genetics and neuroanatomy of religious belief

kid-A

The first article links the expression of the Dopamine D4 neurotransmitter receptor with ones likelihood of accepting religious beliefs. The D4 receptor is higly expressed in human prefrontal cortex, a region that is damaged in hyper-religious individuals......the pieces are all falling together to support the notion that there is a biological basis for "religious" or "magical" thinking. As a militant atheist, I guess I have low levels of D4 !!! man, I got lucky!! !!!!!

Psychiatr Genet. 2000 Dec;10(4):185-9.

The DRD4 gene and the spiritual transcendence scale of the character temperament index.

Comings DE , Gonzales N , Saucier G , Johnson JP , MacMurray JP .

Department of Medical Genetics, City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA. [email protected]

Two hundred male subjects (81 college students and 119 subjects from an addiction treatment unit) were administered the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and genotyped at the 48 base pair repeat polymorphism of the DRD4 gene. Subjects were divided by genotype into those carrying any < 4 repeat allele, those homozygous for the 4 repeat allele, and those with any > 4 repeat allele. The total MANCOVA of seven TCI summary scores, with age and diagnostic group as covariates, was significant (P < or = 0.001). The largest effect was with self-transcendence (P < or = 0.001). The total MANCOVA for the three self-transcendence subscores was significant (P < or = 0.017), with the spiritual acceptance subscore showing the most effect (P < or = 0.001, power = 0.91). These results suggest the DRD4 gene may play a role in the personality trait of spiritual acceptance. This may be a function of the high concentration of the dopamine D4 receptor in the cortical areas, especially the frontal cortex.

The role of the medial prefrontal cortex in human religious activity. Med Hypotheses. 2004;62(4):479-85 Muramoto O .

Department of Neurology, Kaiser Permanente, Interstate Medical Office East, 3550 N Interstate Avenue, Portland, OR 97227, USA. [email protected]

Although religious practices are ubiquitous and universal throughout human history, their biological basis is little understood, particularly at the neural level. In this paper, I will first review the current understanding of the neural basis of human religious activity, and then present a hypothesis that the medial prefrontal cortex plays a vital role in the integrity of religious activity. In this hypothesis, optimal functions of the medial prefrontal cortex, such as error detection, compliance to social norms, self-reflection, and theory of mind, are a key prerequisite to the maintenance of integrated religious activity. Hyperreligiosity may result from the hyperfunction of the medial prefrontal cortex, including rigid legalism (excessive error detection), excessive concern over one's existence (excessive self-reflection), and delusional interpretation of God's mind (excess of theory of mind). Future research based on this hypothesis is proposed, and the potential implication of this hypothesis on our society is also discussed.

tetrapod.sapien

Hyperreligiosity may result from the hyperfunction of the medial prefrontal cortex,

nice hypothesis! and it is fairly obvious that since religious institutions offer an environment of acceptance for an individuals with this hyperfunction , that the hypothesis is doing pretty well in the predictability department.

let the coolness continue, and the gereral scientific assault on magical thinking blaze forth into the 21st century!

a couple of questions:

so, is it dopamine levels that affect self-transcendence? or is it something else to do with the receptor?

and, if it is dopamine levels at the receptor, then could testing continue with subjects of hyper-religiosity (and non) to determine if "faith" is affected? and is that legal? LOL!

TS (of the mad scientist class)

Deputy Dog

kid-a

Lucky? Hmmm. Time will tell

Eph 1:5

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

Rom 9:21

Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?

D Dog

tetrapod.sapien

Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Rom 9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?

man! i'd like to check out the D4 levels in whoever wrote that! LMAO! TS

Deputy Dog

Yea, tetra, I wonder if this is true about those that believe in Darwinism? You have to have high levels of D4 to believe that too!

tetrapod.sapien

ha ha!

DD,

i don't believe in Darwinism. i KNOW in Darwinism. there is a difference between the two as far as D4 is concerned. LOL.

TS

kid-A

Hey Tetra!

Dopamine transmission is associated with both drug addiction and psychosis. Overactivity of this pathway (with a drug like cocaine or amphetamine) leads to euphoria and very often, psychosis and hallucinations. This is why most early religious rituals involved the use of some sort of psychotropic drug to "enhance" the religious experience of the "believers". In other words, the feeling of transcendence can be induced by overactivation of this pathway. WHat is REALLY cool about the dopamine D4 receptor is we know it is abnormally expressed in drug addicts and schizophrenics, both of whom suffer from hallucinations and lose grip with reality.

When you see those wacko fundamentalists writhing on the floor at their "faith revival" meetings, they are experiencing a similar neural phenomenon!!!

kid-A

kid-a

Lucky? Hmmm. Time will tell

ooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh!!!! I'm soooooooo scared!!!! is the boogey-god gonna git'me??? LOL

Satanus

Overactivity of this pathway (with a drug like cocaine or amphetamine) leads to euphoria and very often, psychosis and hallucinations. This is why most early religious rituals involved the use of some sort of psychotropic drug to "enhance" the religious experience of the "believers".

You have your drugs mixed up (i'll never buy from you). The drugs generally used in connection w the spiritual were not amphetamines, but psychedelics. Big difference. Otherwise, carry on.

S

kid-A

Yes, I agree. Amphetamines did not exist back then. However, I stated "some sort of psychotropic drugs", which includes psychedelics. Interestingly, almost all psychedelics, including cannabis, strongly activate dopamine transmission. And recent molecular evidence has demonstrated that endogenous cannabinoid receptors and dopamine receptors (including) D4 are linked at the transmembrane level and synergistically interact to potentiate each others downstream molecular cascade pathways, such as g-proteins.

check out:

Journal of Neuroscience. 2005 Sep 14;25(37):8432-8.
Molecular Pharmacology. 2005 May;67(5):1697-704

genetics and neuroanatomy of religious belief

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