Many said patrick Nogueira, the killer who killed and confined his uncles and cousins to a country house in Pioz, Spain, had limited cognitive and volitive abilities due to a brain abnormality; however, the jury was unanimous. He understood that as a psychopath, he knew very well at all times what he was doing, that there was an obvious intentionality and cruelty in his actions.
This verdict, as well as the significance of this story marked by the most extreme violence, have re-awakened antagonism in the scientific and criminological community Can a brain injury or an anomaly turn us into psychopaths capable of killing?Is human evil explained only in biological terms?
- It should be noted that this was the first time neuroimaging tests have been presented to justify a criminal event in Spain.
- However.
- The United States has been evaluating nuclear medicine studies for years to explain why some criminals have limited self-control.
- It is possible to decide whether the person should serve his or her sentence in a psychiatric hospital or prison.
The American Association of Judges, for example, has accepted these studies for more than 27 years, the most famous being, no doubt, that of Herbert Weinstein, accused in 1992 of strangling his wife and throwing her down a balcony. After seeing the images of the brain, he realized that the presence of a cyst in the arachnoid membrane could have been an important factor in explaining the motives of the crime.
However, many psychologists focus on a specific fact: psychopaths are not just mental patients, a psychopath knows very well what is wrong and what is right; He also understands that many of his actions are clearly immoral, but he does. it’s not a variable that weighs heavily on your decision.
“Anyone who fights monsters must be careful not to become a monster. When you look at an abyss for a long time, does the abyss look at you, too?-Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche-
Pioz’s killer underwent several neurological tests. PET, for example, showed that the young person had low neural activity in various areas of the brain’s right temporal lobe; according to Patrick Nogueira himself, it was due to a blow that hit him in the head as a teenager. testified at the trial that he had been drinking alcohol since he was 10 years old and had been harassed at school.
Psychiatrists indicated that this brain atrophy can be a clear marker of psychopathy and, as such, neurological damage has a clear impact on behavior. Studies such as those conducted by doctors Adrian Raine and Mount Buchsbaum in 1997 have already established such correlations between a brain abnormality. and the resulting acts of violence.
One of the best known cases in the history of medicine is undoubtedly phineas Gage, a reference in the world of psychiatry and neuroscience. On September 13, 1848, Gage was part of a team that built a railway for Rutland
At one point a rock was detonated, it was unfortunate that during the explosion an iron rod more than a metre long would come off and get trapped in Phineas Gage’s skull, this bar entered from the left side of his head, passed behind the eye and left the left side of his cheek.
Antonio Damasio, a renowned neurologist, is one of the specialists who has deepened Gage’s case and analysis of his skull, who determined that frontal lobe injury could affect his personality, emotions and ability to social interaction.
Many voices in the science of psychology recognize, to some extent, the relevance of the impact of a brain abnormality on human behavior; in other words, there may be a predisposition to certain behaviors, but not an absolute determination.
In other words, as psychologist and criminologist Vicente Garrido explains, does a brain lobe atrophy or injury make someone a programmed subject?An image of the brain, for example, is not an X-ray of a thought, nor does it tell us what that person has done or can do.
There are several factors and conditions. Moreover, when it comes to psychopathy, it should be noted that only a small proportion of them commit murder, and the reason is obvious: they can choose to do evil or not.
One of the most interesting cases in the study of psychopathic neurobiology is that of James Fallon, neuroscientist at the University of California at Irvine, a leading expert in psychopathic personality, so we don’t face any killers or anyone who has committed a crime. act of violence.
However, Dr. Fallon has a peculiarity. He has in his brain the gene of psychopathy and an anatomical alteration that corresponds 100% to this type of personality. In addition, there are seven killers in her family tree, including Lizzie Borden, a woman who murdered and divided her family.
To this day, James Fallon leads a normal life, has not committed any criminal act, is one of the greatest benchmarks in the study of psychopathy and lectures around the world to explain his case, so what conclusion can we draw from that?Can this lead us to commit violent acts like that perpetrated by Pioz’s killer?The answer remains delicate today.
However, there is no denying that a brain singularity can add a predisposition “right?”To certain behaviors, but it cannot lead us directly to the most heinous universe of evil.