Links to Spirituality Found in the Brain
Scientists have identified areas of the brain that, when damaged, lead to greater spirituality. The
findings hint at the roots of spiritual and religious attitudes, the researchers say.
The study, published in the Feb. 11 issue of the journal Neuron, involves a personality trait called
self-transcendence, which is a somewhat vague measure of spiritual feeling, thinking, and behaviors.
Self-transcendence "reflects a decreased sense of self and an ability to identify one's self as an
integral part of the universe as a whole," the researchers explain. Before and after surgery, the
scientists surveyed patients who had brain tumors removed. The surveys generate
self-transcendence scores. Selective damage to the left and right posterior parietal regions of the
brain induced a specific increase in self-transcendence, or ST, the surveys showed.
"Our symptom-lesion mapping study is the first demonstration of a causative link between brain
functioning and ST," said Dr. Cosimo Urgesi from the University of Udine in Italy. "Damage to posterior
parietal areas induced unusually fast changes of a stable personality dimension related to
transcendental self-referential awareness. Thus, dysfunctional parietal neural activity may underpin
altered spiritual and religious attitudes and behaviors."
Previous neuroimaging studies had linked activity within a large network in the brain that connects the
frontal, parietal, and temporal cortexes with spiritual experiences, "but information on the causative
link between such a network and spirituality is lacking," explains lead study author, Urgesi said.
One study, reported in 2008, suggested that the brain's right parietal lobe defines "Me," and people
with less active Me-Definers are more likely to lead spiritual lives.
The finding could lead to new strategies for treating some forms of mental illness.
"If a stable personality trait like ST can undergo fast changes as a consequence of brain lesions, it
would indicate that at least some personality dimensions may be modified by influencing neural
activity in specific areas," said Dr. Salvatore M. Aglioti from Sapienza University of Rome. "Perhaps
novel approaches aimed at modulating neural activity might ultimately pave the way to new treatments
of personality disorders."