The God receptor: naturalistic, psychotic and entheogenic neurocognition in the origins and phenomenology of spiritual and religious thought
Bernard Crespi, Nancy Yang, Sam Doesburg preprint
The human brain does not contain a single region or network dedicated to spiritual or religious thought. Instead, religious and spiritual cognition may arise from the widespread effects of a specific receptor, the HT2A receptor, which influences perception, emotion, and cognition across many brain areas. The hypothesis is supported by integrating fMRI and lesion studies with data on HT2A receptor distribution, activation in psychedelic experiences, psychiatric conditions, and stress. If true, understanding the neuroscience of spirituality will require studying how adaptive and hyperactivated HT2A receptor signaling interacts with predictive coding and other brain systems.