Real-time fMRI-triggered experience sampling: A proof-of-concept study
Tiara Bounyarith, David Braun, Aaron Kucyi · 2026
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Description
Bounyarith, Braun, and Kucyi tested a brain scanner that asks questions at the right moment, in a 2026 proof-of-concept study. People resting in a scanner have spontaneous thoughts, but random prompts catch brain activity only roughly. Their method watched two brain regions live and triggered a thought probe whenever either region flared.
Sixty volunteers took part, and after strict exclusions about forty to fifty remained per test. Probes fired by the posteromedial cortex, a daydreaming hub, indeed caught moments of low attention to the outside world. The insula hypothesis did not hold up. The authors say the method works and can sharpen studies of wandering minds.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Tiara Bounyarith, David Braun, Aaron Kucyi |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 86 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |