Abstract
Patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) experience a selective depletion of neostriatal and meso-frontal dopamine and thus provide an ideal model for assessing potential dopaminergic influences on religious cognition and experience. We review three specific studies conducted in our laboratory focusing on reports of various facets of religiousness in patients with PD. We find that (1) there is a reduction in self-reported religiousness among these patients as compared to healthy age-matched controls; (2) PD patients with left-onset disease (right hemispheric impairment), report less detailed religious ritual action scripts; and (3) PD patients are less able to recall and access religious experiences. Our findings are consistent with adaptive theories of religion that point to evidence for functional design of religious cognition.
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Acknowledgments
This research is supported in part by the Boston VA Healthcare System, Jamaica Plain Campus, and a research grant from the CTNS/STARS program of the John Templeton Foundation. Special thanks are given to Dr. Ron Pekala for letting us use the PCI. Special thanks are given to Dr. Ron Pekala for letting us use the PCI and we also give our thanks to the following: Dr. Wesley Wildman, Paul Butler, Pattie Johnson, and Vanessa Van Doren.
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Harris, E., McNamara, P. (2009). Neurologic Constraints on Evolutionary Theories of Religion. In: Voland, E., Schiefenhövel, W. (eds) The Biological Evolution of Religious Mind and Behavior. The Frontiers Collection. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00128-4_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00128-4_14
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