Auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia are linked to overactivity and hyperconnectivity in the default mode network and reduced anticorrelation with the central executive network. Patients were trained with real-time fMRI neurofeedback and meditation strategies to modulate these networks. The intervention reduced default mode network hyperconnectivity and increased anticorrelation between the default mode and central executive networks. Changes in individual default mode network connectivity correlated with reductions in auditory hallucination frequency and severity. This provides the first empirical evidence that meditation-enhanced neurofeedback can directly alter resting state network activity and reduce auditory hallucinations.
Adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) may benefit from a non-invasive technique that combines mindfulness with real-time fMRI neurofeedback (mbNF) to reduce activity in the default mode network (DMN), a brain network linked to rumination. In a planned trial, 90 adolescents aged 13–18 with MDD will be randomly assigned to receive either 15 or 30 minutes of mbNF. During the procedure, participants practice mindfulness while a ball on a screen moves based on their brain activity, targeting the frontoparietal network relative to the DMN. The study will test whether mbNF reduces functional connectivity within the DMN and whether longer dosing produces greater effects, with secondary outcomes including changes in depressive symptoms and rumination.