Spiritual experiences are related to engagement of a ventral frontotemporal functional brain network: Implications for prevention and treatment of behavioral and substance addictions
Clayton H. Mcclintock, Patrick D. Worhunsky, Jiansong Xu, Iris M. Balodis, Rajita Sinha, Lisa Miller, Marc N Potenza
Journal of Behavioral Addictions December 1, 2019 DOI: 10.1556/2006.8.2019.71 (opens in new tab) via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractSpiritual experiences engage a distributed brain network, particularly a ventral frontotemporal circuit, that activates at the start and end of a spiritual condition but not during stress or neutral-relaxing conditions. The degree of network engagement correlated strongly with participants' self-reported spirituality during the task and moderately with a separate measure of spirituality taken outside the scanner. These findings suggest a specific functional neural network underlies spiritual experiences and may help explain how spirituality supports recovery from behavioral addictions.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 27 |
| Population | Young adults |
| Topics | Addiction |
| Keywords | Spirituality Behavioral addiction Neuroscience Clinical psychology Medicine |
| Citations | 18 |
| Key finding | A ventral frontotemporal functional brain network is engaged during spiritual experiences and its degree of engagement correlates with subjective spirituality ratings. |
Abstract
Background and aims Spirituality is an important component of 12-step programs for behavioral and substance addictions and has been linked to recovery processes. Understanding the neural correlates of spiritual experiences may help to promote efforts to enhance recovery processes in behavioral addictions. We recently used general linear model (GLM) analyses of functional magnetic resonance imaging data to examine neural correlates of spiritual experiences, with findings implicating cortical and subcortical brain regions. Although informative, the GLM-based approach does not provide insight into brain circuits that may underlie spiritual experiences. Methods Spatial independent component analysis (sICA) was used to identify functional brain networks specifically linked to spiritual (vs. stressful or neutral-relaxing) conditions using a previously validated guided imagery task in 27 young adults. Results Using sICA, engagement of a ventral frontotemporal network was identified that was engaged at the onset and conclusion of the spiritual condition in a manner distinct from engagement during the stress or neutral-relaxing conditions. Degree of engagement correlated with subjective reports of spirituality in the scanner ( r = .71, p < .001) and an out-of-the-magnet measure of spirituality ( r = .48, p < .018). Discussion and conclusion The current findings suggest a distributed functional neural network associated with spiritual experiences and provide a foundation for investigating brain mechanisms underlying the role of spirituality in recovery from behavioral addictions.