Review Article

iMedPub Journals Translational Biomedicine 2016 http://www.imedpub.com/ Vol.7 No.3:86 ISSN 2172-0479

DOI: 10.21767/2172-0479.100086 The Neuronal of the Faith Robert Skopec

Dubnik, Slovakia Corresponding author: Robert Skopec, Research Analyst, AXON, Dubnik, Slovakia, Tel: +421908220692; E-mail: [email protected] Received: Aug 01, 2016; Accepted: Sep 02, 2016; Published: Sep 05, 2016 Citation: Skopec R. The Neuronal Mechanism of the Faith. Transl Biomed. 2016, 7:2. then the left hemisphere, the seat of language, is called upon to make sense of this subjective entity, the generates a Abstract feeling of “sensed presence”. A different subjects label this ghostly with the names that their cultures have Top-down processes overrode circuits devoted trained them to use: Elijah, Jesus, the Virgin Mary, reading and detection conflict (the Stroop effect). Most of Muhammad, etc. It may seem sacrilegious to reduce God the time bottom-up information matches top-down experience to a few synapses activity, but modern expectations. If we imagine something different, so it is isn’t shy about defining our most sacred notions: different. A number of recent brain imaging studies point love, joy, altruism, etc. Persinger’s work practically constitutes to top-down brain mechanism under the influence of a base for the grand unified of the otherworldly [3]. He suggestion. By Kosslyn, brain scans show that the control believes cerebral fritzing is responsible for many mystical mechanisms for detecting what to do in the face of feelings, including faith in divine, and in the almighty too [4]. conflict become uncoupled, when subjects are hypnotized. Top-down processes override sensory bottom-up information. Subjects think that sights, sounds, Fundamental algorithms of sensory and touch from outside world constitute reality. But the transduction brain constructs what it perceives based on past experience. We propose this process label as a Contemporary neuroscience suggests the existence of neurobiological mechanism of the faith (in religious fundamental algorithms by which all sensory transduction is tradition “the Heart”). translated into intrinsic brain-specific code [5]. Direct stimulation of these codes within the human temporal or Keywords: Neuronal mechanism; Electrochemical limbic lobes by applied electromagnetic patterns may require activities; Brain energy levels within the range of contemporary communication networks (a subharmonic frequency range at about 10 Hz, vary only by 0.1 Hz) [6]. A neurophysiological basis of is allowing that all experiences exists as Neuronal Correlates of the Faith correlates of complex and determined sequences of At the beginning of the serious research of neuronal electromagnetic matrices. They could control the format of correlates of the faith were Snyder’s experiments to boost , and also allow direct access to the most complex creative intelligence through the transcranial magnetic neurocognitive process associated with the sense of , stimulation (TMS) [1]. Subjects in experiments by Persinger, consciousness, working defining the subject within believe they felt the presence of God, and similar mystical the brain. experience. Subjects were exposed to a specific series of The temporal patterns of potential codes relates to the pulses from TMS, described feeling an invisible presence near temporoparietal lobes, the hippocampal-amygdaloid complex them, or feeling connected the whole world. Persinger of the brain. Induction of complex information is possible due believes that the magnetic interference could be at the heart simulation of the resonance patterns created by sensory of such mystical experiences. afferents [7]. Extraction and translation of neural patterns The perception and thought is based on the electrochemical from different sensory inputs into common codes is within activities in the brain. A magnetically stimulated reality or a these regions before they are consciously perceived [8]. The natural reality, it makes no difference to the brain. Persinger information content of the wave structure rather than also posited that the TMS could be used for trying to identify intensity is important for interaction with neural network. We those fundamental algorithms, a series of specific magnetic propose the neurobiology of faith as one of the fundamental pulses that correspond to a given reaction in the brain. Young algorithms and by a brain-specific code define all the humans used TMS to boost a creative function of the volunteer’s [9]. showed a marked increase in creative skills [2]. When the right hemisphere of the brain, the seat of emotion, was stimulated in the cerebral region presumed to control notions of self, and

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Neural stimulation of low-intensity complex input words. Related neuroimaging studies indicated that the magnetic signals hypnotic instruction not to see color prevented activation of prestriate areas related to processing color. The processing of There are several studies founding that neural stimulation printed words [11] involves areas of the prestriate visual using low-intensity complex magnetic signals induce religious, system (visual word form), the temporoparietal junction mystic, spiritual experience which can have positive emotional (phonology), prefrontal and posterior areas related to effects as the altered states of consciousness. Within the semantics. The instruction not to see the stimulus as a hippocampal-amygdaloid complex, the amygdala functions meaningful word