Most recent paper

Front Aging Neurosci. 2026 Jul 24;18:1897104. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2026.1897104. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Regular participation in late-life cognitive activities is associated with a reduced risk of dementia. In a prior randomized controlled trial, we demonstrated that increased calligraphy practice improved working memory and strengthened functional connectivity (FC) within the default mode network in older adults with subjective cognitive decline (SCD). This exploratory secondary analysis examined whether increased calligraphy practice also modulates FC in other large-scale brain networks.

METHODS: A total of 112 community-dwelling Chinese adults aged 55-75 years with SCD and prior calligraphy experience were randomly assigned to a control or intervention group. The control group maintained their usual calligraphy practice, while the intervention group doubled their weekly practice time for 6 months. Resting-state FC was assessed at baseline and post-intervention using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Mixed models for repeated measures were conducted to compare longitudinal FC changes within the salient network and central executive network between groups.

RESULTS: Compared with the control group, doubling calligraphy practice for 6 months was associated with a significantly greater increase in resting-state FC between right rostral prefrontal cortex and right supramarginal gyrus within the salient network (between-group mean difference = 0.12; 95% CI = 0.03-0.22; p = 0.01). In pooled analyses of the whole sample, no significant pre-post changes in FCs within SAN were observed. No significant between-group FC changes were observed within the central executive network.

CONCLUSION: Increased calligraphy practice was associated with localized FC changes within the salient network, extending our prior findings of more distributed FC changes within the default mode network. Together, these findings suggest late-life engagement in cognitive activities may be relevant to large-scale brain network organization in older adults at risk of dementia.

PMID:42568706 | PMC:PMC13447491 | DOI:10.3389/fnagi.2026.1897104

Hum Brain Mapp. 2026 Aug;47(11):e70622. doi: 10.1002/hbm.70622.

ABSTRACT

Graph theory provides a promising technique to investigate Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related alterations in brain network properties. However, there are discrepancies in the reported disruptions that occur to network topology across the AD continuum. In this study, we examined whether diagnostic group differences in graph metrics are attributed to differences in denoising approach used in fMRI processing. Resting state data from 60 cognitively normal (CN), 55 Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and 38 AD participants from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database were denoised using 11 pipelines including combinations of confound regression (head motion parameters, white matter [WM], cerebrospinal fluid [CSF], global signal), volume censoring (scrubbing, spike regression), and component-based noise removal (Independent Component Analysis-based Automatic Removal of Motion Artifacts [ICA-AROMA], anatomical and temporal component correction). Graph metrics representing network segregation (clustering coefficient, modularity, local efficiency), network integration (largest connected component, path length, global efficiency), and small-worldness were calculated. The results revealed that diagnostic group differences in modularity and local efficiency were dependent on denoising approach, especially in high-parameter regression models in combination with censoring methods (36 parameters and spike regressor or volume censoring). Independent of denoising approach, CN exhibited more segregated (clustering coefficient) but less integrated (largest component, path length, global efficiency) networks than MCI and AD. Independent of diagnosis, denoising strategy significantly affected the magnitude of all metrics, particularly models including global signal regression. Collectively, these results suggest that the directionality of the diagnostic differences in network topology, particularly in global metrics of network segregation, can vary based upon the denoising approach employed, although the effect size is small. Transparent reporting of preprocessing decisions is critical for the accurate interpretation of graph theoretical findings in the context of AD and a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying pathological aging.

PMID:42568124 | DOI:10.1002/hbm.70622

Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci. 2026 Aug 7. doi: 10.3758/s13415-026-01482-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Although evidence suggests that psychosocial stress is a risk factor for cognitive decline in aging adults, potential mechanisms for this association are not well understood. This cross-sectional study examined associations of two measures of self-reported psychosocial stress, including the perceived stress scale (PSS) and a stressful life events (SLE) questionnaire, with functional connectivity in four large-scale, nonoverlapping brain networks derived from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Analyses included 426 late middle-aged and older participants from the Healthy Minds for Life study of the Precision Aging® Network (M (SD) age = 64.5 (7.8) years, 71% female, 33% from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups). Higher SLE scores were associated with lower functional connectivity in the default mode, salience/ventral attention, and dorsal attention networks. Higher SLE scores were additionally associated with lower cognitive performance. Patterns of results were similar when individuals with possible cognitive impairment were excluded. These findings indicate that higher levels of psychosocial stress, particularly stressful life events, are associated with lower connectivity in several large-scale functional brain networks and suggest one mechanism by which everyday experiences may shape the aging brain.

