A new study suggests that individuals categorized as psychopaths have damaged connections that link crucial areas of the brain.
Press Release Service – Wired PR News – People classified as psychopaths, who commit violent crimes such as rape or murder are said to have faulty connections within crucial areas of their brain. As reported by Reuters, researchers have proposed in a new study that the brains of psychopaths are damaged in areas that affect emotions related to decision-making and impulses.
Dr. Michael Craig of the Institute of Psychiatry of the King’s College Hospital in London is quoted in the report as stating of the findings, “Essentially what we found is that the connections in the psychopaths were not as good as the connections in the non-psychopaths. I would describe them as roads between the two areas — and we found that in the psychopaths, the roads had potholes and weren’t very well maintained.”
Researchers suggest the study may be beneficial in the future development of treatments for psychopathic offenders. Craig is further quoted as stating, “This is a small study and the important thing it raises is that more research needs to be done.”
More information about the study may be found in the Molecular Psychiatry journal.
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