Inside the mind of a criminal

Violent crime is a complex problem without a simple solution. Though exploration into both psychosocial and biological factors causing the formation of criminal minds has progressed our

understanding, incorporating these findings into existing criminal assessment methods remains challenging.

The goal of neurocriminology is to detect biological markers of sociopathy and psychopathy by brain imaging, uncovering structural and functional abnormalities leading to criminal behaviors. Major signs of psychopathy have been linked to neuroanatomy abnormalities like the lack of empathy, lack of remorse, lack of fear, lack of volatile emotions, etc. Deficiency in the prefrontal cortex has been linked with aggression, volatility, easy provocation and violent tendencies through various biological markers. PET research showed poor functioning of the prefrontal cortex in offenders and antisocial patients in the ventrolateral region. The brain metabolism for glucose is also reduced in violent cases as compared to the controls, further research showed the predatory murderers have a lower metabolism in the prefrontal cortex than the affected Murderers. Study of N-acetyl aspartate, a marker of neuronal integrity was seen in lesser amounts in violent and antisocial patients. Overall, deficiency in the prefrontal cortex has proved increased vulnerability to aggression, triggers and violence. The amygdala is a 13 nuclei structure linked with deviant social behaviors, inability to recognise fear in cases of psychopaths with dysfunctional or damaged amygdala.

Research on mirror neurons in individuals with and without psychopathy highlights their role in

empathy and emotional resonance, as well as their link to the inability to sympathize—a behavior common in most humans including patients with Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD).

Neurotransmitters and hormones facilitate brain-neuron communication, influencing behavioral

patterns. Imbalances in these contribute to criminal behavior. Serotonin, aggression and impulsivity have a complicated relationship, various researches indicate that low levels of serotonin and its metabolites like 5 - hydroxyindoleacetic acid are seen in violent populations. Other neurotransmitters like epinephrine, dopamine and GABA are also linked with combative and reckless behavior.

Although it is said that criminals are not born but made by environmental factors like childhood

trauma, abuse and social experiences; research has proved that there is some relation between

certain genes and violent tendencies.One of the genes that has received considerable attention

in studies investigating gene-environment interactions is MAO-A. A deficiency in MAO-A has

been demonstrated to heighten reactive aggression, while its reduced activity is associated with

elevated tendencies towards criminal and antisocial behavior.