PMID:42568033 | DOI:10.3758/s13415-026-01482-6

Int Psychogeriatr. 2026 Aug 7:100255. doi: 10.1016/j.inpsyc.2026.100255. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study explored whether distinct Alzheimer's disease (AD) structural atrophy subtypes exhibit divergent functional profiles.

DESIGN: A cross-sectional multimodal neuroimaging and electrophysiological study.

SETTING: Department of Neurology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China.

PARTICIPANTS: A total of 116 patients with AD and 74 cognitively unimpaired controls underwent structural MRI. Patients with AD were stratified into three MRI-derived atrophy-pattern groups corresponding to hippocampal-sparing (HpSp-MRI), typical (tAD-MRI), and limbic-predominant (LP-MRI) subtypes.

MEASUREMENTS: Resting-state functional MRI was used to assess intra- and internetwork functional connectivity, and EEG was used to evaluate spectral power and microstate dynamics.

RESULTS: The HpSp-MRI subtype showed lower intranetwork connectivity than both the LP-MRI and tAD-MRI subtypes in the visual, somatomotor, and dorsal attention networks. The LP-MRI and tAD-MRI subtypes differed in ventral attention network connectivity. Moreover, the LP-MRI subtype exhibited stronger internetwork connectivity in specific network pairs compared with the other subtypes. EEG analysis suggested a possible difference in the microstate 3-to-1 transition between the LP-MRI and tAD-MRI groups.

CONCLUSIONS: MRI-derived atrophy-pattern subtypes showed different resting-state functional connectivity profiles, providing a potential basis for personalized brain network-targeted interventions in AD.

PMID:42567790 | DOI:10.1016/j.inpsyc.2026.100255

Neuroscience. 2026 Aug 7:S0306-4522(26)00532-4. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2026.08.003. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) damages retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and is associated with neurodegeneration. This study used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to analyze hemispheric lateralization and cooperative functional alterations in PACG. Machine learning assessed the classification efficacy of neuroimaging indicators, while integrated transcriptomics described spatial relationships between neuroimaging changes and genes, neurotransmitters, and cell types.

METHODS: Resting-state fMRI data were collected from 101 subjects (44 patients with PACG and 57 controls). Whole-brain maps of the Autonomy Index and connectivity of functional homotopic voxels (CFH) were constructed. Their classification efficacy was assessed using five machine learning classifiers. Partial Least Squares (PLS) spatial correlation analysis examined relationships between neuroimaging maps and gene-transcript profiles, cell type density, and neurotransmitter-receptor distribution maps.

RESULTS: PACG showed increased Autonomy Index in cerebellar Crus II and the right paracentral lobule, with widespread reductions in interhemispheric cooperation. Five machine learning models yielded classification results. Image-transcriptome analysis showed that positive Autonomy Index and CFH-positive gene features were enriched in synaptic signaling and neurodevelopment, whereas negative Autonomy Index and CFH-negative gene profiles correlated with neurodegeneration, metabolic dysfunction, and vascular-immune responses. Oligodendrocytes and endothelial cells showed spatial associations with the Autonomy Index and CFH. Brain lateralization and interhemispheric cooperation showed spatial correlations with VAChT topology and several neurotransmitter receptor/transporter maps.

CONCLUSION: PACG is characterized by enhanced cerebral lateralization and diminished interhemispheric cooperation. Explainable machine learning evaluated the classification efficacy of these imaging features. These findings provide a multimodal spatial-association framework relating PACG-related imaging alterations to normative molecular and cellular brain maps.

PMID:42567471 | DOI:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2026.08.003

