Stimulants as agents of arousal in whole-brain functional connectivity.

Goldfarb, Elizabeth V · Cell · 2025

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

In this issue of Cell, Kay and colleagues show robust and reproducible differences in human brain networks associated with stimulants. Individuals taking stimulants had distinct functional connectivity of a set of brain networks linked to better sleep and higher physical arousal but no significant changes in connectivity with networks canonically involved in attention. This multi-dataset investigation suggests an arousal-based pathway linking stimulants to improved cognition.

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