Thank you for adding to my growing pile of evidence that "brain science" is practiced by people who don't have one. I guess it makes sense that they would be interested in something they don't have. Kind of like Data the android is interested in emotion.

Um...hmm, yeah, you see, science reporting has a few problems one of which is information context, the other is qualification of the research.
For example, what/who were their sample size?
Was their sample size based on a small regional cohort, or nationwide cohort?
Was their sample size based along racial parameters, or mix racial parameters.
Also, did sample size take dietary concerns into consideration...diet has a big effect on the metabolic development of an individual.
Also, who was their control group that they make a standard comparison too to show accurate differences?

Science reporting is often laced with inaccuracies, incomplete information, biases of the reporter/reader, and as I have often encountered, weak-minded as the people reading the article.
A little critical thinking takes one a long way in life, and a basic knowledge of science will prevent one from being hoodwinked by hucksters, or being perceived as an oaf by people who do know science processes.

While I'm sitting here laughing I'm also in a bit of despair. There are actually a huge number of people who don't have real jobs and they just get [mostly taxpayer] money to study things that don't matter in the least and draw conclusions that are irrelevant to life. No wonder we have a budget crisis.

Even if we do, having the spirit of righteousness (our new inner person) within us more than compensates for it. We are new creations and we have access to God's knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.

Having looked at the linked articles about the actual study, I think the problem is not so much brain researchers as the journalists who report on them to the general public! Certainly the study group wasn't large enough to make any strong claims.

Two observations: 1) The part of the brain that is smaller in "born-again" Christians than mainline Protestants is the part (the hippocampus) responsible for controlling regulation of emotion and memory, not the frontal lobes that are responsible for the "higher" brain functions (e.g., rational analysis, decision-making, and judgment). It shrinks in response to stress, and its atrophy is associated with depression and Alzheimer's, etc.. I would say there are some interesting avenues for further exploration there. For instance, with regard to our mainline brethren, might we ask if "ignorance is bliss" when it comes to the realm of the spiritually true where there are tenets of orthodoxy that many mainline Protestants no longer hold to? Or does this simply reflect the fact that the dominant secular culture is generally more favorable to mainline Protestantism (having to a great degree historically sprung from the same roots), so they tend to experience less stress? On the other hand, could it be that "born agains" are so overly focussed on making a rational apologetic for doctrinal truth from Scripture, that they neglect other aspects of the gospel (such as tending to the care of their own souls and the basic human needs of those around them)? Does an unbalanced spiritual focus also create more dissonance and stress in their lives than for their mainline brethren who may act more consistently with the gospel around certain basic issues of appropriate tolerance for the differences of others and getting more involved in social justice causes, for example? Is there an economic disparity between the two groups such that mainline affiliates tend to be more wealthy and thus experience less stress? Such are some of the questions that come to mind that might be interesting and enlightening to explore.

2) Two groups having even greater hippocampal atrophy than "born-agains" were unbelievers and those with no religious affiliation. Again, here the reportage was more misleading than the study itself.

It's not about us or our tiny little brains or our great big brains. It's only and always about HIM.