Neuroimage. 2026 Aug 7:122160. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.122160. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is the most commonly used technique for non-invasive exploration of human cognition and neuroscience. Conventional T2*-weighted single-echo resting-state fMRI (SE-rfMRI) is limited by signal loss in regions prone to susceptibility artifacts and inseparable confounding from non-neuronal baseline (i.e., initial signal intensity S0) fluctuations. While multi-echo optimally combined rfMRI (ME-OC) effectively mitigates signal loss, confounding from S0 fluctuations remains unaddressed. Here, we leverage quantitative T2* fluctuation from ME-rfMRI to derive intrinsic functional metrics that are biophysically cleaner and more robust. Across both cortical and subcortical brain regions, we systematically evaluated the test-retest reliability and functional validity of two key local metrics, amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo), derived from our proposed method against those from conventional SE-rfMRI and ME-OC. In subcortical regions, T2*-derived metrics showed the highest mean ICCs among the three signal representations for both ALFF (ICC = 0.67, 0.66, and 0.54) and ReHo (ICC = 0.73, 0.67, and 0.63) for T2* fluctuation, ME-OC, and SE-rfMRI, respectively. A similar regionally selective pattern was observed in cortical areas susceptible to magnetic field inhomogeneities, including the orbitofrontal cortex (ALFF ICC = 0.87, 0.75, and 0.82), insula (0.83, 0.61, and 0.71), and temporal pole (0.80, 0.73, and 0.79) for T2* fluctuation, ME-OC, and SE-rfMRI, respectively. In terms of functional validity, ALFF from T2* fluctuation uniquely revealed significant condition-related differences in the right putamen, inferior frontal gyrus, and suborbital sulcus, which both ME-OC and SE-rfMRI failed to detect. Together, our findings suggest that quantitative T2*-derived metrics may provide a reliable and more biophysically specific characterization of intrinsic fMRI signal fluctuations, particularly in subcortical and susceptibility-prone cortical regions, and may complement conventional approaches in future research applications.

PMID:42567430 | DOI:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.122160

Brain. 2026 Aug 7:awag272. doi: 10.1093/brain/awag272. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The precise neuromodulatory mechanisms underlying consciousness and its disorders, despite growing evidence in both animals and humans, remain poorly understood at the subcortical level. The basal ganglia, a key component of the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loop, are known to play a crucial role in mediating consciousness and behavioural responsiveness to the environment. Here, we aimed to present a comprehensive mapping of the distinct contributions of basal ganglia nuclei and their associated neurotransmitter systems in pharmacologically induced and pathological loss of responsiveness. We used functional MRI to provide a systematic investigation of 9 major nuclei (putamen, caudate, nucleus accumbens, globus pallidus external, globus pallidus internal, substantia nigra pars compacta, substantia nigra pars reticulata, ventral pallidus, and subthalamic nucleus) and their functional relationship with 19 major neurotransmitter systems in loss of responsiveness, in both healthy volunteers under propofol anaesthesia (n = 16) and patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) (i.e. minimally conscious, unresponsive wakefulness syndrome) (n = 22). We found that in pharmacologically-induced loss of responsiveness, the functional connectivity changes of the putamen (Pu) correlated with the norepinephrine transporter (NET), and the globus pallidus external (GPe) with the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) and vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT); additionally, altered connectivity in the ventral pallidum (VeP) was associated with the norepinephrine transporter (NET). In contrast, with pathological-induced loss of responsiveness, we found that connectivity changes of the caudate were associated with the serotonin transporter (5-HTT), dopamine transporter (DAT), and GABAA receptor, and connectivity changes of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) were associated with the cannabinoid (CB1) receptor. Finally, we report that among all basal ganglia nuclei, a key dopamine-rich area of the basal ganglia-the substantia nigra-was found to have the largest DOC subgroup difference in functional connectivity, following stratification based on mental-imagery task responsiveness. Critically, we provide evidence that pharmacological and pathological loss of responsiveness involve distinct neurotransmitter system contributions across individual basal ganglia nuclei, offering a novel framework for targeted therapeutic interventions in patients with disorders of consciousness.

PMID:42565506 | DOI:10.1093/brain/awag272

Ann Child Neurol Soc. 2024 Jul 11;2(3):225-234. doi: 10.1002/cns3.20077. eCollection 2024 Sep.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The Child Neurology Society 2023 Annual Meeting Neurocritical Care Special Interest Group discussed pediatric opioid use-associated neurotoxicity with cerebellar edema (POUNCE). Inspired by the discussion and the suspicion of an underrecognized severe form of the disorder, we provide a case series and literature review on this important and emerging topic.

METHODS: The meeting was moderated by coauthor DSM, with formal presentation by coauthor AG, and supplemented with a supporting case by coauthor VLB. The attendees, by show of hand, were queried for experience with direct care of children in the critical care unit with neurotoxicity from opioid exposure. These meeting elements informed our literature review and case series.

RESULTS: A key focus of the meeting was the importance of interdisciplinary communication regarding POUNCE, emphasizing the necessity for neurosurgical assessment due to mass effect. Approximately 10 of 40 attendees, representing different US hospitals, reported caring for children with opioid neurotoxicity and concern for increased intracranial pressure. Described during the meeting was a 2-year-old girl with opioid exposure, rapidly worsening neurological exam, and transforaminal herniation concerning for severe POUNCE syndrome and impact on brain networks by resting-state functional magnetic resonanance imaging (rs-MRI). After surgical decompression did not improve her neurological function, she underwent rs-MRI, electroencephalogram, and MRI. The networks indicated better neurological function than the exam, consistent with outcome. In contrast, the second patient, was an 11-month-old boy with fentanyl exposure who was treated for opioid overdose and closely monitored clinically. He did not require surgical intervention and has recovered well.