influences above stream of information support emotions, fear on the right, and positive emotions on processing. the left. The hippocampus as a cognitive structure, the left is People who are susceptible to suggestion indicate that verbal, and the right is for the non-verbal communication when they act on the suggestions, their brains show changes (understanding “beyond words”, music). The increasing in how they process information. The suggestions, research hippocampal activity could have positive affective and reports, literally change what subjects see, hear, feel, and cognitive effects (“thinking positively”). The hippocampus is believe to be true (cross-modality, metaphorical thinking). The strongly linked to the prefrontal cortex, whose activity is idea that can be manipulated by expectations, is needed for the capacity of anticipating. The hippocampus is fundamental to the study of cognition, said Posner. But now also involved in monitoring of person’s inner state. Awareness, we are really getting at the mechanism. As sensory data is monitoring of outer states means a process of Darwinian from bottom to top carried to the brain that creates a selection of information from the subject’s environment. The comprehensible, conscious impression. The surprise is the activities in these structures are raising the probabilities of amount of processing from top to bottom, called feedback. spiritual, emotional and cognitive states of the faith. The There are 10 times as many neuronal fibers carrying statistical dominance of the left amygdala more pleasant information down as there are carrying it up. These extensive feelings in spiritual, religious tradition is interpreted as feedback circuits mean that consciousness (relations between “spiritual growth” [10]. Interesting coincidence of the death feels and beliefs) is based on “top-down processing”. What anxiety in human spirituality and limbic system functions has subjects see depends on a framework (situation) built by also his religions relevance, when one of the main functions of experience that is constructing the interpretation of stimuli. the different religions is the release from fear, death anxiety, This could explain hypnosis, which creates such top-down etc. Other hippocampus function is contextualizes information. processing that suggestions overcome reality. On the right, it does with non-verbal information, as well as experiencing events without “the inner dialog”. In some Top-down processes overrode brain circuits devoted reading spiritual, religious tradition of Asia it is interpreted as and detection conflict (the Stroop effect). Most of the time inhibition of “spiritual states”. When the balance of activity bottom-up information matches top-down expectations. If we shifts to the left amygdala, and right hippocampus is more imagine something different, so it is different. A number of active that its counterpart, subject experience an extreme recent brain imaging studies point to top-down brain positive affect, and shift to the positive cognitive style. This mechanism under the influence of suggestion. As it told sudden dramatic episode might label as a “miraculous”, Kosslyn brain scans show that the control mechanisms for “healing”, or an “awakening”, which contains the elements of a detecting what to do in the face of conflict become uncoupled, “sensed presence” experience, also as “meeting with angels”. when subjects are hypnotized. Top-down processes override This hypothesis constitutes the basis of the Persingers’s model sensory bottom-up information. Subjects think that sights, of the “God Experience”. Interhemispheric intrusions include sounds, and touch from outside world constitute reality. But some less dramatic phenomena, the more usual “sensed the brain constructs what is perceived based on past presence” experience, in which subject feels or senses the experience. We propose this process label as the presence of another person, or an energy that feels “like alive”. neurobiological mechanism of the faith (in religious tradition The right hemispheric homologue to the left hemispheric “the Heart”). “According to your faith will it be done to you” pathways that support the human sense of self, emerge into (Mathew, 9: 27-29). the subject’s awareness experienced as an ego-alien-entity. The concept of vectorial hemisphericity and interhemispheric The main characteristics of the faith is a trust intrusions hypothesizes, that repeated stimulation of the left amygdala and right hippocampus allowing experience and Another new step to the psychology of faith represents a learn to access the positive emotional and cognitive finding of Kosfeld et al. [12]. The main characteristics of the components of spirituality, as entrance to altered state faith is the trust. The neuropeptide intranasally experiences. administered crosses the blood-brain barrier into the central and increases trusting . The oxytocin Posthypnotic suggestion operates through top- influence is “a remarkable finding” means Damasio. He had previously argued that the hormone and neurotransmitter down mechanism oxytocin acts somewhat as a potion. “It adds trust to the mix, Experiments connected with Stroop paradigm is also for there is no love without trust”. As of oxytocin, is a indicating that posthypnotic suggestion must operate through consisting of nine amino , produced mostly in the a top-down mechanism of faith that modifies the processing of hypothalamus, the brain’s master-controller of biological 2 This article is available from: http://www.transbiomedicine.com/ Translational Biomedicine 2016 ISSN 2172-0479 Vol.7 No.3:86

