biostudies-literatureFerguson MANIA NIH HHSNIMH NIH HHS380-388https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC8714871biostudies-literatureUnknown91(4)<h4>Background</h4>Over 80% of the global population consider themselves religious, with even more identifying as spiritual, but the neural substrates of spirituality and religiosity remain unresolved.<h4>Methods</h4>In two independent brain lesion datasets (N₁ = 88; N₂ = 105), we applied lesion network mapping to test whether lesion locations associated with spiritual and religious belief map to a specific human brain circuit.<h4>Results</h4>We found that brain lesions associated with self-reported spirituality map to a brain circuit centered on the periaqueductal gray. Intersection of lesion locations with this same circuit aligned with self-reported religiosity in an independent dataset and previous reports of lesions associated with hyper-religiosity. Lesion locatBiological psychiatryA Neural Circuit for Spirituality and Religiosity Derived From Patients With Brain Lesions.PMC8714871K23 MH121657R01 AG060987T32 MH112510R01 MH115949L30 MH127717R01 MH113929Cohen ASiddiqi SNielsen JAUrgesi CSchaper FLWVJFerguson MAMerrill SMFabbro FGrafman JFox MDfalseA Neural Circuit for Spirituality and Religiosity Derived From Patients With Brain Lesions.<h4>Background</h4>Over 80% of the global population consider themselves religious, with even more identifying as spiritual, but the neural substrates of spirituality and religiosity remain unresolved.<h4>Methods</h4>In two independent brain lesion datasets (N₁ = 88; N₂ = 105), we applied lesion network mapping to test whether lesion locations associated with spiritual and religious belief map to a specific human brain circuit.<h4>Results</h4>We found that brain lesions associated with self-reported spirituality map to a brain circuit centered on the periaqueductal gray. Intersection of lesion locations with this same circuit aligned with self-reported religiosity in an independent dataset and previous reports of lesions associated with hyper-religiosity. Lesion locat2022-01-01T00:00:00Z2022 Feb2025-04-26T13:22:59.283Z2025-04-06T14:12:43.582ZS-EPMC87148713445469810.1016/j.biopsych.2021.06.016