Our Research

Neural basis of spontaneous thought

Spontaneous thought is a ubiquitous mental activity and a fundamental aspect of cognitive and neural function (Kucyi et al., 2023). Using online experience sampling during fMRI, we have shown how different brain networks are engaged during stimulus-independent and task-unrelated thoughts (Kucyi et al., 2013; 2014; 2016; 2021). Current research in the lab goes beyond group-centric inferences and focuses on individual variability in the neural basis of spontaneous thought (Kucyi et al., 2024; Shareef-Trudeau et al., 2025), emphasizing an idiographic analysis approach.

Electrophysiological basis of functional brain networks

While fMRI remains the dominant tool for mapping human functional brain networks, the blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI signal does not directly measure neural activity. Using intracranial EEG, we have previously validated and characterized the fast dynamics of widely studied functional networks such as default mode, dorsal attention, salience networks (Kucyi et al., 2018; 2020a; 2020b). In current research, we are using simultaneous EEG-fMRI and precision network mapping to clarify the relationships between electrophysiology and network dynamics at the level of individual brains.

Real-time neuroimaging interventions to study spontaneous brain activity

We are developing and applying new real-time fMRI paradigms to discover causal, and temporally-precise, relationships of spontaneous neural activity with mental experience and behaviors. While fMRI is primarily a tool for identifying correlational brain-behavior relationships, real-time data analysis opens up the opportunity to use fMRI to deliver closed-loop interventions rather than use solely as a passive recording tool. We recently developed the method of real-time fMRI-triggered experience sampling for mapping brain-experience relationships. We are further using real-time neurofeedback interventions to study causal relationships between brain networks and spontaneous fluctuations in attentional states.

Interactions between mind-wandering and memory

Mind-wandering is often considered as a nuisance because it interferes with attention to the external world. However, we have argued that mind-wandering may offer cognitive benefits within the domain of memory via interactions between the default mode network and spontaneous replay in the hippocampus (Joshi et al., 2026). In collaboration with the Memory and Concepts lab, we are exploring how the brain jointly supports spontaneous thought and memory consolidation during idle periods of rest.

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