regulation, and “the emotional computer” (associated with release of subjects from drug addiction through “the Faith the amygdala and nucleus accumbens). Oxytocin is triggering in God”. Thanks to the strong prevalence of a top-down complex and specific action-programs, which overcomes the processing, the humans are not far from characteristics of aversion to unfaithful betrayal. This is combined with the as a neuronal soul , or the neuronal faith system effects of reward that result from enhanced approach [14]. behavior. Oxytocin release in selected brain regions, based on an individual’s genetic make-up, plus past experience, triggers The violent persons have low level of faith a chain of neural events changing the probabilities of the future projection. Oxytocin modulates the activity of cognitive In contrary to the faithful thinking are the violent people neural networks, resulting in enhanced trusting behavior. So, a with low level of faith, hope and trust. Researchers found that high level of trust could be achieved due the excessive they are born with a tendency to violence. Their have oxytocin release. The neurobiological mechanism responsible less activity in the part of brain creating a sense of conscience for our ability to trust by oxytocin specifically increases the and in an area acting as an “emergency brake” (the medial individual readiness to accept social risks arising in prefrontal cortex-MPFC), and the anterior cingular cortex (the interpersonal interactions. The results of Kosfeld et al. is ACC) deciding when trigger the aggressive emotions. As it suggesting an essential role of oxytocin as a biological basis of showed Raine, the fact that there is an identifiable biological prosocial faithful behavior. Recent research by Heinrichs [13], disposition suggests it’s not on how the child was raised. It’s one of the co-author of above study, has shown that oxytocin that they had a biological dysfunction, combined with a reduces anxiety, fear and enhances the stress buffering effect situation that led to the violence. The use of brute-force of social support associated with social dysfunctions (social strategies by the antisocial groups such as criminals, anti- phobia, depression, autism). In this way could help the semitists, skin heads, xenophobes, fascists, etc. is connected to religious faith to regain the social health of the individuals. tendency of violence, and to underdeveloped feedback of conscience. The mechanism of faith depends on oxytocin Raine PET study results showed that the 96 murderers averaged 5.7 percent less activity in the medial prefrontal The mechanism of the faith behind the effect of oxytocin cortex (MPFC), and an average of 14.2 percent less activity in a might render subjects more optimistic about the likelihood of part of the medial prefrontal cortex known as the orbitofrontal a good outcome. Leibovici made an experiment with adult cortex (“conscience”), on the right hemisphere. The MPFC, patients to determine whether remote, retroactive located behind the forehead, has been shown in animal intercessory prayer, said for a group of patients with a research to be involved in inhibiting the limbic system that bloodstream infection, has an effect on outcomes. His results produces aggressive behavior. The MPFC is like the emergency could support our hypothesis about positive effect trust, faith, brake on the deeper areas of the brain involved in aggressive self-suggestion of prayer on the healing process of statistically feelings. The orbitofrontal cortex, which is just above right eye, significant groups of patients. is involved in fear conditioning - the subconscious association Levels of oxytocin are found to be higher amongst people between antisocial behavior and punishment, in humans is who claim to be “falling in love” and other forms of pair thought to be the key to developing a sense of conscience. A bounding, such as friendship, family relation, relation to such conscience is probably just a set of conditioned responses. The communities (religious), and increasing tolerance to pain, violent offender may have a brain dysfunction, a deficiency of reducing anxiety, encouraging “tend and befriend”, as opposed monoamine oxidase A (MAOA), an enzyme that degrades to “fight or flight” behavior in response to stress. neurotransmitters (maltreated children with a conferring high levels of MAOA expression were less likely to Oxytocin and oxytocin receptors are found in the heart, and develop antisocial problems). A similar effect is produced by, play an important role in the embryonal development of the the MAOB, an enzyme which breaks down [15]. The heart by promoting cardiomyocyte differentiation. Inhibits the less MAOB a subject has, the more the dopamine flows, and development of tolerance to various addictive drugs (opiates, the more likely is to be a thrill seeker. Genes may play a part as cocaine, ethanol/alcohol) and reduces withdrawal symptoms. well, the gene of D4 dopamine acts as the novelty- From above experimental results we can hypothesize: seeking gene (which may play in a positive role). It • To some resonance between function of oxytocin provides a code for dopamine receptor responsible for processing “falling in love” (friendship, family) in people, minimizing anxiety allowing a risky behavior. The states of fear and in religious faith (“God is Love”, “to be in or anger in the ACC and the left parietal cortex are correlated transcendental love with Jesus Christ”), with transgressions of social norms. Violence is supported also • Ss analogy to function of oxytocin in the heart, during the with elevated testosterone, copper and reduced zinc blood religious faith, trust as “the Heart a highest spiritual center levels compared to the nonviolent males, etc. of the humans” (led by the arguments of “Reason”, or by “the Voice of Heart”). • Correlation between role of the oxytocin in inhibition of tolerance to addictive drugs, and psychological role of living in religious communities resulting many times also in

