The Brain and Violence: An Unhealthy Combination :: Biology Essays Research Papers

The Brain and Violence An Unhealthy CombinationJack was move down the street enjoying a snack he had just bought at a convenience store. Feeling good, he smiled at the stranger approach toward him while continuing to bury. The stranger suddenly pulled out a spit and began stabbing Jack. Bystanders pulled the knife away, but too late.After the killing, the attacker give tongue to that he was deeply sorry. He had sensed a strange aura, past experienced a flashback of having been bitten and of having a hernia operation under local anaesthetic anesthesia. That was followed by hallucinations nigh Jack cutting off his flesh, testicles, and heart to eat them (6).Everyday on the news unmatchable(a) hears stories of crimes and murders such as the one above. Murders are committed every day stores are robbed every minute of arc crimes are committed constantly. The truth is that violence has sadly become a common and prevalent occurrence in society today. In essence, one must ask hims elf whether or not these violent tendencies have some(prenominal) biological relation whatsoever. Is violence behaved by disruptions or defile to the consciousness? Is there a genetic correlation? Or is violence brought about by something else, such as economic difficulties or social or cultural differences? And one must ask himself an even broader question-whether a cause for violence even exists.In 1848, a railroad worker, Phineas endorse, was working when an magnification caused an iron rod to impale his skull, damaging the front part of his brain. Although Gage miraculously survived, his behavior severely changed in that the intelligent and respectful patch everyone knew suddenly because fitful, impulsive, and rude (2). This case is one of the first indications that violence may be related to some kind of damage or unregularity in the brain. Researchers have found correlations between violent and aggressive tendencies to damage or abnormalities to a specific part of the brain. Gages accident probably resulted in damage to the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is the brains foremost outer position, find behind the eyes. This area of the brain is especially important because of its importance in the orchestration of emotion, arousal, and attention. The prefrontal cortex seems to be the part of the brain that enables hoi polloi to restrain themselves from acting on all of their impulses and is extremely vital for a childs ability to learn to feel remorse, conscience, and social sensitivity (5).However, although the function of the prefrontal cortex is known, why, or how, would prefrontal deficits cause violent tendencies or a more aggressive character?