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Using Neuroscience to Predict Psychopathic Behavior
Advancements in neuroimaging technology have made it possible for clinical
science to correlate deficits in the structures of the brain relative to psychopathic behavior
2
. Since psychopathy has been described in psychiatric medicine, clinicians and scientists
have long believed that structural damage to the prefrontal cortex and/or amygdala
regions of the brain are responsible. With damage to specific regions of the brain being
described in studies, it is now possible for scientists to predict an individual’s likelihood
of having psychopathic behavior. Furthermore, individuals suffering from psychopathy
are more likely to commit crime and present a danger to the general public 3
. However,
due to advancing neuroimaging technology, an ethical issue has arisen in neuroscience
contemplating whether individuals believed to be psychopathic should be scanned to
determine a diagnosis and as a preventative measure to protect the public. When
considering the threat that psychopathic individuals may present when freely walking in
society, individuals considering the ethics of this issue should agree to take the
preventative measures necessary to protect the public from potential psychopathic crime.
The ethical issue that arises arguing against the claim that supports the use of
neuroimaging technology to help prevent psychopathic crime is that by requiring an
individual potentially suffering from psychopathy to have to undergo screening violates
their autonomy. All individuals are given autonomy in health care as an individual right
to ascertain their moral belief in whether to undergo a clinical procedure. Commonly,
patients are respected by their choice of autonomous wishes; however, can a psychopath
be given a right to autonomy? Many ethicists believe that since psychopathy is a disorder
of structural function within brain regions that it is unethical to abolish those individuals

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suffering from the disorders autonomy. However, psychopathic individuals will
manipulate others into working their will and pose a threat to those they walk free
around. For instance, psychopathic crime has been correlated to horrific serial killers that
lack any regard for their morality in their actions, such as Jeffrey Dahmer or John Wayne
Gaycy. Psychopaths such as these serial killers presented charming and almost
comfortable character around people; however, posed an alarming threat to those they
turned into victims of their moral-lacking nature. Many studies have even suggested
psychopaths to lack the ability in regarding the pain they cause in other humans.
Studies suggest that psychopathic behavior is a result of structural deficits in the
prefrontal cortex and amygdala regions of the brain 2
. Damage to such regions of the
brain are responsible for a psychopaths diminished feelings of empathy towards others
and social detachment 2
. Individuals can be correlated to psychopathy clinically by
identification of brain deficits between the amygdala region and connectivity towards the
prefrontal cortex region of the brain 1,2
. In the study conducted by J. Motzkin et. al., it
was found that normal individuals when compared to those individuals previously
diagnosed with psychopathy didn’t have deficits in those brain regions determined to be
associated with psychopathic behavior 1
. Neurological deficits in brain regions justify the
reasons as to why individuals bearing psychopathy lack moral judgment that normal
brained individuals posses.
The lack of empathy a psychopath has towards others has been correlated to
individuals suffering from the disorders disregard of the pain in others 2
. Psychopathic
individuals do not and cannot feel for the people they bring pain to; therefore, be more
likely to commit crime without regard for repercussions. Psychopathy is present within

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25% of current inmates in American prison systems, and by keeping psychopaths away
from society the American government is keeping those criminals from maliciously
seeking crime again 2,3
. Most psychopathic behavior has been correlated to a high
incidence of violent crimes and present excessive danger to those who fall victim. In
normally functioning individuals, committing violent crimes afflicts them to suffer moral
consequences and therefore is usually abstained from 3
. However, psychopaths don’t feel
empathy towards others suffering pain; therefore, can readily commit crime and have
complete disregard to the law. Even though not all psychopaths may present a violent
threat to society, taking the precautions necessary to ascertain an individual’s potential
should be considered as prevention.
Psychopathic crime can be diminished by taking preventative measures of using
neuroimaging technologies to detect early signs of psychopathy in individuals by seeking
deficits in correlated brain regions. If specific regions within a suspected individual can
be identified from an early stage of a potentially progressive psychopathic behavior, the
likeliness of that individual afflicting harm in society can be managed. Clearly,
individuals possessing psychopathic behavior cannot be helped unless they have been
clinically intervened. To date, there is no permanent cure for psychopathy; however,
avoiding treatment is not helping psychopathic individuals to recover or reform from
their delinquent behaviors 3
. By detecting psychopathy in individuals before they are able
to commit a crime, this allows psychopathic individuals to get psychiatric help from the
medical professionals necessary. By taking preventative measures, both the psychopathic
individual and the greater society may benefit from use of neuroimaging technologies.

