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Prefrontal Cortex Effect

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The prefrontal cortex (PFC) appears to be the most heavily implicated area of the brain in research into antisocial behaviour and its potential causes. This region of the frontal lobe which is involved in regulating executive functions such as decision-making, response inhibition and social behaviour has been demonstrated to be the central brain structure impaired in antisocial individuals. Evidence shows how dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex impairs judgement and consequently leads to inappropriate social behaviour. Such implications would have significant societal ramifications on the extent to which individuals are, and should be, held accountable for antisocial behaviour.
Studies have shown that early-onset prefrontal cortex damage leads to defective social and moral reasoning. One such study conducted by Anderson et al. (1999) investigated the long-term consequences of focal nonprogressive prefrontal damage which occurred before 16 months of age in two adults. They compared early-onset and adult-onset patients and found that despite being similar in regards to inadequate social and moral behaviour in social situations, early-onset patients displayed a higher range of antisocial behaviours such as stealing and violence, and displayed significant resemblance to …show more content…

The meta-analysis of 43 imaging studies carried out by Yang and Raine, found that reduced structure and function of regions of the prefrontal cortex, including the right OFC, right ACC and left DLPFC, is linked to increased antisocial behaviour. This leads researchers, to conclude that prefrontal impairments play a significant role in antisocial populations, highlighting the significance of a functional prefrontal

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