Attachment style and its impact on connection to God in individuals with brain injury: behavioral and lesion-based findings
Attachment style shapes one's connections with important figures in their life. One such unique relationship is the connection to God (CTG), which may be shaped by attachment style. Stronger CTG has been associated with secure attachment, yet the neural mechanisms underlying this relationship r...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neurology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1488890/full |
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| author | Shira Cohen-Zimerman Shira Cohen-Zimerman Irene Cristofori Irene Cristofori Patrick McNamara Patrick McNamara Frank Krueger Frank Krueger Barry Gordon Barry Gordon Jordan Grafman Jordan Grafman Jordan Grafman Jordan Grafman Jordan Grafman Jordan Grafman |
| author_facet | Shira Cohen-Zimerman Shira Cohen-Zimerman Irene Cristofori Irene Cristofori Patrick McNamara Patrick McNamara Frank Krueger Frank Krueger Barry Gordon Barry Gordon Jordan Grafman Jordan Grafman Jordan Grafman Jordan Grafman Jordan Grafman Jordan Grafman |
| author_sort | Shira Cohen-Zimerman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Attachment style shapes one's connections with important figures in their life. One such unique relationship is the connection to God (CTG), which may be shaped by attachment style. Stronger CTG has been associated with secure attachment, yet the neural mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. While previous research has implicated the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in CTG, findings have been mixed and may depend on attachment style—an idea that has yet to be directly tested. This study aimed to (1) examine whether individuals with a secure attachment style report higher levels of CTG compared to those with a non-secure attachment style, and (2) identify the brain regions associated with CTG in individuals with secure vs. non-secure attachment. We assessed attachment style and CTG in a sample of male combat veterans (N = 150), the majority of whom had focal traumatic brain injuries (pTBI; N = 119). Brain imaging (CT scans) was also obtained. Behaviorally, after controlling for age, years of education, and brain volume loss, individuals with a secure attachment style reported stronger CTG. Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping revealed that damage to the right orbitofrontal cortex was associated with stronger CTG in individuals with secure—but not insecure—attachment. These findings suggest that attachment style shapes CTG at both behavioral and neural levels. Moreover, they highlight the potential role of attachment style in TBI recovery, offering insights that could inform spiritually integrated therapeutic interventions and support strategies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f528b79a7fdc4d6cbd021e591b452ecf |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1664-2295 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neurology |
| spelling | doaj-art-f528b79a7fdc4d6cbd021e591b452ecf2025-08-20T02:12:35ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neurology1664-22952025-04-011610.3389/fneur.2025.14888901488890Attachment style and its impact on connection to God in individuals with brain injury: behavioral and lesion-based findingsShira Cohen-Zimerman0Shira Cohen-Zimerman1Irene Cristofori2Irene Cristofori3Patrick McNamara4Patrick McNamara5Frank Krueger6Frank Krueger7Barry Gordon8Barry Gordon9Jordan Grafman10Jordan Grafman11Jordan Grafman12Jordan Grafman13Jordan Grafman14Jordan Grafman15Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Brain Injury Research, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL, United StatesDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United StatesInstitute of Cognitive Sciences Marc Jeannerod, CNRS/UMR 5229, Bron, FranceUniversity Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, FranceDepartment of Psychology, National University, San Diego, CA, United StatesDepartment of Neurology, Boston University, Boston, MA, United StatesSchool of Systems Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, GermanyDepartment of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States0Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United StatesCognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Brain Injury Research, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL, United StatesDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States1Departments of Neurology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States2Departments of Psychiatry, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States3Cognitive Neurology & Alzheimer's Disease, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States4Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United StatesAttachment style shapes one's connections with important figures in their life. One such unique relationship is the connection to God (CTG), which may be shaped by attachment style. Stronger CTG has been associated with secure attachment, yet the neural mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. While previous research has implicated the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in CTG, findings have been mixed and may depend on attachment style—an idea that has yet to be directly tested. This study aimed to (1) examine whether individuals with a secure attachment style report higher levels of CTG compared to those with a non-secure attachment style, and (2) identify the brain regions associated with CTG in individuals with secure vs. non-secure attachment. We assessed attachment style and CTG in a sample of male combat veterans (N = 150), the majority of whom had focal traumatic brain injuries (pTBI; N = 119). Brain imaging (CT scans) was also obtained. Behaviorally, after controlling for age, years of education, and brain volume loss, individuals with a secure attachment style reported stronger CTG. Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping revealed that damage to the right orbitofrontal cortex was associated with stronger CTG in individuals with secure—but not insecure—attachment. These findings suggest that attachment style shapes CTG at both behavioral and neural levels. Moreover, they highlight the potential role of attachment style in TBI recovery, offering insights that could inform spiritually integrated therapeutic interventions and support strategies.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1488890/fullattachment styleconnection to Godvoxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM)traumatic brain injury (TBI)orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) |
| spellingShingle | Shira Cohen-Zimerman Shira Cohen-Zimerman Irene Cristofori Irene Cristofori Patrick McNamara Patrick McNamara Frank Krueger Frank Krueger Barry Gordon Barry Gordon Jordan Grafman Jordan Grafman Jordan Grafman Jordan Grafman Jordan Grafman Jordan Grafman Attachment style and its impact on connection to God in individuals with brain injury: behavioral and lesion-based findings Frontiers in Neurology attachment style connection to God voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM) traumatic brain injury (TBI) orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) |
| title | Attachment style and its impact on connection to God in individuals with brain injury: behavioral and lesion-based findings |
| title_full | Attachment style and its impact on connection to God in individuals with brain injury: behavioral and lesion-based findings |
| title_fullStr | Attachment style and its impact on connection to God in individuals with brain injury: behavioral and lesion-based findings |
| title_full_unstemmed | Attachment style and its impact on connection to God in individuals with brain injury: behavioral and lesion-based findings |
| title_short | Attachment style and its impact on connection to God in individuals with brain injury: behavioral and lesion-based findings |
| title_sort | attachment style and its impact on connection to god in individuals with brain injury behavioral and lesion based findings |
| topic | attachment style connection to God voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM) traumatic brain injury (TBI) orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1488890/full |
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