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Mario Beauregard and Vincent Paquette of the Université de Montréal in Canada used functional magnetic resonance imaging to scan the brains of 15 Carmelite nuns who were asked to remember the most intense mystical experience they had ever had.

Their findings were published in Neuroscience Letters.

Abstract: The main goal of this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was to identify the neural correlates of a mystical experience. The brain activity of Carmelite nuns was measured while they were subjectively in a state of union with God. This state was associated with significant loci of activation in the right medial orbitofrontal cortex, right middle temporal cortex, right inferior and superior parietal lobules, right caudate, left medial prefrontal cortex, left anterior cingulate cortex, left inferior parietal lobule, left insula, left caudate, and left brainstem. Other loci of activation were seen in the extra-striate visual cortex. These results suggest that mystical experiences are mediated by several brain regions and systems.

The authors say [1] the research was not intended to confirm or deny the existence of God, but set out to examine how the brain behaves during profound religious experiences.

The findings contradict previous suggestions that human brains may have evolved with a “God spot” — a single region that lights up in response to deeply religious thoughts.

“Rather than there being one spot that relates to mystical experiences, we’ve found a number of brain regions are involved,” said Dr. Beauregard.

[1] Source: The Guardian & The Hindu.