Brain damage may turn a person into a criminal

As The Hindustan Times notes, scientists from the Medical Center of Vanderbilt University have analyzed the data of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) of volunteers. The experts have found a link between brain damage and acquired sociopathy.

17 people had a confirmed correlation between brain damage and criminal behavior. Another 23 people had a suggested correlation (scientists did not know whether the brain was damaged before or after the crime). The analysis has shown that although participants' damages were in different regions of the brain, they affected the same neural network associated with morality and decision-making. Damages in this network were identified more often in criminals than those who did not commit crimes.

According to another study carried out at the University of Oxford, antidepressants are responsible for that. The researchers have found that the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) increases the risk of criminal conviction in young people (from assault to murder) by approximately 50%.

Source: The Hindustan Times.