Evidence of Brain Structures Causing Antisocial Behavior
Moral guidelines are what determine if an individual would be characterized to having an antisocial behaviour, violent psychopathic or normal. The brain plays an active role in determining if an individual has antisocial behaviour. Though brain imaging research, it is established that there are parts of the brain that are used in deciding antisocial behaviour and moral reasoning. Through research (Raine, & Yang, 2006), failure of moral reasoning leads to antisocial, psychopathic, and violent behaviour. The neural model of antisocial behaviour highlights that areas such as the dorsal, vertical regions of the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, angular gyrus, anterior cingulate and temporal cortex are among the areas on the brain impaired (structurally and functionally) in antisocial individuals.
Moreover, through brain imaging, there are some regions such as the polar/medial prefrontal cortex, central prefrontal cortex, angular gyrus, amygdala and posterior cingulate are activated when normal people participate in moral reasoning activities. Looking at the regions of the brain impaired in antisocial individuals (Raine, & Yang, 2006), they overlap with the regions for moral reasoning in normal people providing proof that immoral behaviour of antisocial groups may be caused by structural and functional impairment of the same regions of the brain. In addition to disruption of the moral, emotional systems in antisocial and psychopathic individuals, impairment of moral cognitive-emotional systems may also contribute to their condition.
Nonetheless, the OFC lesions have an association with the variations of antisocial problems. This is because people with Orbitofrontal cortex lesions (Seguin, 2004) are characterized as disinhibited, socially inappropriate, misinterpreting others’ moods, impulsive and having a ‘don’t care attitude’. Therefore, antisocial behaviour and effects of the Orbitofrontal cortex have parallel characteristics.
REFERENCES
Seguin, J. R. (2004). Neurocognitive elements of antisocial behaviour:relevance of an Orbitofrontal cortex account. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3283581/
Raine, A. & Yang, Y. (2006). Neural foundations to moral reasoning and antisocial behaviour. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2555414/#__ffn_sectitle