Summary
In the Article, What Can Neuroscience Tell Us about Evil?, the author Richard Brandt discusses how the advances in neuroscience reveal how the brains of psychopathic or sociopathic people are different. For example, some brain-imaging techniques show that not only do some of the psychopathic or sociopathic minds lack emotions such as empathy, but also, some techniques expose that these certain sections of the brain are inactive (Brandt, 2007). Furthermore, fMRI scans illustrate that in the limbic system, specifically the amygdala, there is no reaction in some people when they are shown horrific images. This is known as limbic underactivation which, “indicated that some of these people lack the ability to generate basic emotions that keep primitive killer instincts” suppressed (Brandt, 2007). Other researchers (Brandt, 2007) see similar deficits in scans of the frontal lobe, which is the part of the brain that deals with judgement calls and impulsive actions.James Blair, "believes that the amygdala forwards the wrong signals to the frontal cortex." (Brandt, 2007) However, there are scientists (Brandt, 2007) that do not think that the amygdala is the big problem and claim that an affected part in the brain will be different in every patient. The article …show more content…
An MRI scan produces images of soft tissue and brain activity using magnetic and radio waves while an fMRI reveals blood flow and brain activity. An EEG records waves of electrical activity. Lastly, a PET scan detects where radioactive forms of glucose go. When researching about the malfunctions in psychopathic brains is it important to understand, on some level, all of the neurotechnology that neuroscientists use because it is important for the reader to understand how certain parts of the brain function in order to make a connection with the malfunctions that occur in the brains of
In the Article, What Can Neuroscience Tell Us about Evil?, the author Richard Brandt discusses how the advances in neuroscience reveal how the brains of psychopathic or sociopathic people are different. For example, some brain-imaging techniques show that not only do some of the psychopathic or sociopathic minds lack emotions such as empathy, but also, some techniques expose that these certain sections of the brain are inactive (Brandt, 2007). Furthermore, fMRI scans illustrate that in the limbic system, specifically the amygdala, there is no reaction in some people when they are shown horrific images. This is known as limbic underactivation which, “indicated that some of these people lack the ability to generate basic emotions that keep primitive killer instincts” suppressed (Brandt, 2007). Other researchers (Brandt, 2007) see similar deficits in scans of the frontal lobe, which is the part of the brain that deals with judgement calls and impulsive actions.James Blair, "believes that the amygdala forwards the wrong signals to the frontal cortex." (Brandt, 2007) However, there are scientists (Brandt, 2007) that do not think that the amygdala is the big problem and claim that an affected part in the brain will be different in every patient. The article …show more content…
An MRI scan produces images of soft tissue and brain activity using magnetic and radio waves while an fMRI reveals blood flow and brain activity. An EEG records waves of electrical activity. Lastly, a PET scan detects where radioactive forms of glucose go. When researching about the malfunctions in psychopathic brains is it important to understand, on some level, all of the neurotechnology that neuroscientists use because it is important for the reader to understand how certain parts of the brain function in order to make a connection with the malfunctions that occur in the brains of