INTERPRETATION: These patients add to the few publications documenting the management of POUNCE, which may require urgent posterior cranial fossa decompression, and highlight the potential for good outcomes. Additionally, this is the first report documenting rs-fMRI for this condition, which was consistent with the patient's outcome.

PMID:42563936 | PMC:PMC13359337 | DOI:10.1002/cns3.20077

J Neurotrauma. 2026 Aug 7:8977151261474842. doi: 10.1177/08977151261474842. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Repetitive, nonconcussive head impacts in collision sports are associated with lasting neurophysiological effects. This study investigates region-specific changes in neocortical mean diffusivity (MD) and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) power spectral density (fMRI-PSD) that correlate with cumulative nonconcussive linear risk-weighted exposure (RWE-Lin) sustained over one high school football season. Pre- to postseason percent changes in MD (%ΔMD) and fMRI-PSD (%ΔfMRI-PSD) were calculated for football players without diagnosed concussions during the season of observation (n = 87 player-seasons). Voxelwise linear regression analyses examined relationships between RWE-Lin with neocortical %ΔMD and %ΔfMRI-PSD. False discovery rate-corrected alpha thresholds of 0.0125 accounted for multiple comparisons and directionality within each test. While controlling for age, body mass index, days between scans, position group (skill vs. line), level (junior varsity vs. varsity), and concussion history, RWE-Lin was significantly positively correlated with %ΔMD (p = 1.12 × 10-5) and inversely correlated with %ΔfMRI-PSD in the frontal cortex (p = 7.36 × 10-4). Football players were stratified into high RWE-Lin (n = 13) and low RWE-Lin (n = 37) groups using the Jenks natural breaks algorithm. Noncollision athletes (NCAs, n = 11) served as external controls. When comparing imaging measures across the three groups, the high RWE-Lin football group showed significant differences from both NCA and low RWE-Lin football groups in frontal %ΔMD and %ΔfMRI-PSD (p < 0.05). No significant imaging differences were observed between NCA and low RWE-Lin football groups. Biomechanical modeling localized high-risk impact regions that have high spatial correspondence to the observed imaging abnormalities. Exploratory post hoc voxelwise analyses of magnetoencephalography spectral power detected no significant voxelwise associations with RWE-Lin. In the absence of diagnosed concussion, high-impact football players exhibit abnormal structural and neurovascular changes in the frontal cortex. These regions overlap with those identified to be at greatest risk from biomechanical modeling and those implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Importantly, these imaging abnormalities were not generally observed in football players with lower RWE-Lin. These findings suggest that limiting the number and severity of head impacts may be an effective strategy to mitigate subclinical brain injury in American football.

PMID:42563522 | DOI:10.1177/08977151261474842

BMC Neurol. 2026 Jul 27;26(1):501. doi: 10.1186/s12883-025-04605-7.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: To recover lower-limb motor function is a primary goal for rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Although quantitative testing and questionnaire evaluation provide a lot of valuable information, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) provides a powerful method to preliminarily explore the neural recovery process of novel rehabilitation interventions. In this case, we aimed to investigate changes in functional connectivity (FC) of motor imagery-based brain-computer interface (MI-BCI) combined with tDCS intervention in early post-ACL reconstruction rehabilitation, monitored via resting-state fMRI.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 38-year-old man patient who underwent left ACL reconstruction received MI-BCI combined with tDCS intervention 5sessions/peek for 4 weeks. before and after the intervention, the resting-state fMRI was assessed. Seed-based analysis was performed using the primary motor cortex (M1) and supplementary motor area (SMA) as the seeds, representing the sensorimotor network (SMN). The results showed increased connectivity between the SMN and specific motor-related (e.g., precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, pallidum and paracentral lobule) and sensory information processing areas (e.g., calcarine, lingual gyrus, calcarine, thalamus, posterior cingulum). In addition, decreased FC between both M1 and the bilateral precentral gyrus was observed, and the FC between the left M1, SMA, and the right frontal midline regions was also reduced.

CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary results showed that MI-BCI combined with tDCS could be an effective method to recovery the lower-limb motor function and promote neural remodeling of an ACL reconstruction patient in early stage. Alterations of the SMN functional connectivity after intervention seems to partially explain the neural remodeling process, if applied on a large sample sizes, could provide more information about specific motor area.

