Tag Patrick McNamara

The neuroscience of dreams and gods

Ample evidence connects dreams with spiritual and religious experiences, yet dreams remain understudied as a source of supernatural agent concepts. Stories about life-changing dreams appear frequently in religious literature and oral tradition. Many people throughout history claim to have encountered supernatural agents in dreams,…

5 media mentions in 2021

In addition to conducting research, we need to communicate it. Project-specific communication, in the form of blog posts, newsletters, and social media can advance understanding, inform future donors, and enact change. By sharing CMAC’s research methods, project goals, and specific…

New Publication: The Dopamine System, Parkinson’s Disease and Language Function

Founding Director Patrick McNamara and Co-Author Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences Special Issue: The Evolution of Language June 2018 Abstract: The mesocortical dopaminergic system innervates two major forebrain networks important in language processing: the frontal–parietal network (FPN) and the ‘social brain’…