fMRI understanding religious choiche

BioEngineer

Hi,

I’m an ex JW (actually I’m inactive), based in Italy, but I spent some months last year in New York.

My job is based on biomedical field (Biomedical Engineer). In a previous job I used to work on a fMRI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_magnetic_resonance_imaging) that is one of major (and newest) technique to understand and try to explain the brain and it functions from a structural point of view.The way it works is quite simple. Basically you put the patient in a MRI scanning, giving him some stimuli (as images to see, button to push in consequence of patterns, etc). The post processing is able to see which areas of brain is activated during the stimulus.

I'm writing here regarding an idea that I had last week.

The idea is investigating an appropriate methodology of analysis using fMRI tool in order to discover which area of the brain is active when people belonging to a sub-culture with strong identity (eg. like JWs) are stimulated.

For instance the stimuli may be sentences based on WT and Awake or moral / ethics choice, social matters etc etc.

The test (and related stimulus) need to be designed in cooperation with a Neuroscientist, Psychologist or Neurologist/Neurophysiologist or a team in which this people is cooperating with a Bioengineers people.

Basically my hypothesis is that JW’s folks develops a peculiar kind of “spirituality” that is more related to the activation of the UTILITARIAN BRAIN area, instead of other brain areas delegated for spirituality, consciences matter, free will God relationship. Is clear that the results are depending on subject and my previous instance has not an absolute value. So is important to choice with criteria people involved in the study.

Submitting to the same stimuli pattern, could be interesting compare people from different religious background and see if there are relevant difference in the activation areas. Otherwise, could be interesting compare people that are in a transition condition (eg. no longer in “well standing” , inactive ..) and monitoring initial and final activation areas.

This could be the first “Neurotheological” job based on JW’s in which we are discussing about something that gives empirical data.

My hope is to find someone over there in USA (by far in advance in this kind of researches), reading this forum and sharing common cult leaving experiences willing to establish a contact and discuss all the above.

Please guys, if you know someone involved in this field at University that is able to work on MRI device (3T or much powerful), will strongly appreciate if you let me know.

Thanks for your help, hope to hear from you

rebel8

Welcome.

Interesting post. If different brain activity was proved, what conclusions could be drawn?

BioEngineer

Thanks rebel,

At the moment is the utilitarian brain area is detected. The area o (areas) regarding the religious input not yet. Some studies have related this with emotional, moral judgments areas . . . but the question has to be in-depth.

So, grossly could be proved that some spiritual choiche are depending on utilitarian basis instead of other spiritual feeling. . . (Obviously this instance is not true for any JW's subject)

Regarding JW's people the conclusions could be numerous. First of all we can detect wich brain structure are involved during a logical process reasoning. For instance: if I discuss about some topic and logically any proof is on my side, which brain structures JW's actives to proof to itself that what he thinks is still the TRUE?

If such different responce will be proved could a start for further investigations and the job is open any further idea!

tooktheredpill

Welcome to the Board, BioEngineer!!

I sent you a private message.

Have a great day!!

TTRP

BioEngineer

Done! Have a great day you too

JP

shamus100

Now if I understand this correctly, most people having a religious experience has one part of they're brain stimulated - much like a drug. You're saying that dubs have a utilitarian part of they're brain stimulated. That is interesting... but wouldn't you say that most born-ins would have that utilitarian part of the brain stimulated? And what of Catholics who just go once in a while - I don't see any difference between dubs and other religions, personallly.

Ancientofdays

shamus100 - And what of Catholics who just go once in a while - I don't see any difference between dubs and other religions, personallly.
Well, I can see you point.
But difference between JWs and Catholic , or other mainstream religious group, could be that dubs are working hard for WTS, without any payback (apparently).
So , maybe the implication in this hypotesys is what the payback could be (utilitarian area of the brain) ?
Another question maybe is : does the brain changes, and how, when a dub start his transit process from well-standing to disillusion to leaving ,and shunning ?

villabolo

Welcome bioengineer. I suggest you do a google on what Ramachandran has been researching concerning religious beliefs and the brain. I would also recommend Michael Persingers book Neuropsychological Bases of God Beliefs. The research,as you probably know by now, indicates that the Temporal Lobes are involved in religious and hyper-religious thought.

How different the JWs would be than the rest of the population is hard to say. Their religion is more intellectual compared to, let's say pentecostals. That is likely to involve different parts of the brain but I believe that is a secondary issue. The primary cause is still the Temporal Lobes and people with brain damage there tend to display a certain range of symptoms including hyperreligiosity, hypergraphia, altered sexuality (not all necessarily at the same time).

It's a fascinating subject as it shows that it is our material brains that determine who we are.

Mrs. Fiorini

This sounds very interesting. I do not work in the field or have any background in it. I would be interested, however, in whether there is any differences between those who are in cults as compared to religions that don't use manipulation and mind control.

BioEngineer

Thanks to all

The objection is understandable.

But my point was: What happen when a JW’s has to force his logical reasoning process for saving the GB directives? What kind of structure’s starts to operate when he try to defense something that is indefensible? What is really predominant in choices? Reward? Sense of justice, moral judgment, God obeisance? Will activate Temporal lobes? Polar medial prefrontal cortex or dorsal posterior cingulated cortex? Or some other structures? What about reprocessing once out from JWs people?

fMRI understanding religious choiche

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