PMID:42563155 | DOI:10.1186/s12883-025-04605-7

J Orthop Sci. 2026 Aug 6:S0949-2658(26)00220-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jos.2026.07.009. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Intradiscal condoliase injection is an established minimally invasive treatment for symptomatic lumbar disc herniation (LDH), but its effects on central neural processing remain poorly understood. This study investigated longitudinal alterations in resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) following condoliase injection and their associations with pain improvement.

METHODS: Twenty-six patients with LDH who achieved clinically meaningful pain reduction (≥50% reduction on the Visual Analogue Scale) underwent longitudinal resting-state fMRI. Seed-to-voxel analyses identified rsFC alterations between pre-treatment and 3 months post-treatment, focusing on the salience network (SN). Associations between functional connectivity changes (ΔFC) and pain improvement rates were evaluated using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients with Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate (FDR) correction across identified regions of interest (ROIs).

RESULTS: Condoliase treatment significantly altered SN-related cerebellar and temporoparietal pathways. Specifically, connectivity decreased between the anterior insula (AI) and a brainstem/Vermis X cluster, while it increased between the supramarginal gyrus (SMG) and temporal occipital fusiform cortex (TOFC). Pain improvement rates correlated with ΔFC in the AI-Vermis X (ρ = 0.47, p = 0.015) and SMG-TOFC (ρ = -0.48, p = 0.014) pathways. Both remained significant after FDR correction (q = 0.045).

CONCLUSIONS: Pain improvement following condoliase injection is accompanied by longitudinal reorganization of SN-related functional connectivity, highlighting salience-cerebellar and salience-temporoparietal brain plasticity during recovery from LDH.

PMID:42562727 | DOI:10.1016/j.jos.2026.07.009

Addict Behav. 2026 Aug 3;183:108825. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2026.108825. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) is marked by intense craving and high relapse risk, often triggered by drug-related cues. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) provides key insight into the neural basis of this cue reactivity, implicating large-scale brain networks for reward, motivation, and control. Yet, findings remain inconsistent across studies due to differences in task design, abstinence duration, and participant characteristics.

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review synthesises evidence on how abstinence influences brain network alterations underlying cue reactivity and craving in methamphetamine users, integrating task-based and resting-state fMRI findings within leading neurobiological models of addiction.

METHODS: A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Ovid was conducted up to August 10, 2025, following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Eligible fMRI studies examined cue reactivity or craving in abstinent methamphetamine users. Data were extracted on activation, connectivity, and brain-behaviour associations, and synthesised narratively.

RESULTS: Task-based studies revealed heightened activation across reward, salience, and control networks during cue exposure, which diminished as parietal and executive control systems re-engaged with longer abstinence. Resting-state findings showed disrupted intrinsic connectivity among default mode, salience, and frontoparietal networks, reflecting persistent imbalances linked to craving and use severity.

CONCLUSION: fMRI evidence shows that MUD is marked by network-level disruption linking reward, salience, and control systems. Task-based findings reveal strong cue reactivity in reward circuits, while resting-state data show persistent imbalance among default mode and control networks. With abstinence, partial restoration of network integrity emerges, highlighting both vulnerability and opportunities for targeted, recovery-based interventions.

PMID:42561566 | DOI:10.1016/j.addbeh.2026.108825

J Behav Addict. 2026 Aug 6:2006.2025.00500. doi: 10.1556/2006.2025.00500. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: A variety of self-regulation interventions have shown efficacy in treating Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), but their shared and unique neurobiological mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to identify a common, trans-therapeutic neural signature of recovery and to delineate the specific connectivity fingerprints of five different self-regulation interventions for IGD.

METHODS: This secondary analysis pooled resting-state fMRI data from 269 individuals with IGD who participated in one of five randomized controlled trials of self-regulation-based interventions: Approach Bias Modification (ApBM), Retrieval-Aversive Conditioning (R-AC), Progressive Aerobic Training (PAT), face-to-face Mindfulness Meditation (MM), and a Digital (online) mindfulness intervention. Participants were diagnosed with IGD according to DSM-5. Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression was used to identify a shared connectivity pattern associated with clinical improvement and similarity network fusion to define intervention-specific connectivity fingerprints. Imaging-transcriptomic analysis was further used to explore the molecular correlates.

