Candidate genes related to spiritual mediumship: a whole-exome sequencing analysis of highly gifted mediums.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

There has been a call for neuroscientific studies of spiritual experiences due to their global prevalence, significant impact, and importance for understanding the mind-brain problem. Mediumship is a spiritual experience where individuals claim to communicate with or be influenced by deceased persons or non-material entities. We assessed whether mediums carry specific genetic alterations.

Methods

We selected highly gifted mediums (n=54) with over 10 years of experience who engaged in mediumistic work for no material gain, performed whole-exome sequencing of these individuals, and compared its findings to those of first-degree relatives who claimed no mediumship (n=53).

Results

We identified 15,669 variants exclusively found in mediums, likely to impact the f

SUBMITTER: Gattaz WF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12815328 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature