Religion and the Human Brain
May 28th 2011 02:17
US researchers have found an apparent correlation between religious practices and changes in the brains of older adults, reports HealthCanal.com.
Scientists at the Duke University Medical Center measured changes in the volume of the hippocampus, an area of the brain involved in learning and memory.
All human brains tend to shrink with age, with different brain regions shrinking at different rates. Shrinkage (atrophy) in the hippocampus has been linked with depression and Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers found that Protestants who did not identify themselves as born-again had less atrophy in the hippocampus region than did born-again Protestants, Catholics, or those having no religious affiliation.
Study participants who reported having had a religious experience that changed their life were also found to have more atrophy in the hippocampus than those who did not.
The study measured relationships between religious factors and changes in the volume of the hippocampus over time in older adults. In standardized interviews, 268 people aged 58-84 were asked about their religious group, spiritual practices, and life-changing religious experiences.
Changes in the volume of their hippocampus were then tracked, using MRI scans, over a period of two to eight years.
Authors Amy Owen and David Hayward, both Ph.D research associates, said these findings were not explained by other factors related to hippocampal atrophy, such as age, education, social support from friends and family, being depressed, or brain size.
In addition, other religious factors (such as prayer, meditation, or Bible study) did not predict changes in the volume of the hippocampus in this study.
The authors speculate that stress might play a role in their findings.
This study is among the first to examine religious and spiritual links to changes in volume of specific areas in the brain, and is the first to explore religious factors such as life-changing religious experiences.
Rather than suggesting that particular religious experiences or groups should be avoided or promoted, the emphasis of this study was to help clarify possible relationships between religion and the brain, the report added.
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