Developmental Homeostatic Rigidity and Closed-Loop Neurobehavioral Remodeling: From Symptom Suppression to Long-Term Network Reorganization in Psychopathology

This conceptual review introduces Developmental Homeostatic Rigidity (DHR), a framework proposing that psychopathology may involve not only abnormal activation of particular brain systems but also a persistent narrowing of the repertoire and transition flexibility of neural-network states. The model emphasizes how inherited neurobiology, developmental experience, cognitive and emotional processing, and repeated high-salience events may shape a developmental appraisal architecture that progressively biases future state selection. The paper further proposes a closed-loop neurobehavioral remodeling framework in which individualized brain-state detection, psychotherapy, behavioral learning, neurofeedback, and state-contingent neuromodulation could be integrated to reinforce adaptive state transitions over time. The central hypothesis is that if maladaptive psychopathology develops through prolonged experience-dependent remodeling, durable recovery may likewise require prolonged, directed, experience-dependent remodeling toward greater neural and behavioral flexibility. The framework is presented as a testable research hypothesis rather than an established therapeutic protocol.