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Reality of Faith, or Faith of the The brain is thermodynamically open, Reality? conscious perception is limited In the states of concentration, praying, meditation, etc. (From Edelman’s Neural to Zurek’s Quantum there can be blocked the most of stimulus directed into the Darwinism) self-consciousness. The brain is thermodynamically open, only The neurobiology of the faith is in good accordance with the conscious perception is limited to certain level [17]. During Edelman’s concept of neural Darwinism. The theory of relative and temporal isolation of self-consciousness from the neuronal group selection (TNGS) is based on selective environment, are possible the states of superpositions carrying dynamical (on-line) links between distant neuronal groups the human geniality states lasting only a limited time. But through reciprocal connections called reentry. G. Edelman qubits are proved by scientist at Michigan University and discuss its role in a dynamic model of memory. In his view, the helped to the first quantum chip. Chips are able technically memory is not simply localized in the brain, but is localized in stabilize the states of superposition, and it could led to about 2 the activation patterns of neural firings. In result, the total times much quicker operations. number of possible memory states increases astronomically. It The capacity to predict the outcome of future events, critical is determined not by the numbers of nodes but the number of to successful movements, is most likely the ultimate and most combinations of node activation patterns. common of all global brain functions (algorithms). The self is In his studies with magnetoencephalography, Llinás et al. the centralization of prediction. Top-down processes overrode discovered that a wakefulness and dreaming (REM sleep)- brain circuits devoted reading and detection conflict. Most of unlike dreamless deep sleep, are characterized by coherent the time bottom-up information matches top-down thalamocortical oscillations at 40 Hertz. The difference is that expectations. We can hypothesize that the self is a centralized the 40 Hertz oscillations are reset by sensory input during top-down processing of our expectation’s probabilities. wakefulness but not REM sleep. We do not perceiving the In the space of consciousness, as it has been formulated by external world while dreaming (stimulus coming from the Novak, the “real” is already a virtual. The difference between environment is blocked). For Llinás, cognition is an intrinsic real and virtual is stochastic: a matter of probabilities. In a property of the brain which is not learned but “neurological a conventional sense, the real is that which is most likely. The priori”. Consciousness is based on simultaneity of activities in faith, trust, hope as global signals can psychologically change the thalamocortical system, i.e., a superposition of spatial and the common structure of probabilities and stabilize neuronal temporal mapping via thalamocortical resonant interactions formations that were previously unlikely as to be delegated to [16]. Intrinsic oscillatory electrical activities, resonance and the realm of “dreams” and “miracles”. coherence are the root of cognition and self-awareness. Llinás views the brain as a self-referential system, a functional reality emulator construct the world, rather than reconstruct it. : Propagation of the fittest Sensory input modulates rather than informs the operations of information the nervous system: we are basically “dreaming ” Zurek’s “Environment as a Witness” paradigm is connected that construct virtual models of the world. Most of the time to “real as most likely”. It is showing how redundantly we are daydream, i.e., we think about something what information about the system is recorded in the environment. happened to us, or what we think about the other people, etc. Massive redundancy cause some information to become Our brain is making a simplification of the external world. objective, at the expense of incompatible information. The Science is a powerful mean to unveil what is really going on. process of “fittest information” propagation is the Quantum Probably the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) may bind Darwinism. (Information about the system is obtained by together the perceptions and and constructing this measuring its environment. As we read this paper, we measure way the sense of self. Qualia are the part of self that relates the albedo of the page, but actually, our eyes are capturing back to us (the anterior insula). Qualia facilitate the simplifying photons from the electromagnetic environment. Information patterns that increase the speed of decisions and the reentry. about the page is inferred from assumed correlations between The mirror mimic the experiences of the environment text and photons. The scientist gets information about the (the other humans). The mutual monitoring mustn’t be system by capturing