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Culture Documents
TheauthorRaineandMonteBuchsbaumstatesthatFromourPETfunctionalimaging
workthatmurderershavepoorfunctioningintheprefrontalcortexaswellastheamygdala
andhippocampustheyhadclearlydemonstratedforthefirsttimeafunctionalbrain
abnormalityinthesehomicidaloffenders
Neurodevelopmentalbrainabnormality(abrainthatdoesn'tgrowinquitethewayit
should)
Focusingonthreemainbrainstructuresthatwhenaltered,leadtoantisocialdisordersandare
presentinknowncriminals:Theprefrontalcortex,theAmygdala,andhippocampus.
ThePrefrontalcortex
ThePFCiscentrallyinvolvedinmanycognitive,emotional,andbehavioralfunctions
andwhenitisimpaired,theriskofantisocialandviolentbehaviorincreases.Tobecertainthis
impairmentisduetoadevelopmentalissuenotdrugoralcoholabusewhichsomesaycanleadto
prefrontalgraymatterreduction,theauthorandhiscolleaguescreatedacontrolgroup.This
groupdidnothaveanyantisocialpersonalitydisordersbutdidabusedrugsandalcohol.What
happenedwhentheycomparedtheresults?Theantisocialgrouphada14%reductionin
prefrontalgrayvolumethanthedrugabusegroup,soweknowtheressomethingelsegoingon
inthesebrains.
Weknowdrugsandalcoholarenotthecauseofthestructuralbraindeficit.But
prefrontalstructuraldeficitshavebeenfoundinotherpsychiatricdisorderslikenarcissism,
schizophrenia,schizotypalpersonality(adisorderischaracterizedbysomeonewhohasgreat
difficultyinestablishingandmaintainingcloserelationshipswithothers)anddepression.
Tomakesuretheprefrontalstructuraldeficitsinviolentcriminalsarenotaresultofother
psychologicalailments,theauthorcreatedapsychiatriccontrolgroupthatdidnothave
antisocialorviolentbehaviordisordersbutwerematchedwiththeantisocialgroupinallother
clinicaldisorders.Theresults?Thesame14%prefrontalvolumereductionwaspresentwhen
comparedwiththepsychiatricgroup.
WhatRaineandhiscolleaguesconcludedwasthatthisstructuralimpairmentwasa
Neurodevelopmentalbrainabnormalitythathappenedearlyininfancy
(abrainthatdoesn'tgrow
inquitethewayitshould).
Amygdala
TheAmygdalaisanalmondshapedstructuredeepinthebrainanditschiefroleis
generatingemotionsandregulatingfear.Nobrainareaismoreimportanttoneuroscientistsfor
studyingemotionthantheamygdala.Onestrikingfeatureofapsychopathisthelackofaffection
andshallowemotionaldepthaswellasaincreasedabilitytodealwithfear,sodowethinkthere
maybesomeabnormalitiestothisstructureinpsychopaths?
InfactagraduatestudentoftheauthornamedYalingYangfoundthatboththerightandleft
amygdalaareimpairedinpsychopathswiththegreatestdeficitsontheright.Overalltherewas
an18%percentreductioninthevolumeoftheamygdalaintheknownpsychopathstested!
Wethinkthatthesestructuralimpairmentstotheamygdalaarelikelyaproductoffetal
neuralmaldevelopment.
Hippocampus
InonegroupofpsychopathstheystudiedtherightHippocampuswassignificantlybiggerthatthe
left.Theyfoundtheverysameanomalyintheirlargesampleofmurders.
Raineconductedanexperimentthathelpedunlockwhythisdifferenceinsymmetrybetweenthe
hippocampussformed.Hetooklabratpupsandmovedthemfromhabitattodifferenthabitat
frequentlythroughoutitsearlydevelopment.Thiscausedasignificantincreaseintheright
hippocampusonly.
Wefoundinourinterviewswithpsychopathsthattheyhavebeenbouncedfromhometohome
muchmoreoftenthancontrolsintheirfirstelevenyearsoflife.Morethan7differenthomes
comparedwiththecontrolgroups3.
Itiscriticallyimportantinassociatingaspecificplacewithpunishmentsomethingthathelps
fearconditioning
LeDoux,J.(1996).
TheEmotionalBrain.
NewYork:SimonandSchuster.
Braun:
TheDeveloping
BrainofanAdolescent
BraindevelopmentfromanAdolescenttoanAdult
PrimaryinfluencesofanAdolescent
Whatchanges?
4.GroupMentality
IntrotoGroupthinking
Theneedtobelongtoagroup.
1.Epigenetics
TheenvironmentanditsinfluencesonTeens.
MentalandGeneticdamage
Heritability
3.EmotionRegulation
Howalackofemotionalcontrolcanleadtomurder.
PrefrontalCortexdamage
2.JeffreyLandrigan
GenesoftheFather
Canyoureallybelikeyourfatherifyouvenevermethim?
heresthatlinktotheguywhorealizedhewasapsychopath
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/01/lifeasanonviolentpsychopath/282271/
(transition)
Cody:
Adultbrains
Changesfromadolescenttoadultbrainsincludechangesinthefrontallobes(whichis
whereexecutivedecisionsaremade).Thingssuchas:
Organizationofmultipletasks
Impulseinhibition
selfcontrol
settinggoalsandpriorities
empathizingwithothers
makingsoundjudgements
formingstrategies
planningahead
adjustingbehaviourwhensituationschange
insight
Emotionalcenterofthebraindevelopsbeforethefrontallobes(rationalthought).This
meansthatemotionsholdswayoverrationalprocessing.Thisleadstosituationswhereitmustbe
asked,Whatwereyouthinking?
Howmultiplebriansacttogether(needtofitin/belongtosomething)
Whydowehaveaneedtofitin?
Whyisitthatwefeelaneedtobeaccepted?
Youngpeoplejoingangsto:
Identity
Beingpartofagangallowsthegangmembertoachievealevelof
statushe/shefeelsimpossibleoutsidethegangculture.
Protection
manymembersjoinbecausetheyliveinthegangareaandare,
therefore,subjecttoviolencebyrivalgangs.Joiningguaranteessupportincaseof
attackandretaliationfortransgressions.
Brotherhood
Tothemajorityofgangmembers,thegangfunctionsasan
extensionofthefamilyandmayprovidecompanionshiplackinginthegang
membershomeenvironment.Manyolderbrothersandrelativesbelong,orhave
belongedtothegang.
Intimidation
Somemembersareforcedtojoiniftheirmembershipwill
contributetothegangscriminalactivity.Somejointointimidateothersinthe
communitynotinvolvedingangactivity.
Criminalactivity
Somejoinagangtoengageinnarcoticsactivityandbenefit
fromthegroupsprofitsandprotection.
Whygangsthrive
Whywouldyoucontinuedoingbadthingsknowingtheyrewrong?
Peerpressure
Groupthink
Howtopreventgangactivity
Deterrence
(closing)