# Exploring the Neural Pathways of Faith: A Review and Case Study on Hyperreligiosity in Epilepsy

## TL;DR

This paper explores how epilepsy, particularly temporal lobe epilepsy, can lead to intense religious experiences and reviews the brain pathways involved.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a clinical case linking meningioma, TLE, and hyperreligiosity, supported by structural changes in the uncinate fasciculus.

## Key findings

- Temporal lobe epilepsy is associated with hyperreligiosity, including sudden spiritual convictions and ecstasy.
- The uncinate fasciculus may act as a neural pathway connecting temporal and limbic regions involved in religious experiences.
- A patient with meningioma and TLE showed structural alteration in the right uncinate fasciculus linked to intense religious experiences.

## Abstract

Religious experiences represent a universal and timeless phenomenon that has accompanied humanity since its origins. In recent decades, neuroscience has explored the relationship between temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and hyperreligiosity phenomena, describing sudden convictions, states of ecstasy, and spiritual conversions associated with epileptic seizures. This article offers a narrative review of the literature on the relationship between epilepsy and religion, including its clinical manifestations (ictal, postictal, and interictal) and the main neurobiological models proposed to explain it, such as the limbic marker hypothesis and theory of mind (ToM). The possible role of the uncinate fasciculus as an integrative pathway between temporal and limbic regions is also explored, based on recent neuroimaging studies. Finally, we present an illustrative clinical case of a patient with meningioma and TLE associated with episodes of intense religious conviction, in whom a structural alteration of the right uncinate fasciculus was observed. This case reinforces the relevance of considering both neuronal networks and white matter tracts in the study of religious experiences, while underscoring the need for broader and more systematic studies to confirm these findings.