@article{04abd7a579c842d59943734b748022be,
title = "A Neural Circuit for Spirituality and Religiosity Derived From Patients With Brain Lesions",
abstract = "Background: Over 80% of the global population consider themselves religious, with even more identifying as spiritual, but the neural substrates of spirituality and religiosity remain unresolved. Methods: In two independent brain lesion datasets (N1 = 88; N2 = 105), we applied lesion network mapping to test whether lesion locations associated with spiritual and religious belief map to a specific human brain circuit. Results: We found that brain lesions associated with self-reported spirituality map to a brain circuit centered on the periaqueductal gray. Intersection of lesion locations with this same circuit aligned with self-reported religiosity in an independent dataset and previous reports of lesions associated with hyper-religiosity. Lesion locations causing delusions and alien limb syndrome also intersected this circuit. Conclusions: These findings suggest that spirituality and religiosity map to a common brain circuit centered on the periaqueductal gray, a brainstem region previously implicated in fear conditioning, pain modulation, and altruistic behavior.",
keywords = "Hyper-religiosity, Imaging, Lesion network mapping, Periaqueductal gray, Religion, Spirituality",
author = "Ferguson, {Michael A.} and Schaper, {Frederic L.W.V.J.} and Alexander Cohen and Shan Siddiqi and Merrill, {Sarah M.} and Nielsen, {Jared A.} and Jordan Grafman and Cosimo Urgesi and Franco Fabbro and Fox, {Michael D.}",
note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by was supported by an National Institutes of Health Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Institutional Research Training Grant (Grant No. T32MH112510 [to AC]) and the Shields Research Grant from the Child Neurology Foundation (to AC); the Sidney R. Baer, Jr. Foundation, the Nancy Lurie Marks Foundation, the Mather{\textquoteright}s Foundation, the Kaye Family Research Endowment , and the National Institutes of Health (Grant Nos. R01 MH113929 , R01 MH115949 , and R01 AG060987 [to MDF]). None of the funding agencies had a role in the design and conduct of the study, in the collection, management, analysis and interpretation of the data, in the preparation, review or approval of the manuscript, nor in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. Funding Information: This work was supported by was supported by an National Institutes of Health Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Institutional Research Training Grant (Grant No. T32MH112510 [to AC]) and the Shields Research Grant from the Child Neurology Foundation (to AC); the Sidney R. Baer, Jr. Foundation, the Nancy Lurie Marks Foundation, the Mather's Foundation, the Kaye Family Research Endowment, and the National Institutes of Health (Grant Nos. R01 MH113929, R01 MH115949, and R01 AG060987 [to MDF]). None of the funding agencies had a role in the design and conduct of the study, in the collection, management, analysis and interpretation of the data, in the preparation, review or approval of the manuscript, nor in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. MAF and MDF conceptualized and designed the work. MAF, AC, SS, and MDF designed and developed methods. MAF, AC, and SS contributed to programming, software development, and implementation of computer code. MAF performed validation and formal analysis. JG, CU, and FF conducted data collection. MAF, FLWVJS, and SMM contributed to data curation. MAF prepared the original draft. MAF, FLWVJS, AC, SS, SMM, JAN, JG, CU, FF, and MDF reviewed and edited. MAF visualized data and prepared data presentation. MDF supervised research planning and execution. MAF and MDF coordinated project administration. AC and MDF acquired financial support for the project leading to this publication. Data, code, and materials used in the analysis are available upon reasonable request. The authors report no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 Society of Biological Psychiatry",
year = "2022",
month = feb,
day = "15",
doi = "10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.06.016",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "91",
pages = "380--388",
journal = "Biological Psychiatry",
issn = "0006-3223",
publisher = "Elsevier USA",
number = "4",
}