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- MakaleAçık Erişim2026Scopus SJRQ3Neurobiological and psychological effects of reciting the Quran from the Mushaf
Okur, Süheyb; Bayraktar, Bülent
Background: This study aims to examine the acute neurobiological effects of reciting the Quran from the Mushaf on salivary BDNF, Apelin, and Cortisol levels and their relationship with emotional state. Methods: The study employed a randomized pre-test post-test control group design conducted in Türkiye. The sample consisted of 100 healthy theology students (50 females, 50 males) aged 18–25, proficient in reciting the Quran in accordance with Tajweed rules. Participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (reciting the first nine verses of Surah Al-Imran, n = 50) or the control group (standardized passive resting, n = 50). Salivary BDNF, apelin, and cortisol levels were measured using the ELISA technique before and after the intervention. Emotional states were assessed using the Mood Scale and the Psychological Well-being Scale. Results: The experimental group exhibited a statistically significant increase in mean salivary BDNF and apelin levels and a significant decrease in cortisol levels following recitation compared to the passive control group (p < 0.05). In terms of gender, no statistically significant differences were observed in biomarker responses (p >.05). Correlation analysis revealed a significant “biological reciprocity,” where cortisol showed a negative correlation with apelin (r = -0.436, p < 0.001) and BDNF, while correlating positively with negative emotions. Conclusions: Reciting the Quran aloud acts as a rapid psychophysiological intervention that downregulates the HPA axis (reduced cortisol) and upregulates neurotrophic factors (increased BDNF and apelin). These findings suggest that structured recitation functions as a restorative neuroplasticity practice, promoting biological stress resilience associated with psychological well-being.
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İncele - MakaleAçık Erişim2026Scopus SJRQ2Recitation Mode Is Associated With Salivary CREB and Cortisol Responses during Qur'anic Recitation
Okur, Süheyb; Topyay, Yusuf; Bayraktar, Bülent
Background: Spiritual practices such as Qur'anic recitation are commonly associated with psychological and physiological regulation; however, their salivary biomarker correlates remain insufficiently understood. This exploratory study examined whether different modes of Qur'anic recitation were associated with changes in salivary cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), a biomarker related to plasticity-associated pathways, and cortisol, a marker of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity. Methods: The sample comprised three nonrandomized, criterion-defined conditions: Passive Control (n = 20; participants unable to read Qur'anic Arabic), Sight-Reading (n = 30), and Memorized Recitation (n = 30). Saliva samples were collected immediately before and after the experimental task or passive rest period. Salivary CREB and cortisol concentrations were quantified using ELISA. Post-task CREB levels were analyzed using ANCOVA with baseline CREB as a covariate. Cortisol responses were analyzed using change scores, Welch's ANOVA, and an additional robust factorial model with HC3 heteroscedasticity-consistent standard errors to evaluate exploratory Condition × Gender patterns. Results: After controlling for baseline CREB levels, experimental condition had a significant effect on post-task salivary CREB, F(2, 76) = 8.16, p < 0.001, η2p = 0.18. Memorized recitation showed higher adjusted post-task CREB levels than both sight-reading and passive control conditions. Cortisol change scores also differed significantly across conditions, Welch's F(2, 40.02) = 30.76, p < 0.001. Both active recitation conditions were associated with cortisol reduction relative to passive rest, with no significant difference between sight-reading and memorized recitation. Although descriptive data suggested a possible gender-related divergence in the memorized recitation condition, the Condition × Gender interaction did not remain statistically significant under robust estimation and was therefore interpreted as exploratory. Conclusion: These preliminary findings suggest that Qur'anic recitation modes are associated with distinct salivary biomarker patterns. Memorized recitation was linked to higher adjusted salivary CREB levels, whereas both active recitation modes were associated with cortisol attenuation relative to passive rest. Because the present design did not include active non-Qur'anic vocalization or neutral reading control conditions, the specificity of these effects to Qur'anic content cannot be determined. Future studies should include active control conditions and larger gender-stratified samples to clarify the mechanisms underlying these biomarker responses.
