(1/12) Our brain network study of religious fundamentalism is out in PNAS. We identified brain networks associated with religious fundamentalism and found shared neuroanatomy with lesions linked to confabulation and criminal behavior: pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pn… (2/12) In two large samples of neurology patients with brain lesions (N1 = 106, N2 = 84), religious fundamentalism was measured using the Religious Fundamentalism Scale (Altemeyer, 2004). Lesions were distributed heterogeneously throughout the brain.

(1/11) 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭: 𝘈 𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴
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biorxiv.org/content/10.110… (2/11) Religious fundamentalism is a topic of worldwide concern. It is characterized by rigid adherence to a set of beliefs putatively revealing inerrant truths. It is ubiquitous across cultures and has a global impact on society.

(1/12) New article! I'm very pleased to share our most recent report: A neural circuit for spirituality and religiosity derived from patients with brain lesions. Here is my Twitter summary of our findings...

biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S0006-… (2/12) Over 80% of the global population consider themselves religious or spiritual, but neural substrates remain unresolved. In two independent datasets (N1=88; N2=105), brain lesions associated with spirituality map to a brain circuit centered on the periaqueductal grey.