Neurobiology and Spirituality in Addiction Recovery
A Kenison Roy lll1, Abdalla Bowirrat2, David E Smith3, Eric R Braverman4,5, Rehan Jalali5, Rajendra D Badgaiyan6, David Baron7, Luis Llanos -Gomez5, Debmalya Barh12 and Kenneth Blum5,7,8-12*
1Department of Psychiatry, Tulane School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA., USA
2Department of Molecular Biology and Adelson School of Medicine, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
3Institute of Health and Aging, University of California at San Francisco, CA, USA
4Path Foundation NY, New York City, NY, USA
5The Kenneth Blum Behavioral and Neurogenetic Institute (Division of iVitalize Inc.), Austin, TX., USA
6Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine Mt Sinai, New York, NY, USA and Department of Psychiatry, South Texas Veteran Health Care System, Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital, San Antonio, TX, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Medical Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
7Western University Health Science Centers, Graduate College, Pompano, CA, USA
8Department of Nutrigenomics, Geneus Health, LLC (Division of iVitalize, Inc.) San Antonio, TX, USA
9Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
10Institute of Psychology, Eotvos Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
11Department of Psychiatry, Wright University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH, USA
12Centre for Genomics and Applied Gene Technology, Institute of Integrative Omics and Applied Biotechnology, Nonakuri, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India
*Corresponding Author: Kenneth Blum, The Kenneth Blum Behavioral and Neurogenetic Institute (Division of iVitalize Inc.), Austin, TX., USA.
Received:
August 13, 2021; Published: August 28, 2021
Abstract
This commentary explores the neurobiology of spirituality and asks whether it is possible or desirable to apply genetic engineering to increase human spiritual and religious experience - (gene-spirituality) to deal better with the ever-increasing catastrophes that face humanity? Neurological connections between spirituality and reward genes, reward deficiencies (RDS) (hypodopaminergia), the mirror neuron system, and the default mode network are examined. Some interventions from addiction medicine that may be useful to enhance the neuro-spirituality connectome identified as a cornerstone of the Purpose and Meaning of Life as Reward (PMLR) are identified as reasonable targets for interventions to treat RDS and balance DMN activity.
Keywords: Purpose and Meaning of Life as Reward (PMLR)
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