Alzheimer's disease is "characterised by loss of neurons and synapses in the [[cerebral cortex]] and certain subcortical regions. This loss results in gross atrophy of the affected regions, including degeneration in the [[temporal lobes|temporal lobe]] and [[parietal lobe]], and parts of the frontal cortex and cingulate gyrus.<ref>http://www.news-medical.net/health/Neurodegeneration-in-Alzheimers-and-Parkinsons.aspx</ref> Some of the primary symptoms of alzheimer's disease are: memory problems, mood swings, emotional outbursts, brain stem damage which impairs function in the heart, lungs plus causes disruption of various other bodily processes.<ref>http://www.dementiacarecentral.com/node/559</ref>
== Atheism/theism: Regular prayer/meditation and larger frontal lobes ==
''See also:'' [[Religiosity and larger frontal lobes]] and [[Atheism and emotional/intrapersonal intelligence]] and [[Atheism and irrationality]] and [[Homosexuality and frontal lobe injury]]
[[File:Cerebrum lobes.svg.png|thumbnail|200px|right|Graphic of cerebral lobes. Light brown section of the graphic depicts the area of the frontal lobe. (Click on graphic to enlarge)]]
According to ''Scientific American'':
{{cquote|Several studies have revealed that people who practice meditation or have prayed for many years exhibit increased activity and have more brain tissue in their [[frontal lobe]]s, regions associated with attention and reward, as compared with people who do not meditate or pray.<ref>[http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/askthebrains/ Ask the Brains, Scientific American, Dec 23, 2011]</ref>}}
=== Reluctance of Western atheists to engage in meditation ===
Atheist [[Greta Christina]] wrote at the website Humananist.com:
{{cquote|A lot of atheists, [[Secular humanism|humanists]], and other nonbelievers are leery or dismissive of meditation and mindfulness. Some see it as an irretrievably religious or spiritual practice, and want no part in it. Others are put off by the faddish, overused, buzzword quality of the practice and the terminology. And I can understand that. For years, I stayed away from trying this stuff out, for exactly those reasons. I was interested in the practice—I had friends who did it, and who seemed to get a lot out of it. But I couldn’t find anyplace to learn that didn’t base their teaching on [[Buddhism]] or some other religion. And I’m too ardent an anti-religionist to “take what you need and leave the rest,” the way many nonbelievers do with religion. After all, I literally wrote the book on [[Atheism and anger|angry atheism]]. For me, trying to learn meditation in a Buddhist center would be like trying to learn meditation in a room full of fingernails scraping on blackboards.<ref>[http://thehumanist.com/magazine/november-december-2013/fierce-humanism/mind-is-matter-2 Mind is Matter], Greta Christina, The Humanist.com</ref>}}
Although many atheists in the [[Western World]] are reluctant to meditate, in the East nontheist Buddhists often practice meditation.<ref>''Christians Talk about Buddhist Meditation, Buddhists Talk About Christian Prayer'', edited by Rita M. Gross, Terry C. Muck, page 89</ref>
[[File:Greta Christina at Skepticon.jpg|thumbnail|right|200px|Atheist [[Greta Christina]] wrote: "A lot of atheists, [[Secular humanism|humanists]], and other nonbelievers are leery or dismissive of meditation and mindfulness."<ref>[http://thehumanist.com/magazine/november-december-2013/fierce-humanism/mind-is-matter-2 Mind is Matter], Greta Christina, The Humanist.com</ref>]]
== See also ==