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Richard D Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-31-11 10:24 AM
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Religion shrinks parts of the brain
The article, “Religious factors and hippocampal atrophy in late life,” by Amy Owen and colleagues at Duke University represents an important advance in our growing understanding of the relationship between the brain and religion. The study showed greater atrophy in the hippocampus in individuals who identify with specific religious groups as well as those with no religious affiliation. It is a surprising result, given that many prior studies have shown religion to have potentially beneficial effects on brain function, anxiety, and depression.

A number of studies have evaluated the acute effects of religious practices, such as meditation and prayer, on the human brain. A smaller number of studies have evaluated the longer term effects of religion on the brain. Such studies, like the present one, have focused on differences in brain volume or brain function in those people heavily engaged in meditation or spiritual practices compared to those who are not. And an even fewer number of studies have explored the longitudinal effects of doing meditation or spiritual practices by evaluating subjects at two different time points.

In this study, Owen et al. used MRI to measure the volume of the hippocampus, a central structure of the limbic system that is involved in emotion as well as in memory formation. They evaluated the MRIs of 268 men and women aged 58 and over, who were originally recruited for the NeuroCognitive Outcomes of Depression in the Elderly study, but who also answered several questions regarding their religious beliefs and affiliation. The study by Owen et al. is unique in that it focuses specifically on religious individuals compared to non-religious individuals. This study also broke down these individuals into those who are born again or who have had life-changing religious experiences.

The results showed significantly greater hippocampal atrophy in individuals reporting a life-changing religious experience. In addition, they found significantly greater hippocampal atrophy among born-again Protestants, Catholics, and those with no religious affiliation, compared with Protestants not identifying as born-again.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=religious-experiences-shrink-part-of-brain
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Common Sense Party Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-31-11 10:32 AM
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1. I guess having "no religious affiliation" ALSO shrinks the brain.
Interesting.
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Deep13 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-31-11 10:39 AM
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2. To be safe, consider a liberal, protestant church.
I have to wonder if the negativity of Catholicism, Fundamental Protestantism and disbelief cause this while the generally positive atmosphere of relatively liberal churches doesn't.
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AlecBGreen Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-31-11 10:41 AM
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3. misleading title
Correlation =/= causation.

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madrchsod Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-31-11 11:09 AM
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4. the author of this study
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aquart Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-31-11 11:10 AM
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5. No Jews, Buddhists, Muslims? Only elderly Christians?
Sure, I'll buy those results.
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RaleighNCDUer Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-31-11 11:59 AM
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6. I saw nothing in the article that said how they came up with 'atrophy'.
None of the subjects were before/after subjects, who could show a reduction of the hippocampus - so how do they know those subjects did not always have smaller than norm hippocampuses(?) (hippocampi?) Did the stress affect the growth of the hippocampus, or did the size of the hippocampus affect how they deal with stress? Is the suggestion here that the larger the hippocampus, the better? Or, perhaps, the larger the hippocampus the more docile and domesticated the person? If 'born again' beliefs become the norm, will those people develop larger hippocampi, as they no longer have the stress of being the 'outsider' belief? There are places where that IS the norm - do people from those regions show the same diminished hippocampus?

Which is the chicken and which is the egg?

How about just giving us the data, and not drawing unsubstantiated conclusions?
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Ichingcarpenter Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-31-11 12:01 PM
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7. A member of the Alaska Neurological Association and Hunting Club explained
Analysis of CAT Scans obtained from the Wasilla Health Clinic and Gun Exchange have confirmed that the former half term governor and trailer park resident’ s brain is indeed dwindling in capacity.

A member of the Alaska Neurological Association and Hunting Club explained “The bright light of media attention has been dangerously focused by her iconic eyewear through her optic nerve and onto her frontal lobe. It’s like burning ants with a magnifying glass".

When asked if the condition was treatable, he stated “Brain shrinkage has been observed in female grizzly bears during hibernation, but is normally reversed in the spring. In her case it appears she bought a one way ticket.”

In a final note the doctor added “It’s ironic that the fake glasses she wears to appear intelligent have actually made her less so. Her brain will eventually shrink to a singularity of stupidity from which no logic or reason can escape. Her only remaining mental faculty will then be the basic instinct for self preservation.”

http://itstrueitellya.blogspot.com/2011/03/sarah-palins-incredible-shrinking-brain.html
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