RESULTS: All interventions were associated with significant reductions in IGD severity. PLS analysis identified a shared connectivity pattern predictive of treatment response, characterized by a rebalancing of Subcortical Network (SCN) connectivity along the sensorimotor-association axis. This shared pattern was linked to gene expression profiles related to cellular stress and neuroplasticity. Each intervention also induced a unique connectivity fingerprint, targeting distinct neural circuits.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Diverse self-regulation interventions for IGD converge on a shared therapeutic pathway involving the large-scale reorganization of cortico-subcortical circuits. These findings identify a robust neurobiological phenotype of recovery, offering a potential biomarker for treatment response and a target for future circuit-based therapies.

PMID:42560759 | DOI:10.1556/2006.2025.00500

Front Hum Neurosci. 2026 Jul 22;20:1874178. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2026.1874178. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

Psilocybin is a classic psychedelic known to alter subjective experience and induce lasting psychological changes, including increased cognitive flexibility and reduced rigid self-related beliefs. Contextual factors, including preparatory mental states, are thought to play a key role in shaping these effects. Compassion imagery, which engages care-affiliative motivational systems, may represent a promising priming approach in this context. Here, we investigated the neural and psychological effects of psilocybin under compassion imagery priming using self-report questionnaires and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in a naturalistic sample of 105 participants. Participants were primed with either compassion imagery or attention to breathing prior to psilocybin intake. We observed sustained increases in absorption over time, particularly in the high-dose compassion imagery condition. Additional within-group increases were found in measures of decentering and self-compassion. Using functional connectivity features, fMRI-based classifiers distinguished between resting state and compassion imagery conditions prior to intake, and between priming conditions following psilocybin, with significant classification performance observed only in the high-dose group. These findings suggest that psilocybin is associated with lasting changes in absorption and may be modulated by contextual priming to shape both psychological outcomes and large-scale brain network dynamics. More generally, our results highlight the potential role of compassion-based practices as preparatory interventions in psychedelic contexts. Future confirmatory studies are needed to further characterize these effects and their underlying mechanisms.

PMID:42559191 | PMC:PMC13439500 | DOI:10.3389/fnhum.2026.1874178

Magn Reson Med. 2026 Aug 6. doi: 10.1002/mrm.70553. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) provides an important index of vascular health and is conventionally quantified using a hypercapnic gas or breath-hold challenge in conjunction with blood-oxygen-level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD-fMRI). Such approaches require a dedicated extra scan and, for hypercapnia, specialized equipment for gas administration and external physiological recordings, limiting their applicability in large-scale neuroimaging studies and clinical populations. To address this limitation, we introduce a calibration-free and breath-hold-free framework for CVR estimation from resting-state BOLD-fMRI.

METHODS: The method leverages a previously validated machine learning-based respiratory variation (RV) reconstruction approach to recover respiratory dynamics directly from BOLD-fMRI time series. The reconstructed RV is subsequently convolved with a respiratory response function and incorporated as a regressor in a voxel-wise general linear model (GLM), yielding regression coefficients that serve as CVR estimates.

RESULTS: Validation was performed on a cohort of 83 healthy young adults with ground-truth CVR maps obtained from hypercapnic gas challenges. The proposed framework demonstrated spatial correspondence with measured CVR (mean correlation = 0.61), with the strongest performance observed in participants exhibiting greater respiratory variability (mean r = 0.72).

CONCLUSION: Collectively, these results establish a reliable, non-invasive, and calibration-free strategy for CVR mapping, enabling broader deployment in both research and clinical environments where gas-challenge protocols and physiological monitoring are impractical.

PMID:42557915 | DOI:10.1002/mrm.70553

Addict Biol. 2026 Aug;31(8):e70180. doi: 10.1111/adb.70180.

ABSTRACT

Betel quid (BQ) is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen, underscoring a significant public health challenge. Neuroimaging evidence demonstrated that betel quid dependence (BQD) was linked to alterations in reward-related brain regions. However, resting-state functional connectivity (FC) in the reward circuit and their neural correlates with pathophysiological characteristics of BQD remain largely unexplored. We recruited 53 male BQD chewers and 53 male healthy controls (HCs) to participate in this study. Eleven reward circuit seeds, such as ventral striatum (VS), ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and others, were selected. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data were analysed to evaluate FC between predefined seed regions and the whole brain. Association between aberrant FC and clinical features was further investigated. Relative to HCs, individuals with BQD exhibited altered FC in the reward circuit, mainly in VS, VMPFC, ACC, PCC and thalamus (Th). Correlation analysis indicated that FC between right Th and PCC was negatively correlated with BQD scales and dosage of BQ use in BQD subjects. Our findings provided the first empirical evidence that individuals with BQD showed aberrant resting-state FC in the reward circuit. Additionally, decreased connectivity between right Th and PCC was negatively associated with dependence degree and dosage of BQ use. These results highlighted the importance of the reward circuit in the pathophysiology of BQD and suggested that reward circuit dysfunction could serve as a potential circuit-level biomarker.

