Psychopaths 🧠​ What Brain Scans reveal about Evil
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — True Crime
TaraDeS — 8 months ago(July 23, 2025 07:16 AM)
Minds of Psychopaths - What Brain Scans reveal about Evil
Scientists from Jülich, Aachen and the USA used high-resolution brain images
to search for structural peculiarities in the brains of psychopaths – and found them.
Neuroscientists found changes in brain regions responsible for impulse control and emotion regulation.
It's an old idea and a dangerous prejudice that
"evil"
can be read in a person's face, skull or perhaps even directly in their brain. In the 19th century, so-called phrenology attempted to infer character from the shape of the head. A pseudoscientific aberration that had long-lasting repercussions.
Today, research has other tools at its disposal. High-resolution MRI scans, open databases like the Jülich Brain Atlas and a new, more cautious understanding of what constitutes personality. Nevertheless, the question remains: Are there measurable differences in the brains of people with strongly antisocial behaviour? A new study published in the
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
now provides answers.
Two Faces of Psychopathy
Psychopathy is not a clearly diagnosable clinical symptom, but a psychological construct characterized by a mixture of callousness, manipulation and antisocial behaviour. People with psychopathic traits often appear charming, articulate and self-confident. At the same time, they're incapable of genuine empathy. They lie pathologically, feel no remorse, carelessly violate social rules and are prone to impulsive or violent actions.
Personality profiles are often assessed using the so-called Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R), which distinguishes two central dimensions. Factor 1 describes emotional and interpersonal characteristics such as a lack of empathy or superficial charm, while Factor 2 reflects impulsive, irresponsible and violent behaviour. That's precisely where the new study comes in.
What Brain Scans reveal
The international team led by the Jülich Research Center analyzed MRI scans of 39 adult men with high psychopathy scores and compared them with a carefully matched control group. The focus was on structural differences in the brain, particularly in relation to pronounced antisocial behaviour (Factor 2).
It was shown that the higher the Factor 2 score, the smaller the volume in certain brain regions. Brain areas responsible for impulse control, emotion regulation and social behaviour were primarily affected, including the basal ganglia, the thalamus, the brainstem (pons) and cortical structures such as the orbitofrontal and insular cortex. The cerebellum was also involved. Even the total brain volume was measurably reduced in the psychopathy group, with a particularly striking difference in the right subiculum, a part of the hippocampus that's important for memory and orientation, among other functions.
What Brain Changes can reveal about Behaviour
While no simple causality can yet be established, many of the affected regions are well-researched. The orbitofrontal cortex, for example, plays a key role in evaluating the consequences of actions and in social learning. If its activity or structure is impaired, it becomes more difficult to anticipate guilt or consequences.
The basal ganglia and the thalamus are part of the neural networks that filter impulses to act, a kind of internal braking system. A smaller volume could indicate a reduced
"control capacity"
in anger or aggression.
The scientists themselves emphasize: Such correlations don't reveal any causal factors. Whether the changes are innate, reinforced by experience or related to other psychological factors remains open.
No Easy Answers
The correlations were weaker for the emotional and interpersonal characteristics (Factor 1). Although volume changes were also observed here in individual cases – for example, in the left hippocampus and the frontal cortex – the picture remained inconsistent.
"There's no single center for psychopathy,"
says study leader Katrin Amunts from the Jülich Research Center. The experts assume a network of different structures that is altered in certain personality profiles. And even then, only in probabilities, not in absolute categories.
What Research aims to achieve
The authors emphasize that their findings aren't intended to contribute to stigmatization. They aim to better understand the biological basis of antisocial behaviour and to develop more precise therapeutic approaches.
To this end, the Jülich Brain Atlas will be further developed and remain openly available to others. The study impressively demonstrates that what was once speculation, can now be made increasingly clear – with the right tools and the necessary caution.
https://www.geo.de/wissen/forschung-und-technik/psychopathie--was-hirnscans-ueber-das-boese-verraten-35910024.html
July 21, 2025
It's then legitimate to ask (again) whether criminals can be held responsible for their crimes.
Particularly serial killers often suffered brain injuries as children or youngsters (accidents, brain infections) -
TaraDeS — 8 months ago(July 23, 2025 07:43 AM)
by /.ã…¤ July 23, 2025 09:34 AM
Member since January 25, 2022
Lets execute all mentally ill people!
