Close Menu

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    Yankees Turn No-Hitter Into Extra Innings Walk-Off Victory

    Kieferorthopäden aus aller Welt treffen sich in Europa, um den Durchbruch von Smartee bei der Kieferreposition zu erkunden

    Mariners vs. Yankees Highlights | MLB on FOX

    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest VKontakte
    Sg Latest NewsSg Latest News
    • Home
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Technology
    • Entertainment
    • Health
    • Sports
    Sg Latest NewsSg Latest News
    Home»Health»Study Finds Link Between Brain Injury and Criminal Behavior
    Health

    Study Finds Link Between Brain Injury and Criminal Behavior

    AdminBy AdminNo Comments4 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email


    The investigation analyzed brain scans from individuals who began committing crimes after sustaining brain injuries from strokes, tumors or traumatic brain injury. The study compared these 17 cases to brain scans from 706 individuals with other neurological symptoms such as memory loss or depression. The investigators found that injury to the region of the right uncinate fasciculus was the most commonly affected area in the brains of those people who developed criminal behavior. The same pattern held true among individuals who committed violent crimes.

    “This part of the brain, the uncinate fasciculus, is a white matter pathway that serves as a cable connecting regions that govern emotion and decision-making,” said Christopher M. Filley, MD, professor emeritus of neurology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and one of the study’s co-authors. “When that connection is disrupted on the right side, a person’s ability to regulate emotions and make moral choices may be severely impaired.”

    “While it is widely accepted that brain injury can lead to problems with memory or motor function, the role of the brain in guiding social behaviors like criminality is more controversial,” said Isaiah Kletenik, MD, assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and lead author of the study. “It raises complex questions about culpability and free will.”

    Kletenik said during his time in behavioral neurology training at the University of Colorado School of Medicine he had the unique opportunity to evaluate patients who began committing acts of violence with the onset of brain tumors or degenerative diseases.

    “These clinical cases prompted my curiosity into the brain basis of moral decision-making and led me to learn new network-based neuroimaging techniques at the Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School,” said Kletenik.

    To strengthen the findings, the researchers conducted a full connectome analysis, employing a detailed map of how brain regions are interconnected. They confirmed that the right uncinate fasciculus was the neural pathway with the most consistent link to criminal behavior.

    “It wasn’t just any brain damage, it was damage in the location of this pathway,” said Filley. “Our finding suggests that this specific connection may play a unique role in regulating behavior.”

    The uncinate fasciculus links brain regions involved in reward-based decision-making with those that process emotions. When that link is damaged, particularly on the right side, people may have difficulty controlling impulses, anticipating consequences or feeling empathy, all of which can contribute to harmful or criminal actions.

    While not everyone with this type of brain injury becomes violent the study suggests that damage to this tract may play a role in new onset criminal behavior after injury.

    “This work could have real-world implications for both medicine and the law,” said Filley. “Doctors may be able to better identify at-risk patients and offer effective early interventions. And courts might need to consider brain damage when evaluating criminal responsibility.”

    Kletenik said that the findings raise important ethical questions.

    “Should brain injury factor into how we judge criminal behavior? Causality in science is not defined in the same way as culpability in the eyes of the law. Still, our findings provide useful data that can help inform this discussion and contributes to our growing knowledge about how social behavior is mediated by the brain.” said Kletenik.

    Experts from Vanderbilt University, University of California San Diego and Salk Institute, also collaborated on the study.

    About the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

    The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is a world-class medical destination at the forefront of transformative science, medicine, education and patient care. The campus encompasses the University of Colorado health professional schools, more than 60 centers and institutes and two nationally ranked independent hospitals – UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital Colorado – which see more than two million adult and pediatric patient visits yearly. Innovative, interconnected and highly collaborative, the CU Anschutz Medical Campus delivers life-changing treatments, patient care and professional training and conducts world-renowned research fueled by $910 million in annual research funding, including $757 million in sponsored awards and $153 million in philanthropic gifts.

    Contact: Laura Kelley, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus [email protected]

    SOURCE University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Admin
    • Website

    Related Posts

    Kieferorthopäden aus aller Welt treffen sich in Europa, um den Durchbruch von Smartee bei der Kieferreposition zu erkunden

    Gli ortodontisti di tutto il mondo si riuniscono in Europa per esplorare la svolta di Smartee nel riposizionamento mandibolare

    Una nueva investigación en JNCCN ofrece seguridad sobre el pronóstico del cáncer de próstata localizado

    Doctor wanted: Small town offers big perks to attract a physician

    Add A Comment
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    Editors Picks

    Microsoft’s Singapore office neither confirms nor denies local layoffs following global job cuts announcement

    Google reveals “material 3 expressive” design – Research Snipers

    Trump’s fast-tracked deal for a copper mine heightens existential fight for Apache

    Top Reviews
    9.1

    Review: Mi 10 Mobile with Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 Mobile Platform

    By Admin
    8.9

    Comparison of Mobile Phone Providers: 4G Connectivity & Speed

    By Admin
    8.9

    Which LED Lights for Nail Salon Safe? Comparison of Major Brands

    By Admin
    Sg Latest News
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest Vimeo YouTube
    • Get In Touch
    © 2025 SglatestNews. All rights reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.