PMID:42556870 | DOI:10.1111/adb.70180

Neuroimage. 2026 Aug 5:122161. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.122161. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To characterize functional network alterations associated with aphasia and preserved language function in patients with left-hemispheric brain tumors using resting-state fMRI graph-theoretical analysis, with secondary evaluation of whether whole-brain network metrics are associated with aphasia status within the tumor cohort.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective IRB-approved study included 120 participants: 40 aphasic patients, 40 non-aphasic patients with left-hemispheric intra-axial tumors, and 40 matched healthy controls. ROI-to-ROI rs-fMRI connectivity across seven canonical networks yielded graph metrics (global/local efficiency, clustering, path length, centrality) at whole-brain, hemispheric, and network levels with FDR-corrected comparisons. Multinomial logistic regression compared healthy controls, non-aphasic patients, and aphasic patients. A secondary exploratory patient-only binary logistic regression examined aphasia status using whole-brain graph metrics and demographic covariates, including age, sex, and handedness.

RESULTS: The whole-brain multinomial model did not significantly distinguish healthy controls, non-aphasic patients, and aphasic patients (χ²=21.622, df=18, p=0.249; classification accuracy=57.5%). Therefore, individual graph-metric coefficients from this model were treated as exploratory rather than confirmatory. In a secondary exploratory patient-only regression, the model did not significantly distinguish aphasic from non-aphasic tumor patients after adjustment for age, sex, and handedness (Omnibus χ²=7.147, df=10, p=0.712; Nagelkerke R²=0.114; Hosmer-Lemeshow p=0.508; accuracy=62.5%). Whole-brain graph metrics were not independently associated with aphasia after demographic adjustment. ROI-level analyses showed focal differences in non-aphasic patients, including greater left IFG closeness, posterior parietal centrality, and anterior cerebellar connectivity, but these findings were interpreted as exploratory network correlates rather than definitive evidence of compensation.

CONCLUSION: Rs-fMRI graph-theoretical measures characterized network-level differences among aphasic patients, non-aphasic patients, and healthy controls, but the three-group multinomial model did not significantly distinguish the groups and the secondary patient-only regression did not independently distinguish aphasic from non-aphasic tumor patients after demographic adjustment. These findings suggest that graph metrics should be interpreted as exploratory system-level correlates of aphasia status and preserved language rather than stand-alone predictors or definitive markers of compensation.

PMID:42556658 | DOI:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.122161

Neuroradiology. 2026 Aug 5. doi: 10.1007/s00234-026-04130-5. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To investigate cerebellar structural and functional alterations in cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) using multimodal MRI.

METHODS: 127 CSM patients and 91 healthy controls (HCs) underwent resting-state fMRI. Gray matter volume (GMV), static functional connectivity (sFC), and dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) were analyzed across 34 cerebellar subregions using the spatially unbiased infratentorial template (SUIT) atlas. Associations between altered imaging metrics and clinical measures were assessed.

RESULTS: (1) CSM patients showed reduced GMV in left lobule V and vermal Crus I compared with HCs; however, these GMV reductions were not significantly associated with clinical measures (all P > 0.05). (2) Widespread cerebello-cerebral sFC alterations were observed in CSM patients, mainly involving interactions between the sensorimotor network (SMN) and default mode network (DMN), visual network (VN) interactions, dorsal attention network (DAN)-DMN/frontoparietal network (FPN) interactions, and deep nuclei-SMN/FPN interactions. The strength of specific sFC connections correlated with motor function and anxiety in CSM patients. (3) Cerebello-cerebral dFC analysis revealed network-dependent alterations in temporal variability, including increased variability in DAN-DMN/FPN, DMN/FPN-VN, and SMN-multiple association and VN pathways, and decreased variability in VN-DMN/FPN pathways. The temporal variability of specific dFC connections correlated with cognitive function.

CONCLUSION: CSM is associated with cerebellar atrophy and widespread alterations in cerebello-cerebral sFC and dFC. Some of these alterations were associated with clinical measures, providing evidence for cerebellar-cerebral network involvement in CSM, although their functional significance requires further clarification.

