@article{d9982baf552847b1b4407e2f734da47d,
title = "Neuroimaging 'will to fight' for sacred values: An empirical case study with supporters of an Al Qaeda associate",
abstract = "Violent intergroup conflicts are often motivated by commitments to abstract ideals such as god or nation, so-called 'sacred' values that are insensitive to material trade-offs. There is scant knowledge of how the brain processes costly sacrifices for such cherished causes. We studied willingness to fight and die for sacred values using fMRI in Barcelona, Spain, among supporters of a radical Islamist group. We measured brain activity in radicalized individuals as they indicated their willingness to fight and die for sacred and non-sacred values, and as they reacted to peers' ratings for the same values. We observed diminished activity in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), inferior frontal gyrus, and parietal cortex while conveying willingness to fight and die for sacred relative to non-sacred values-regions that have previously been implicated in calculating costs and consequences. An overlapping region of the dlPFC was active when viewing conflicting ratings of sacred values from peers, to the extent participants were sensitive to peer influence, suggesting that it is possible to induce flexibility in the way people defend sacred values. Our results cohere with a view that 'devoted actors' motivated by an extreme commitment towards sacred values rely on distinctive neurocognitve processes that can be identified.",
keywords = "FMRI, Neuroimaging, Radicalization, Sacred values, Violent extremism, Will to fight",
author = "Nafees Hamid and Clara Pretus and Scott Atran and Crockett, {Molly J.} and Jeremy Ginges and Hammad Sheikh and Adolf Tobe{\~n}a and Susanna Carmona and Angel G{\'o}mez and Richard Davis and Oscar Vilarroya",
note = "Funding Information: for this study came from the Minerva Program and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research of the U.S. Department of Defense (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/afrl/afosr/) (AFOSR FA9550-14-1-0030 DEF), and from the BIAL Foundation (no. 163/14). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript Funding Information: Ethics. The behavioural studies and neuroimaging sessions were conducted in accordance with IRB Protocol #2014-0926, {\textquoteleft}The Neural Basis of Personal Beliefs: A Magnetic Resonance Imaging,{\textquoteright} after initial approval by Artis Research IRB00007516 and subsequent review by the U.S. Air Force Surgeon General{\textquoteright}s Human and Animal Research Panel prior to release of funds in support of this project under AFOSR grant AFOSR FA9550-14-1-0030 DEF to Artis Research. Data protection was a priority in this study and complete anonymity was guaranteed. The researchers were aware of the possible risks related to the self-identification of the participants as supporters of militant jihadi groups. Therefore, we ensured the right of the participants to remain anonymous. The participants were assigned an identity code consisting of five random numbers. All information was stored in a confidential manner and in accordance with the Rules of the UNESCO International Council for Global Health Progress (ICGHP) and followed the Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data. All information was kept in password-protected servers and will be destroyed after the publications related to the study. The structure of the database guaranteed the participants{\textquoteright} anonymity. We provided the participants with this information before entering the study. Permission to carry out fieldwork. No licences were required to conduct fieldwork. All fieldwork was approved by the IRB as stated in the Ethics section. All researchers who interacted with participants received certified training in human subjects research protections. Data accessibility. Our data are deposited in the Dryad Digital Repository: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.c0k33vf [48]. Authors{\textquoteright} contributions. The project director was S.A. The field studies were conceived by S.A., and they were designed by N.H. and S.A. with the participation of J.G., H.S., A.G. and R.D. Ethnographic and behavioural data were collected by N.H., and analysed by N.H., H.S. and S.A. The fMRI studies were directed by O.V., and were designed by C.P., O.V., N.H. and M.J.C., with the participation of S.A., A.T. and S.C. The fMRI studies were carried out by C.P. and O.V., and the data analysed by C.P., M.J.C., and O.V. The manuscript was written by C.P., O.V., S.A., J.G., M.J.C. and N.H. All authors reviewed the final manuscript. N.H. and C.P. contributed equally to this paper. S.A. and O.V. are the corresponding authors. Competing interests. The authors declare no competing interests. Funding. Funding support for this study came from the Minerva Program and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research of the U.S. Department of Defense (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/afrl/afosr/) (AFOSR FA9550-14-1-0030 DEF), and from the BIAL Foundation (no. 163/14). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Acknowledgements. We thank everyone who participated in this study. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2019 The Authors.",
year = "2019",
month = jun,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1098/rsos.181585",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "6",
journal = "Royal Society Open Science",
issn = "2054-5703",
publisher = "The Royal Society",
number = "6",
}