Brian Dugan Case

Jeanine Nicarico, a ten year old girl was abducted from her home in broad daylight, raped and murdered in 1983. Her body was found two days later. Twenty-six years, two wrong convictions and three murders later, Brian Dugan was rightfully convicted of the crimes and sentenced to death in one of the most controversial trials of the 21st century.

What made this trial so controversial was the use of fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) technology to illuminate the nature of psychopathy and its relation to violent crime. Dr. Kent A. Kiehl, a renowned neuroscientist, expert in criminal psychopathy, and a pioneer of the mobile MRI technique, was given the charge of conducting the fMRI on Brian Dugan for his defense. Dr. Kiehl, having scanned

James Fallon shows that environmental factors are just as important in deciding the fate of psychopaths. A few years ago, Dr. James Fallon, a renowned neuroscientist, found out that his brain had striking similarities with the brains of violent psychopaths. Through genetic analysis of himself and his family, Dr. Fallon also found out that he possessed markers for the “warrior” gene. Research by scientists of Brown University shows that this gene has been associated with higher levels of aggression in response to provocation and has thus been implicated as one of the genetic factors of psychopathy. This gene regulates an enzyme called Monoamine Oxidase A (MAOA) which breaks down neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. Different people have different levels of activity of this gene thus producing different levels of the enzyme. People who have low activity produce low levels of MAOA and those who have high activity produce high levels of MAOA. The research study showed that low activity MAOA gene individuals displayed higher levels of aggression than high activity MAOA individuals (McDermott et al., 2008). This shows that yet another genetic factor predisposes people to psychopathic traits. But, this doesn't mean that all such people become violent psychopaths. What is the difference between violent psychopaths and people like Dr. Fallon, all of whom are predisposed to psychopathic traits one way or another? In his book, “The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist’s Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain,” Dr. Fallon illuminates the importance of nurture in the equation of budding psychopathy. He states that the reason he is non-murderous by nature is the fact that he was brought up in a very loving household. This doesn't mean that nature failed. Although he isn't a violent psychopath, his psychopathic characteristics emerges in different forms. He admits that his obnoxious competitiveness often shows up as