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İncele - MakaleAçık Erişim2026Scopus SJRQ2Modulation of stress and neuroplasticity biomarkers via rhythmic vocalization: a controlled study on NDNF, cortisol, and monoamines
Okur, Süheyb; Bayraktar, Bülent
Background: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of reciting the Quran (from Mushaf) on serotonin, dopamine, NDNF, and cortisol levels in relation to mental well-being. Methods: This study was conducted on a sample of university students who know how to read the Quran in Türkiye, selected by a non-probability method, with a pre-test-post-test control group and a longitudinal design; the assignment to the groups was also done randomly. The research was carried out with 72 university students (36 female, 36 male), aged 19–30, who know how to read the Quran and do not have any health problems. Two groups were formed: a 36-person experimental group and a 36-person passive resting control group. The Mental Well-Being Scale and a personal information form were used to evaluate the participants’ well-being status. Salivary serotonin, dopamine, NDNF, and cortisol levels were examined using the ELISA technique in samples taken before and after the experimental group recited verses 195–200 of Surah Al-i Imran aloud. Number, percentage, mean, Pearson correlation, and ANOVA tests were used to evaluate the data. Statistical significance was accepted as p <.05 for all analyses. Results: A significant group-time interaction was found (p <.05). Compared to the passive resting control group, the experimental group showed statistically significant increases in salivary serotonin, dopamine, and NDNF levels, and a significant decrease in cortisol levels. However, a critical dissociation was observed: despite this neuroprotective biomarker profile, the control group reported statistically significantly higher post-intervention mental well-being scores than the experimental group (p <.05). This suggests that the acute cognitive load and performance anxiety associated with the recitation task may temporarily mask physiological benefits in self-reports. Conclusions: A brief (5-minute) ‘Tartil’ recitation of the Quran demonstrates immediate, positive neurobiological effects by reducing stress hormones (cortisol) and increasing reward- and neuroplasticity-related biomarkers (dopamine, serotonin, NDNF). However, this did not immediately translate to higher self-reported well-being, suggesting the relationship between the neurobiology of recitation and its perceived psychological effects is complex and potentially confounded by factors such as performance anxiety or cognitive load in an experimental setting. Clinical trial number: Not applicable.
AtıfScopus2WoS3OpenAlex4İncele - MakaleAçık Erişim2026Scopus SJRQ3Spiritual Monachopsis: Conceptualization, Scale Development, and Psychometric Analysis
Okur, Süheyb
In the modern era, individuals have increasingly experienced alienation from their religious environments and have been marked by a profound sense of “homelessness” within their worlds of faith. Based on the concept of “Monachopsis” —the subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place— this study was designed to develop the “Spiritual Monachopsis Scale” (SMS) to measure the spiritual manifestation of this phenomenon and to examine its psychometric properties in a sample of theology students. The scale development study was conducted with a total of 453 undergraduate theology students studying at Bayburt University in the 2025-2026 academic year, including 163 participants in the exploratory validation phase and 290 participants in the confirmatory validation phase. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), Cronbach's Alpha coefficient, and Pearson correlation analysis were used for data analysis. The EFA indicated that the scale had a three-factor structure —Disconnection from the Divine, Alienation from the Belief System, Religious Social Alienation— which explained 57.66% of the total variance. The CFA results confirmed that the 18-item structure demonstrated a good fit to the data. The internal consistency of the scale was found to be high. In terms of criterion-related validity, a positive and significant correlation was found between the SMS and the Negative Religious Coping scale. The findings indicate that the Spiritual Monachopsis Scale is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing levels of spiritual homelessness and alienation, particularly among theology students. It is recommended that the SMS be used in future studies within higher religious education settings and campus-based spiritual counseling contexts to identify patterns of alienation in this population and to inform supportive psychoeducational programs.
- MakaleAçık Erişim2025Scopus SJRQ2The Relationship Between Metacognitive Beliefs and Salivary Cortisol, BDNF, and NDNF Levels: A Cross-Sectional Study
Okur, Süheyb; Bayraktar, Bülent; Tosun Köse, Fatma
Purpose: The main objective of this study is to non-invasively investigate the relationship between metacognitive beliefs and cortisol, the primary stress output of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, as well as neurotrophic factors associated with neuroplasticity brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neuron-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF and NDNF). Within this framework, the hypotheses that negative metacognitions would be associated with increased cortisol and decreased BDNF levels, and that cortisol might play a mediating role in this relationship, were tested. Method: The study was designed in a cross-sectional model with 60 university students. Participants' metacognitive beliefs were measured using the Metacognitions Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30). Salivary cortisol, BDNF, and NDNF levels were analyzed using the ELISA method. Pearson correlation and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used for data analysis. Finding: The results showed a significant positive relationship between the total metacognition score and cortisol (r = 0.589, p < 0.01) and a strong negative relationship between cortisol and BDNF (r = −0.662, p < 0.01). Hierarchical regression analysis supported a partial mediation model, indicating that dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs have both a significant direct negative association with BDNF and an indirect association mediated by cortisol. In the final model, both metacognition (β = –0.298, p < 0.05) and cortisol (β = –0.281, p < 0.05) were significant factors associated with lower BDNF levels. NDNF showed a positive relationship with BDNF (r = 0.571) but not with other variables. Conclusion: These findings point to a psychobiological model where dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs are linked to suppressed neuroprotective mechanisms like BDNF, both directly and indirectly through HPA axis activation. The results shed light on the potential neurobiological mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of metacognitive therapies.
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