Can A Brain Abnormality Make You A Psychopath?

Patrick Nogueira killed his uncle, aunt and cousins ​​in their home in Pioz, Spain. People said he did it because he has a brain abnormality that impaired his cognitive skills. Still, a jury found him guilty. They thought Patrick was a psychopath who knew exactly what he was doing.

Can a brain abnormality or injury suddenly turn people into psychopaths capable of killing? Can evil be explained in biological terms?

This incident was remarkable in Spain, because it was the first time a defense team used a brain scan to justify a crime. But in the United States, brain scans have been used to explain why criminals have so limited self-control for many years. The judicial system uses these scans to determine whether a person should serve his sentence in prison or in a psychiatric hospital.

Brain abnormalities in the judicial system

The American Judges’ Association, for example, has allowed such studies as evidence for over 27 years. The most famous case was Herbert Weinstein, who was accused of strangling his wife and throwing her over a balcony in 1992. After looking at Weinstein’s brain scans, the judges ruled that a cyst in his cobweb could have made him do what he did. .

Nevertheless, many psychologists point out that psychopaths are not just people with mental illness. A psychopath knows the difference between right and wrong. In addition, psychopaths understand that their actions are immoral, but they do it anyway. What they do not take into account when making decisions is the suffering of others.

What neuroscience has to say about brain abnormalities and violent behavior

Doctors performed various neurological tests on the Pioz killer. His PET scan showed that he had low neural activity in different areas of his right temporal lobe. Patrick Nogueira explained that it was because he hit his head as a teenager. He also told the judge that he had been drinking alcohol since he was 10 years old and that he was being bullied at school.

Psychiatrists said that this type of brain atrophy could be a clear marker of sociopathy. They said that the special neurological damage had clear behavioral consequences. In 1997, Dr. Adrian Raine and Monte Buchsbaum conducted a study that showed associations between brain abnormalities and violent behavior. Other studies have found the same correlation.

Phineas Gage Case

One of the most famous cases in the history of medicine is that of Phineas Gage. Psychiatrists and neuroscientists often use his case as a reference. On September 13, 1848, Gage worked with a crew that built a railroad for the Vermont-based company Rutland and Burlington.

When the team split a large rock, a very long iron bar broke off in the explosion and ended up penetrating Phineas Gage’s skull and got stuck there. The rod went in on the left side of his head, went behind his eye and came out through his left cheek.

• Gage never lost consciousness. He spoke and moved as usual. He went to see Dr. John Martin Harlow, who put him under observation after he removed the iron bar. Dr. Harlow was amazed at what had happened.
• After approx. two months, Phineas Gage returned to his normal life. Aside from losing his eye, he did not appear to have any other side effects from the incident.

• However, Dr. Harlow continued to follow up on Gage for the next twenty years. He described how young Gage was never the same psychologically after the accident. According to the doctor, he became aggressive, impulsive, rude, immoral and irresponsible.
• Phineas Gage became another person. He jumped from one job to another and even ended up in a circus. In the last years of his life he suffered severe epileptic seizures. He died at the age of 38 years.

Antonio Damasio, the famous neurologist, is one of the experts who studied the Gage case the most. He concluded that the damage to Gage’s frontal lobe could have altered his personality, emotions and social interactions.

What psychologists say about the effect a brain abnormality has on behavior

Many psychologists admit to some point that a brain abnormality does not always affect behavior. In other words , it may predispose someone to a certain type of behavior, but there is no guarantee.

Criminologist and psychologist Vicente Garrido explains that a brain abnormality or injury does not make people automatic killers. A brain scan cannot show us anyone’s thoughts or what they are capable of doing.

There are many crucial factors. In addition, only a small percentage of psychopaths actually end up committing murder. The reason for this is quite simple: they can choose between doing right or wrong.

The James Fallon case

One of the most interesting case studies on the neurobiology of psychopathy is James Fallon. This neuroscientist at the University of California, Irvine, is one of the leading experts on sociopaths. This person is obviously not a murderer, nor have he committed any violent acts.

Still, there is something special about Dr. Fallon. He has the psychopathic gene in his brain and an anatomical abnormality that corresponds one hundred percent with the sociopathic personality. Not only that, but there are at least seven killers in his family tree, including the very famous Lizzie Borden, who killed and chopped his family to pieces.

James Fallon lives a normal life and has never committed any crimes. He talks about psychopaths, sociopathy and his own history all over the world.

What conclusions can we draw from this? Can a brain abnormality make you a psychopath? Could it lead you to commit heinous crimes like the murder of Pioz? We still have no clear answer to this day. One thing is for sure, though: An abnormality in the brain can predispose us to certain behaviors, but there is no guarantee that it will directly lead to horrific crimes.