Hyperreligiosity in malignant brain tumors: a case report and accompanying bibliographic review

ABSTRACT

Religion is a complex cognitive process with biopsychosocial and cultural dimensions, product of the activation of different circuits of the neocortex. In some cases, religiosity can appear as a pathological correlate in patients with brain lesions in the areas involved. We present the clinical case of a patient with an astrocytoma in the right prefrontal region, with apparent inflammatory involvement of the right temporal lobe. This tumor debuted almost exclusively as an alteration of personality consisting of hyperreligiosity, logorrhea, and mystical experiences. A review of the literature has been conducted and possible pathophysiological mechanisms are proposed.

KEYWORDS:

• Hyperreligiosity
• astrocytoma
• limbic encephalitis
• hallucinations
• ecstatic seizures

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Priscilla Chase Duran for editing and reviewing the original text. Dedicated to Oliver Sacks for his encouragement several months ago to publish this case report.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.