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"Neurosciences Religious aspects."
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Principles of Neurotheology
First Published in 2017.Neurotheology has garnered substantial attention in the academic and lay communities in recent years.Several books have been written addressing the relationship between the brain and religious experience and numerous scholarly articles have been published on the topic, some in the popular press.
eBook
Neuroscience and Christian Formation
This book explores the intersections of neuroscience and Christian formation, serving as an introductory textbook for college or seminary courses. It covers neuroscience's impact on faith formation, teaching, development, and worship, with chapters on personal meditation, intercultural encounters, and congregational formation.
eBook
Minds, Brains, Souls and Gods
The field of psychology, and especially neuropsychology, can be daunting for Christian students trying to find their way. In the face of surprising new research and radical new theories, it is tempting to limit the integration of Christianity and psychology to relatively \"safe\" topics that one can easily differentiate from matters of faith. In Minds, Brains, Souls and Gods, the highly esteemed professor of psychology, Malcolm Jeeves, insists on addressing the difficult questions head-on.
* Do I have a soul?
* How free am I?
* What makes me uniquely human?
* Does my brain have a \"God spot\"?
In this hypothetical correspondence with a student, Jeeves argues that we must avoid false choices in the relation between Scripture and science. Christians need not choose between a \"God of the gaps\" that competes with science, a \"neurotheology\" that bases our understanding of God on the latest scientific theory, or a scientific reductionism that claims to have explained God away as a mere function of the brain. Students encountering the brave new world of neuroscience need not view such research as a threat to the faith. With the wisdom of a seasoned scholar, Jeeves guides us down the road less-traveled—the way of integration.
eBook
Zen-Brain Horizons
InZen-Brain Horizons, James Austin draws on his decades of experience as a neurologist and Zen practitioner to clarify the benefits of meditative training. Austin integrates classical Buddhist literature with modern brain research, exploring the horizons of a living, neural Zen.When viewed in the light of today, the timeless wisdom of some Zen masters seems almost to have anticipated recent research in the neurosciences. The keen attentiveness and awareness that we cultivate during meditative practices becomes the leading edge of our subsequent mental processing. Austin explains how our covert, involuntary functions can make crucial contributions to the subtle ways we learn, intuit, and engage in creative activities. Austin begins by looking back at ancient Buddhist narratives. He then weaves together the major themes of self, attention, emotion, language, and insight. He goes on to examine Zen and psychology as cultural developments, including recent information about how a clear, calm awareness can change the meditating brain. He considers the pathways through which intuitions develop on their way to becoming realized, exploring the phenomena of the spontaneous color imagery that arises during meditation. Looking out even further into the future, Austin discusses the universal themes of creativity, happiness, openness, and selflessness. Along the way, he bows in homage to William James, explores \"Buddhist Botany\" and \"Avian Zen,\" demonstrates why living Zen means much more than sitting quietly indoors on a cushion, and provides simplified advice that helps guide readers to the most important points.
eBook
Four ethical priorities for neurotechnologies and AI
Artificial intelligence and brain-computer interfaces must respect and preserve people's privacy, identity, agency and equality, say Rafael Yuste, Sara Goering and colleagues.
Journal Article
Psilocybin-induced spiritual experiences and insightfulness are associated with synchronization of neuronal oscillations
Rationale
During the last years, considerable progress has been made toward understanding the neuronal basis of consciousness by using sophisticated behavioral tasks, brain-imaging techniques, and various psychoactive drugs. Nevertheless, the neuronal mechanisms underlying some of the most intriguing states of consciousness, including spiritual experiences, remain unknown.
Objectives
To elucidate state of consciousness-related neuronal mechanisms, human subjects were given psilocybin, a naturally occurring serotonergic agonist and hallucinogen that has been used for centuries to induce spiritual experiences in religious and medical rituals.
Methods
In this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 50 healthy human volunteers received a moderate dose of psilocybin, while high-density electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings were taken during eyes-open and eyes-closed resting states. The current source density and the lagged phase synchronization of neuronal oscillations across distributed brain regions were computed and correlated with psilocybin-induced altered states of consciousness.
Results
Psilocybin decreased the current source density of neuronal oscillations at 1.5–20 Hz within a neural network comprising the anterior and posterior cingulate cortices and the parahippocampal regions. Most intriguingly, the intensity levels of psilocybin-induced spiritual experience and insightfulness correlated with the lagged phase synchronization of delta oscillations (1.5–4 Hz) between the retrosplenial cortex, the parahippocampus, and the lateral orbitofrontal area.
Conclusions
These results provide systematic evidence for the direct association of a specific spatiotemporal neuronal mechanism with spiritual experiences and enhanced insight into life and existence. The identified mechanism may constitute a pathway for modulating mental health, as spiritual experiences can promote sustained well-being and psychological resilience.
Journal Article
Cytokine expression profile in the human brain of older adults
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative condition linked to chronic neuroinflammation. This study investigates the cytokine gene expression profile in cortical tissue samples from elderly individuals with and without AD to identify potential biomarkers and enhance our understanding of disease pathogenesis. Utilizing high-depth RNA sequencing data, we identified a set of cytokines whose expression significantly associated with different aspects of the AD phenotype, including measures of neurofibrillary tangles, amyloid-β deposition, and a person-specific rate of cognitive decline. Single-nucleus transcriptomics data facilitated the identification of specific cell types, such as microglia and astrocytes, that significantly contribute to the inflammatory response in AD. Additionally, we observed a correlation between the expression of certain cytokines and genetic risk for the disease. Our findings indicate that cytokine-mediated neuroinflammation may play an important role in neurodegeneration and that modulating the immune response may offer a promising strategy for developing new therapies.
Journal Article
Recommendations for Responsible Development and Application of Neurotechnologies
Advancements in novel neurotechnologies, such as brain computer interfaces (BCI) and neuromodulatory devices such as deep brain stimulators (DBS), will have profound implications for society and human rights. While these technologies are improving the diagnosis and treatment of mental and neurological diseases, they can also alter individual agency and estrange those using neurotechnologies from their sense of self, challenging basic notions of what it means to be human. As an international coalition of interdisciplinary scholars and practitioners, we examine these challenges and make recommendations to mitigate negative consequences that could arise from the unregulated development or application of novel neurotechnologies. We explore potential ethical challenges in four key areas: identity and agency, privacy, bias, and enhancement. To address them, we propose (1) democratic and inclusive summits to establish globally-coordinated ethical and societal guidelines for neurotechnology development and application, (2) new measures, including “Neurorights,” for data privacy, security, and consent to empower neurotechnology users’ control over their data, (3) new methods of identifying and preventing bias, and (4) the adoption of public guidelines for safe and equitable distribution of neurotechnological devices.
Journal Article