Isolated Hyper-religiosity in Patient after Resection of Sphenoidal Meningioma: A Case Report

Abstract: A 57-year-old female patient with a known history of left frontotemporal meningioma presented to the emergency room with visual and auditory hallucinations and hyper-religiosity. Her religious delusion started two years prior to her hospital admission with minimal previous personal or community religious involvement. Before the patient developed hallucinations, no history of seizures or epilepsy was noted. During her hospitalization, her meningioma had increased in size (2.5cm x 2.5cm) with regional mass effect. After resection and a trial of antipsychotics, the intensity of her religious hallucinations had decreased, but later, she developed tactile hallucinations that she viewed as spiritual communication. The presence and removal of the patient’s lesion affecting the temporal area coinciding with the rise and reduction of hyper-religious thought process can potentially support the link between the temporal lobe and spiritual experience. Geschwind and Maxime evaluated patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and described their behavior with features of hyper-religiosity, circumstantiality, altered sexuality, and intensified mental life. Although the link between temporal lobe and spiritual hallucinations is not well understood, the incidence of religious experiences ranges from 0.3% to 3.1% in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy.Short Description: A 57-year-old female patient with a known history of left frontotemporal meningioma presented to the emergency room with hallucinations and hyper-religiosity. Her religious delusion started two years prior to her hospital admission with minimal previous personal or community religious involvement. The presence and removal of the patient’s lesion affecting the temporal area coinciding with the rise and reduction of hyper-religious thought process can potentially support the link between the temporal lobe and spiritual experience.Name of Sponsoring Organization(s): N/a