Neural correlates of psychotic-like experiences during spiritual-trance state
Neural correlates of psychotic-like experiences during spiritual-trance state
Recent studies indicate high levels of psychotic experiences in the general population. Here, we report a functional imaging study with 8 mentally healthy spiritual mediums and 8 matched controls. The mediums entered a mediumistic-trance state using a standardized manner by closing their eyes and ac...
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Personal Name(s): | Mainieri, Alessandra Ghinato (Corresponding author) |
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Peres, Julio Fernando Prieto / Moreira-Almeida, Alexander / Mathiak, Klaus / Habel, Ute / Kohn, Nils | |
Contributing Institute: |
Jara-Institut Brain structure-function relationships; INM-10 |
Published in: | Psychiatry research, 266 (2017) S. 101 - 107 |
Imprint: |
Amsterdam [u.a.]
Elsevier Science
2017
|
DOI: |
10.1016/j.pscychresns.2017.06.006 |
PubMed ID: |
28644996 |
Document Type: |
Journal Article |
Research Program: |
(Dys-)function and Plasticity |
Publikationsportal JuSER |
Recent studies indicate high levels of psychotic experiences in the general population. Here, we report a functional imaging study with 8 mentally healthy spiritual mediums and 8 matched controls. The mediums entered a mediumistic-trance state using a standardized manner by closing their eyes and actively seeking to ignore external and internal stimuli to achieve a ‘state of emptiness’; in a control condition, they were instructed to re-enact the same mediumistic experience that they had during the mediumistic-trance condition but in a non-trance state (imaginative-trance). Both mediums and controls took part in a resting state session. The results indicate stronger activation in the lateral occipital cortex, posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), temporal pole, middle temporal gyrus and orbitofrontal cortex during the mediumistic-trance state. We also observe increased functional connectivity within auditory and sensorimotor Resting State Networks (RSN) during mediumistic–trance compared to resting and imaginative-trance conditions. Comparing spiritual mediums and controls, no differences in RSN were found. These data show preserved engagement of prefrontal cortex and connectivity of the default-mode network that indicate maintained introspective control over non-pathological psychotic-like experiences. |