Neuroscientist Learns He Has the Genetic Makings of a ‘Born Killer’
A neuroscientist has changed the way he thinks about nature and nurture after a scan of his own brain showed he has the pattern of a psychopath.
James Fallon studies the biological bases for behavior as a neuroscientist at the University of California-Irvine, National Public Radio reports. He has found that psychopaths have brains with low activity in the orbital cortex, the region of the brain believed to be involved with ethical behavior, moral decision-making and impulse control.
Fallon decided to check out brain patterns of his family members after he learned from his mother at a barbecue that eight of his ancestors had been accused of murder, including Lizzy Borden, the story says. Several family members had already submitted to PET scans for an Alzheimer’s study, so he decided to take a look.
The brains were all normal, with one exception. Fallon’s own brain had an inactive orbital cortex. Then he tested for a gene associated with violence and found that all his family members had the low-aggression version, with one exception. “I have the pattern, the risky pattern,” he told NPR. “In a sense, I’m a born killer.”
Fallon may have two strikes against him because of his genetic makeup, but he’s lucky because a third ingredient is not present: He was never abused as a child.
Fallon said he once believed that genes and brain function determined behavior. Now he thinks a good childhood can overcome the genetic disposition. “We’ll never know, but the way these patterns are looking in general population, had I been abused, we might not be sitting here today,” he told NPR.
In a separate story, NPR examines the debate on how brain research should affect sentencing. On the one side is Widener University law professor Steven Erickson, who says lots of people have brain abnormalities. The legal issue, he says, is whether the defendant understood the difference between right and wrong.
On the other side is University of New Mexico professor and psychopathy expert Kent Kiehl. “Neuroscience and neuroimaging is going to change the whole philosophy about how we punish and how we decide who to incapacitate and how we decide how to deal with people,” he told NPR.
Previous coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Research Is Murder for Lucky Scientist with Lizzie Borden in Family Tree”
