"God has sent me to you": Right temporal epilepsy, left prefrontal psychosis.
Shahar Arzy, Roey Schurr
Epilepsy & Behavior May 10, 2016 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2016.04.022 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A patient with right temporal lobe epilepsy experiencing postictal psychosis |
| Measures | continuous video-EEG, resting-state EEG bandpass filtered by conventional frequency bands |
| Keywords | Humans Epilepsy, temporal lobe Seizures Magnetic resonance imaging Electroencephalography Delusions Religion and psychology Psychotic disorders Middle aged Male Functional laterality Gamma rhythm EEG Postictal psychosis Religious |
| Key findings | During a real-time recorded religious conversion in postictal psychosis, low-gamma (30-40 Hz) EEG activity increased relative to the patient's habitual state, with the generator localized to the left prefrontal cortex. The authors suggest religious conversion in postictal psychosis involves prefrontal control mechanisms rather than medial temporal lobe processes. |
Abstract
Religious experiences have long been documented in patients with epilepsy, though their exact underlying neural mechanisms are still unclear. Here, we had the rare opportunity to record a delusional religious conversion in real time in a patient with right temporal lobe epilepsy undergoing continuous video-EEG. In this patient, a messianic revelation experience occurred several hours after a complex partial seizure of temporal origin, compatible with postictal psychosis (PIP). We analyzed the recorded resting-state EEG epochs separately for each of the conventional frequency bands. Topographical analysis of the bandpass filtered EEG epochs revealed increased activity in the low-gamma range (30-40Hz) during religious conversion compared with activity during the patient's habitual state. The brain generator underlying this activity was localized to the left prefrontal cortex. This suggests that religious conversion in PIP is related to control mechanisms in the prefrontal lobe-related processes rather than medial temporal lobe-related processes.
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- The relationship between individual differences in gray matter volume and religiosity and mystical experiences: A preregistered voxel-based morphometry study. European Journal of Neuroscience February 1, 2020
- Brain mechanisms in religion and spirituality: An integrative predictive processing framework. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews December 29, 2016