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With psychopaths posing a threat to society by their lack of empathy, likeliness of
incidence of violent crimes and malfunctioning brain connectivity it is clear that taking
preventative measures in helping to alleviate psychopathic crime is supported. Stating
this, one should not assume that psychopathy will always result in the likelihood of a
violent crime, but should also not take chances of giving those psychopaths autonomy in
medical intervention. Neurological disorder in structures of the prefrontal cortex and
amygdala are responsible for the behavior seen in psychopathic individuals; therefore,
gives those individuals with the disorder a more identifiable diagnosis 1,3
. By being able
to use neuroimaging technologies to correlate suspected psychopathic individuals, society
is taking matters into safety by assuring its protection. Placing these individuals in proper
psychiatric care is necessary for their treatment—if any may be possible. Playing a game
of chance with the safety of the public is not something that should be considered lightly,
and due to the incidence risk of violent crime that psychopathic criminals posses, taking
preventative measures can only responsible.
When considering the threat that psychopathic individuals may present when
freely walking in society, individuals considering the ethics of this issue should agree to
take the preventative measures necessary to protect the public from potential
psychopathic crime. Pre-existing conditions underlying this disorder can be correlated
with the behavior associated that maliciously affects society 1,2,3
. Utilizing neuroimaging
technologies to better assist healthcare professionals in diagnosing those who have
psychopathy and taking the preventative measures necessary to keep psychopaths out of
the general society2
. And while these measures take autonomy from the individuals who
are psychopathic, society and medicine should not consider giving these individuals their

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own autonomy within medical treatment, because their decision making skills are
affected due to their neurological deficits in the prefrontal cortex and amygdala
connective structures. Autonomy should only be retained to those individuals who can
psychologically sort through all options in matters of healthcare logically and with the
intentions of treating disorder.
After stating the position of this argument, a plan of action can be considered for
the facilitation of using neuroimaging technology to detect the structural deficits in an
individual’s brain associated with psychopathy. When society has strong enough
evidence that an individual is a psychopath, attention should be brought forward to the
authorities and a warrant should be issued for the suspected individual to undergo
neuroimaging scanning at a local hospital. A team of doctors should then review all of the
results from the scans to ensure that the suspected individual is either a functionally
normal person or an affected psychopath. From here, individuals that have the result of
being a psychopath via correlated deficits in the connections between the prefrontal
cortex and amygdala regions should be detained to psychiatric institutions for further
testing and clinical management of their disorders 1,2
. Psychiatrists and other doctors
working within these institutions will be able to better assist psychopathic patients and
hopefully come to a clinically intervened paradigm of medications and/or supportive
treatment. As stated previously, psychopaths are considered threats to society and their
behavior usually has a negative impact on it involving a high incidence of violent crimes.
By detaining these diagnosed individuals, American society is being protected from
eluding criminal behaviors that are potentially dangerous and even threatening to those
people who have to come across it. Correlations of brain regions associated with

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psychopathic behavior can be detected by neuroimaging technologies by clinical doctors
and should be utilized in order to better protect society from the impeding potential
danger in which psychopathy can possess. Ensuring the safety of society is a top priority
within matters concerning governments today and by taking the precautions necessary to
ensure societies safety, a government is doing its job by protecting its people from
psychopathic malicious crime.

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Work Cited
[1] Motzkin, JC. Newman, JP. Kiehl, KA. Koenigs, M. Reduced prefrontal connectivity
in psychopathic. J. Neurosci. 2011 November 30; 31(48): 17348-17357.
[2] Marcoux, Louis-Alexandre et. al. The modulation of somatosensory resonance by
psychopathic traits and empathy. Frontiers in Human Neurosci. 2013 June 19;
7(274): 1-9.
[3] Yang, Y. Raine, A. Prefrontal structural and functional brain imaging findings in
antisocial, violent, and psychopathic individuals: a meta-analysis. Psychiatry Res.
2009 November 30; 174(2): 81-88.