Sweaty Mavis Eyes July 23, 2025 09:35 AM
Member since July 23, 2025
Were you dropped on your head at some point?
As usual, a person on the
shared account
/.
and a new sock 🧦 start to troll and bully at once. -
/.ㅤ — 8 months ago(July 23, 2025 09:04 AM)
It's then legitimate to ask (again) whether criminals can be held responsible for their crimes.
Of course they are responsible. They have control of their actions and know what they are doing is wrong, they just don't care.
My password is password. -
TaraDeS — 8 months ago(July 23, 2025 09:43 AM)
by /.ã…¤ July 23, 2025 11:04 AM
Member since January 25, 2022
"It's then legitimate to ask (again) whether criminals can be held responsible for their crimes."
Of course they are responsible. They have control of their actions and know what they are doing is wrong, they just don't care.
How can you control your actions, when your control by the brain is deactivated? -
TaraDeS — 8 months ago(July 23, 2025 11:19 AM)
hungryinconway July 23, 2025 12:45 PM
Member since June 11, 2017
Nobody likes you, though.
Take a hint and **** off, nazi freak.
Said GoT's
unsullied
who allegedly blocked me.
https://www.filmboards.com/t/Game-of-Thrones/I-am-the-last-of-the-GOT-posters-who-still-maintains-an-unsullied-reputation-3454266/
And why I'm a
"nazi freak"
now, dumbo? -
TaraDeS — 8 months ago(July 24, 2025 02:21 AM)
hungryinconway July 24, 2025 02:15 AM
Member since June 11, 2017
What part of **** off, nobody likes you, do you not understand?
Freak.
You really want to start a fight with me again, hungry baby?
Didn't work so well for you before.
https://www.filmboards.com/t/Moon-Knight/Worst-Disney-Marvel-show-by-far-3388155/
OP Hungry
And your disclosure of my one and only PM to you (without even asking me),
also backfired badly at you.
​ -
sheetsadam1 — 8 months ago(July 23, 2025 11:20 AM)
https://www.filmboards.com/board/p/22708438/permalink/#p22708438
Draft Barron Trump -
TaraDeS — 8 months ago(July 23, 2025 11:24 AM)
sheetsadam1 July 23, 2025 01:20 PM
Member since April 22, 2025
https://www.filmboards.com/board/p/22708438/permalink/#p22708438
Annoying new troll sock 🧦 links to its AI novel. -
MagneticMonopole — 8 months ago(July 24, 2025 11:25 AM)
Weird coincidence–just yesterday I encountered an article cautioning against this very kind of assertion!
Doesn't mean your article is wrong, only that the issue is complicated and we don't (yet!) know enough about how brain organization leads to such behaviors. I think the authors you cited know this given the notes of caution sprinkled in the concluding paragraphs.
https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-neuroscience-of-psychopathy-has-a-spin-problem/ -
TaraDeS — 8 months ago(July 24, 2025 11:48 AM)
MagneticMonopole July 24, 2025 01:25 PM
Member since January 18, 2019
Weird coincidence–just yesterday I encountered an article cautioning against this very kind of assertion!
Doesn't mean your article is wrong, only that the issue is complicated and we don't (yet!) know enough about how brain organization leads to such behaviors. I think the authors you cited know this given the notes of caution sprinkled in the concluding paragraphs.
https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-neuroscience-of-psychopathy-has-a-spin-problem/
That's not really
"weird coincidence"
because the study was recently published.
Of course its discussed then.
And yes, as said in the article in my OP there are
"no easy answers"
and further research is needed.
Especially because
"psychopathy is not a clearly diagnosable clinical symptom, but a psychological construct"
.
Well, with these Factor 1 and Factor 2 was set a good frame to continue. -
cryptoflovecraft — 8 months ago(July 26, 2025 06:59 AM)
Interesting but inconclusive.
appear charming, articulate and self-confident. At the same time, they're incapable of genuine empathy. They lie pathologically, feel no remorse, carelessly violate social rules and are prone to impulsive or violent actions
Sounds like so many people I know (or know of) who are ostensibly happy and successful.
Particularly serial killers often suffered brain injuries as children or youngsters (accidents, brain infections).
Some have, some haven't. Serial killers are all unique individuals with different life experiences. I don't think there's any one pattern or chain of events that create a serial killer or mass murderer. So many different factors come into play. I don't think it's possible to determine beforehand who is more prone to becoming a murderer. It's one of life's many mysteries.