Adverse events are mild, transient, and predictable, though methodological limitations like small samples and high heterogeneity call for larger Phase III trials.
International Journal of Innovative Technologies in Social Science
January 23, 2026
Jakub Klepacz, Radosław Swędrak, Marzena Swojnóg et al.
Classical serotonergic hallucinogens like psilocybin and LSD are being re-evaluated in clinical research. A systematic review traces their history from indigenous use through prohibition to current trials. The compounds act via 5-HT2A receptor agonism and disrupt the Default Mode Network, which may help alleviate rigid cognitive patterns in depression and anxiety. Clinical data show significant therapeutic potential for Treatment-Resistant Depression, end-of-life distress, and substance use disorders. The review emphasizes that psychedelic-assisted therapy requires a specific psychotherapeutic framework, integration processes, and attention to cost-effectiveness and access equity. This approach suggests a shift from chronic symptom management to rapid, episodic curative interventions if regulatory and ethical challenges are addressed.
medRxiv Preprint Server
January 14, 2026
Gaia Zin, Guy Nagels, Jeroen Van Schependom et al.
preprint
Disruption of the balance between excitatory and inhibitory neural processes is thought to play a role in multiple sclerosis (MS), but no fMRI-based method has been available to measure this balance in MS. This paper introduces a novel fMRI technique for assessing E/I balance in people with MS, addressing a gap left by traditional electrophysiological measures.
January 9, 2026
Valerie van Mulukom
preprint
Consciousness is best understood as dynamic configurations of two distinct self states—a reflective self and an experiential self—rather than as static layers. The reflective self involves narrative, self-referential thought supported by the default mode network, while the experiential self is an embodied, affective-salience mode of awareness anchored in salience network hubs such as the anterior insula and anterior cingulate cortex, integrating bodily and external signals into a coherent sense of being a subject. Within predictive processing, the experiential self is a mode where precision-weighted affective and bodily prediction errors shape ongoing meta-aware experience. Altered states, including those in meditation, reveal how shifting to and maintaining the experiential self can be practiced. The framework offers testable predictions for neurocomputational models and longitudinal studies.
Online Publication Service of Würzburg University (Würzburg University)
January 1, 2026
Katja Ehrmann
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) affects 2-3% of people, causing intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors that impair quality of life. Current treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy and SSRIs leave many patients unresponsive. Psilocybin, a psychedelic acting on serotonin receptors, may break rigid neural patterns and reset hyperactive brain networks. In a randomized placebo-controlled trial, participants with severe treatment-resistant OCD received up to 8 doses of psilocybin weekly, with doses varying from low to high. Psilocybin reduced OCD symptoms by 23% to 100%, with improvements lasting weeks to months. Higher doses produced stronger mystical experiences linked to greater symptom reduction. No severe side effects occurred. Despite clinical improvement, no changes in error-related brain activity were observed. Psilocybin appears promising for treatment-resistant OCD in a supportive setting.