PMID:42554837 | DOI:10.1007/s00234-026-04130-5

Brain Commun. 2026 Jul 22;8(4):fcag290. doi: 10.1093/braincomms/fcag290. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

Clinical trajectories in patients with functional neurological disorder (FND) are variable, and the neural mechanisms underlying this heterogeneity remain poorly understood. This longitudinal brain imaging study examined resting-state functional connectivity predictors and mechanisms of symptom change in FND. Thirty-two adults with FND (motor and/or seizure phenotypes) completed baseline questionnaires and functional MRI (fMRI), followed by naturalistic treatment for 6.8 ± 0.8 months. All participants completed follow-up questionnaires; 28 completed follow-up fMRI. At each timepoint, three graph-theory network metrics of resting-state functional connectivity were computed: whole-brain weighted-degree (centrality), cortical integration (between-network connectivity), and cortical segregation (within-network connectivity). All analyses adjusted for age, sex, antidepressants, head motion, time between sessions and baseline score of interest, with cluster-wise correction. Results were contextualized against 50 age-, sex-, and head motion-matched healthy controls (HCs). Based on patient-reported Clinical Global Impression of Improvement ratings, 59.4% improved, 31.3% were unchanged, and 9.3% worsened. Core FND symptom (i.e. Screening for Somatoform Symptoms-7 Subscale for Conversion Disorder) and non-core physical symptom (Patient Health Questionnaire-15) scores showed variable trajectories, with no group-level changes. For whole-brain weighted-degree analyses, baseline centrality in right middle frontal, precentral, and left cerebellar regions was positively associated with core FND symptom change; longitudinally, centrality decreases in right precentral, superior parietal, lateral occipital, and cerebellar regions were associated with symptom improvement. For cortical integration analyses, baseline between-network connectivity in ventral attention, frontoparietal, and default mode network regions was positively associated with core FND symptom change; longitudinally, decreases in between-network connectivity for regions of these same networks were associated with symptom improvement. For cortical segregation analyses, baseline within-network connectivity in frontoparietal network regions was positively associated with core FND symptom change; no regions showed longitudinal segregation changes associated with symptom change. The right anterior insula emerged as a convergent site across baseline and longitudinal integration analyses, with the most improved participants showing elevated baseline between-network connectivity relative to HCs that normalized at follow-up. More modest functional connectivity associations were observed with non-core physical symptom change, spanning baseline within-network connectivity in dorsal attention network regions and longitudinal between-network connectivity increases in visual network regions. Findings remained significant adjusting for FND phenotype, although several attenuated when accounting for baseline affective symptoms or trauma burden. In conclusion, this study identified baseline and longitudinal resting-state functional connectivity features linked to symptom change in FND, highlighting the potential of large-scale network interactions as prognostic markers and providing mechanistic insights that set the stage for novel, biologically informed interventions.

PMID:42553752 | PMC:PMC13435623 | DOI:10.1093/braincomms/fcag290

J Psychopharmacol. 2026 Aug 5:2698811261470456. doi: 10.1177/02698811261470456. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cannabidiol (CBD) has emerged as a potential antipsychotic treatment, acting as a negative allosteric modulator of cannabinoid type-1 (CB1) receptors within the endocannabinoid system. Although previous neuroimaging studies have shown that CBD induces changes in aberrant brain activity and functional connectivity (FC) in psychosis, they have not directly integrated information about the spatial distribution of the molecular targets through which CBD may act.

AIM: In this study, we aimed to investigate whether a single dose of CBD may acutely modulate CB1 receptor-enriched FC in patients with early psychosis and to compare these effects with healthy controls (HC).

METHODS: Thirteen patients with early psychosis (PSY) and 14 age- and sex-matched HC underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Patients participated in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study receiving 600 mg CBD (PSY-CBD) or matched placebo (PSY-PLB). CB1 receptor-enriched FC was computed using Receptor-Enriched Analysis of functional Connectivity by Targets (REACT), integrating Positron Emission Tomography (PET)-derived CB1 receptor maps with fMRI data.

RESULTS: Three main findings emerged: (i) PSY-PLB showed increased CB1 receptor-enriched FC across multiple regions compared to HC; (ii) a single dose of CBD significantly reduced CB1 receptor-enriched FC of the right insular cortex relative to PLB; (iii) no differences were observed when CB1 receptor-enriched FC maps of PSY-CBD were compared with those of HC.

CONCLUSION: Our findings support the potential of CBD to regulate CB1 receptor-enriched FC in early psychosis, providing mechanistic insight into its antipsychotic effects and highlighting REACT as a valuable tool for integrating molecular and functional imaging in psychiatric research.

PMID:42552898 | DOI:10.1177/02698811261470456