and measuring a fragment of the system. symmetric, for example, the amygdala is projecting more to The ensemble of states allows by capturing a small fragment to hippocampus, than vice versa. Or the top-down processing is deduce the system state. Then the system state is objectively much more intensive than the bottom-up processing, etc. The recorded. Information about the system is encoded in the self is not a stable irreducible entity, however is a centralized environment and any majority subset of the system has nearly- top-down processing which construct predictions. The self is a complete information. The recorded information is unaffected construct based on the mutual information produced by by the loss of any minority subset. Only the total amount of interacting and monitored parts of the brain. As mutual encoded information change. More than half of the information it exists only as a calculated entity, generated by environment is required to obtain useful information. emotional computer algorithms. The redundant imprinting of selected observables on the environment is Quantum Darwinism, which leads to objective

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reality. As redundant information is classical, it can be We propose label this process as the neurobiological obtained by many independent observers. Its selective mechanism of the faith (in religious tradition “the Heart”). proliferation is the essence of Quantum Darwinism. Purely The main characteristic of the faith is the trust. The quantum information represents incompatible observers with neuropeptide oxytocin intranasally administered crosses the the pointer observable. To this information Quantum blood-brain barrier into the central nervous system and Darwinism selects against (so called counter-selection). increases trusting behavior. Oxytocin is triggering complex and Quantum information represents the non-preferred specific action-programs, and overcomes the aversion to observables, marginalized by Quantum Darwinism, which can unfaithful betrayal. Oxytocin modulates the activity of only be measured by capturing all environments. The non- cognitive neural networks, resulting in enhanced trusting redundant information represents a grey area, the border behavior [19]. between the classical and quantum domains. The environment is a witness, a communication channel suggests to recognize We propose than the neurobiological mechanism that we gain practically all of our information indirectly, from responsible for our ability to trust due the oxytocin specifically the environmental degrees of freedom. In the Hilbert space an increases the individual readiness to accept social risks arising environment-induced super selection, redundancy appears, in interpersonal interactions. but the objectivity can arise through the dynamics of We suggest an essential role of oxytocin as a biological basis decoherence. The decoherence is the mechanism that delivers of prosocial approach behavior and the transcendental faith. Quantum Darwinism. But we never directly bump into the Oxytocin reduces anxiety, fear and enhances the stress system to measure its state. We actually use the environment buffering effect of social support associated with social that has bumped into the system to find out about it. dysfunctions (social phobia, depression, autism). The religious Quantum Darwinism claims that we never observe the entirety faith could help to regain social health of subjects. of the environments. Subjects observe a fraction of the environment (a small part of all photons that have interacted We propose that the mechanism of the faith behind the with the page fall into our eyes). The pointer states are trust effect of oxytocin might render subjects more optimistic distinguished by their ability to survive decoherence, and can about the likelihood of a good outcome. It helps to overcome continue to be measured by the environment without betrayal aversion in interaction related to the future’s vision suffering ill effects of such inquisition (in contrast to fragile and his mission within a more optimistic top-down processed superpositions). The environment plays an active role of interpretation [20]. amplifier selectively proliferating information about the We suggest test our hypothesis of neurobiological system [18]. mechanism of the faith for example in USA. The reason is that despite the good statistical results of America, polling suggests Conclusions that people in Afganistan and Iraq are more optimistic about their futures than people in the United States [21]. The research of neuronal correlates of the faith began with Snyder’s the transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and with We propose an experiment with the intranasal biomedical Persinger’s TMS experiments, when subjects believed they felt application of oxytocin spray to measure its increasing effect “the presence of God”, “sensed presence”, “unity with the relating optimism and trust in the future. Than could be whole world”. triggered a new national trust program (similar to social programs) to help the frustrated individuals to shift for more We propose that the magnetic interference could be at the faithful attitude in identity perception and future predictions. heart of such mystical experiences. We hypothesize the existence of fundamental algorithms by References which all sensory transduction is translated into intrinsic brain- specific code within the human temporal or limbic lobes. They 1. 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