ArticleBrain and behavior2019
A diffusion tensor imaging study of brain microstructural changes related to religion and spirituality in families at high risk for depression.
Article in Brain and behavior, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Neuroscience of Religious and Spiritual Practices: A Systematic Review of Neurotheological Evidence.Brain and behavior · 2026Pooled it
- Is Dance Closer to Physical Activity or Spirituality? A Philosophical Exploration.Journal of religion and health · 2023Article
- Regional Brain Volume Changes in Catholic Nuns: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Deep Learning-Based Brain MRI Segmentation.Psychiatry investigation · 2022Article
- Diffusion tensor imaging brain structural clustering patterns in major depressive disorder.Human brain mapping · 2021Article
- A diffusion tensor imaging study of brain microstructural changes related to religion and spirituality in families at high risk for depression.Brain and behavior · 2019Article
- The Role of Religiosity in Families at High Risk for Depression.Ethics, medicine, and public healthArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
introductionPreviously in a three-generation study of families at high risk for depression, we found that belief in the importance of religion/spirituality (R/S) was associated with thicker cortex in bilateral parietal and occipital regions. In the same sample using functional magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalograph (EEG), we found that offspring at high familial risk had thinner cortices, increased default mode network connectivity, and reduced EEG power. These group differences were significantly diminished in offspring at high risk who reported high importance of R/S beliefs, suggesting a protective effect.
methodsThis study extends previous work examining brain microstructural differences associated with risk for major depressive disorder (MDD) and tests whether these are normalized in at-risk offspring who report high importance of R/S beliefs. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data were selected from 99 2nd and 3rd generation offspring of 1st generation depressed (high-risk, HR) or nondepressed (low-risk, LR) parents. Whole-brain and region-of-interest analyses were performed, using ellipsoidal area ratio (EAR, an alternative diffusion anisotropy index comparable to fractional anisotropy). We examined microstructural differences associated with familial risk for depression within the groups of high and low importance of R/S beliefs (HI, LI).
resultsIn the LI group, HR individuals showed significantly decreased EAR in white matter regions neighboring the precuneus, superior parietal lobe, superior and middle frontal gyrus, and bilateral insula, supplementary motor area, and postcentral gyrus. In the HI group, HR individuals showed reduced EAR in white matter surrounding the left superior, and middle frontal gyrus, left superior parietal lobule, and right supplementary motor area. Microstructural differences associated with familial risk for depression in precuneus, frontal lobe, and temporal lobe were nonsignificant or less significant in the HI group.
conclusionR/S beliefs may affect microstructure in brain regions associated with R/S, potentially conferring resilience to depression among HR individuals.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.