Neuroscience explores the intricate machinery of the brain and nervous system, seeking to understand how we think, feel, and move. From the microscopic dance of individual neurons to the complex networks that shape our memories and behaviors, this field peels back the layers of our biological selves to reveal the origins of consciousness and disease.

At Gist.Science, we bring these discoveries directly from bioRxiv, the leading preprint server for biological sciences, to a broader audience. We process every new neuroscience preprint as it is uploaded, transforming dense academic manuscripts into clear, plain-language explanations alongside detailed technical summaries. This ensures that both curious readers and specialists can stay current with the latest breakthroughs before they are formally published.

Below are the latest neuroscience papers we have processed from bioRxiv, offering fresh insights into the workings of the mind.

🧠 neuroscience

Where is God? A comparison of the neural correlates of mystical and religious praying

This study uses fMRI to demonstrate that the neural correlates of prayer differ based on the perception of God, with Sahaja Yoga meditators showing thalamic deactivation associated with focusing on an immanent, internal God, while Christians exhibit thalamic activation linked to dialoguing with a transcendent, external God.

Rubia, K., Hernandez, S. E., Perez-Diaz, O., Gonzalez Mora, J. L., Barros Loscertales, A. R.2026-02-25
🧠 neuroscience

Characterization of effects of a neurotropic murine coronavirus infection on Alzheimer's disease neuropathology of 5xFAD mice

This study demonstrates that acute neurotropic murine coronavirus infection in aged 5xFAD mice induces T cell and macrophage infiltration around Aβ plaques while attenuating the myeloid cell response and downregulating disease-associated pathways involved in Aβ clearance and lipid metabolism.

Javonillo, D. I., Furman, S., Le, L., Fernandez, K., Mulford, J. N., Singla, V., Jha, R., Tsourmas, K. I., Kwang, N. E. (…)2026-02-25
🧠 neuroscience

Dissociable Microstructural Correlates of Learning Rate and Learning Noise in Gamified Reward-Based Decision-Making

This large-scale study combining quantitative MRI and computational modeling reveals that individual differences in reward-based decision-making are driven by distinct microstructural correlates, where cerebellar myelination predicts learning rate while precentral gyrus myelination and iron concentration determine learning noise.

Vejloe, M., Nikolova, N., Banellis, L., Tyrer, A., Skvortsova, V., Hauser, T. U., Allen, M.2026-02-25
🧠 neuroscience

Brain network modeling with The Virtual Brain derives pharmacodynamics of ketamine

This study utilizes The Virtual Brain framework to implement a dose-dependent NMDAR antagonism model, revealing that low-dose ketamine primarily impairs excito-inhibitory transmission via disinhibition while high doses additionally affect excito-excitatory connections, thereby elucidating the distinct neural mechanisms underlying its varying clinical effects.

Them, J., Deger, L., Taher, H., Stasinski, J., Martin, L. K., Meier, J. M., Stefanovski, L., Ritter, P.2026-02-25
🧠 neuroscience

Disruption of the SYNGAP1 PDZ ligand motif accelerates differentiation of human iPSC-derived GABAergic neurons

This study demonstrates that SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency and disruption of its PDZ ligand motif accelerate the differentiation and maturation of human iPSC-derived GABAergic neurons through dysregulation of synaptic proteins and transcriptional control, establishing SYNGAP1 as a critical regulator of neuronal development across both excitatory and inhibitory lineages.

Jiang, J., Rust, R., Flores, I., Feng, Y., Nouri, P., Clementel, V. A., Arya, A., Basirattalab, A., Yang, I. Y., Manouso (…)2026-02-25
🧠 neuroscience

Effects of expectation, attention, and NMDA receptor blockade on feedforward and feedback processing

This study demonstrates that perceptual expectations selectively modulate lateral and feedback processing of task-relevant visual features, while NMDA receptor blockade via memantine specifically enhances feedback mechanisms associated with perceptual inference without altering expectation or attention effects.

Noorman, S., Fahrenfort, J. J., Heilbron, M., Sergent, C., Zantvoord, J. B., van Gaal, S., Stein, T.2026-02-25