Liverpool FC Forum

[Kenny Kan]

Formula:

MAO-A gene, aka "warrior gene" + lower (than average) functioning of the frontal lobe = Psychopath

According to the documentary I just watched (where I got all this info from), many people in the world around us today are psychopaths but this doesn't necessarily mean we're all psychopathic killers. More like the impatient, impulsive or aggressive tendencies that humans are prone to exhibit. This doesn't mean people without the formula above don't get angry but in scientific discourse it would rule them out as being psychopathic.

Here we add to the formula to see what makes a psychopath, a psychotic killer.

MAO-A gene +  lower (than average) functioning of the frontal lobe + environment (damaged childhood) = Psychopathic killer


Have a look at this lecture quickly even just the first 3mins of David Eagleman's lecture  - Brain and the law:
http://eaglemanlab.net/neurolaw

The MAO-A gene isn't found in all humans but is nicknamed the "warrior" gene because it displays higher levels of aggression in response to provocation: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 093343.htm

Anyway, on this documentary a clinical psychiatrist was examining his patients and his colleagues asked him to delve into the this field more in regards to getting his patients to do tests and fMRI brain scans to see if a pattern developed between the first formula above i.e brain scans detected low level activity in frontal and temporal lobe AND the MAO-A gene was present in all his patients. The second formula also correlated and supported the idea that most of his psychotic killer patients had, had rough childhood.

However, even though a human can be predisposed by the gene, and has low functioning temporal & frontal lobe activity which renders him at greater risk of becoming a killer, pedophile, rapist, serial killer or whatever it appears the tipping point, or the highest possible percentile of being a psychotic killer eventuates by how good or bad their childhood was.

Ironically, the psychiatrist himself was talking to his mother about this project he was undergoing at work. And she told him some dark truths about his own family tree, on his cousins side. They (his cousins) had murdered people, 16 people had died at the hands of his relations. So, after discovering this he tested himself to see if he had the warrior gene in him. He did. He didn't worry at this point about whether or not he would become a psychopath after one result re the gene. He then did the brain scan and found low levels of activity in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. Here's a description of what they function in the brain:

The Frontal Lobe
This is the most recent evolutionary addition to the brain. If the brain had a White House it would be here. It is the true center for command and control in your body. The Frontal lobe is responsible for functions such as reasoning, problem solving, judgement, impulse control. This coupled with the fact that it's the last to develop when we are young adults, probably answers a lot of questions for many parents out there. It also manages our higher emotions such as empathy and altruism. This lobe is also involved in motor control and memory.

The Temporal Lobe
The Temporal Lobe is involved in auditory (sound) sensation and is where the Primary Auditory Cortex and on the left hemisphere, Wernicke's Area (language recognition) are located. This lobe is also involved in emotion, memory and speech.
source: http://www.brainhealthandpuzzles.com/br ... ction.html

The frontal lobe is an emotional part of the brain in very simple terms. It's low in activity and this is one of the reasons you'll find why many killers have no remorse, among other things.

I digress, the psychiatrist found that he too had low activity in the frontal and temporal lobes. And when he realised this, him and his family agreed that he did show some often aggressive, less remorseful tendencies.

For e.g, if he had an argument and he was wrong and knew he was wrong in the argument and upset someone because he was wrong, he freely admitted he didn't care if he was wrong, or that he'd upset that person, he'd simply shrug it off, knowing it was wrong but having no emotions about making the other person feeling feeling bad/sad.

So, the psychiatric nurse found that he had 2 of these biological tendencies which made him psychopathic and he started to fret.

'why haven't I murdered anyone then?' he pondered.

He spoke to his mum and she pulled out the photo album of him when he was a kid. He had a loving caring childhood and was a happy little boy...

Also on this documentary it showed their was a murder trial in Tennessee, 'the state V Joe Blogg'. Joe (can't remember his real name) was on trial I think for the murder of his wife. The state was seeking the death penalty, his defense lawyer used the 'gene & brain' notions, aka neuro-law in his clients defense to the jury. He wanted his client to avoid the death penalty and was hoping for 25yrs imprisonment. After the jury had heard the defense's case about the MAO-A gene and low activity in the frontal lobes, the defendant was found guilty of ''involuntary manslaughter' the lawyer couldn't have wished for a better sentence. A precedence had been set!

They reckon in 10-15 years time, once this neuro-gene thing has been researched more courts will have to take into account neuro-law in some way because of the scientific evidence around it.

[andy_g]

the majority of people actually have the MAO-A gene, but its ability to produce monoamine oxidase (an enzyme that affects neurotransmitters) can vary. this would be dependant on other complex genetic factors in the individual and in a few cases the MAO-O gene could itself be damaged or dysfunctional. a single gene can never code for, or be responsible for, a certain behaviour pattern as so many other factors have to be taken into account. one of the dangers of genetic fingerprinting is that individuals could potentially be persecuted solely for being in possession of a certain gene.

most studies of MAO-O that i'm aware of (which is by no means all of them) have been inconclusive, and environmental influences have been flagged up as more important that the gene itself in aggressive, depressed or suicidal people. anyone with frontal lobe problems in an abusive or repressed environment is going to develop behavioral issues regardless of their specific genetic make up.

on another note, MAO-O gets our hard-ons going. i'd hate to be without it.


the whole 'warrior gene' thing has become a bit of a cause celebre recently. check this article for a slightly less sensationalist perspective:
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/2011/04/26/code-rage-the-warrior-gene-makes-me-mad-whether-i-have-it-or-not/

[babu]

Bugger. I bet I am the only one here with a degree in biochemistry, majoring in molecular genetics, doesn't help though. I've got no idea about this, lol.

[Kenny Kan]

Bugger. I bet I am the only one here with a degree in biochemistry, majoring in molecular genetics, doesn't help though. I've got no idea about this, lol.

Get ya money back, they saw you coming.

[lakes10]

I have just read The psychopath Test by Jon Ronson, its a great book, about the same idea that a lot in power are psychopaths.

KK you should read it i think you would like it, the bit about childkillers is a bit hard but he only stay on that point for a short bit.

i am now reading books by bob Hare (he come up with the psychopath Test)

it made me understand my job a bit better, the ones that just keep getting sent back to me who think theres nothing wrong with just hitting someone in the street as they dont like the way they look.

[Kenny Kan]

Thanks andy i dont proclaim to know about this stuff, just saw it on tv and found it inteeresting