Brain structure and aggression

• Brain has 2 hemispheres ( joined by corpus callosum )

  Brain works contralaterally
• Pre frontal cortex - personality, governs social interactions + regulates behaviour

  damage = less activation = lack of self control + impulsive
• Hypothalamus - homeostasis through regeneration of hormones - testosterone
• Amygdala - part of flight or fight response

  if damaged can perceive threats = aggression
• Localisation - completing tasks - part of brain being used need more glucose to perform the function - tracking glucose levels to see which bits of brain used
• Phineas Gage

  13th September 1848

  explosives at a new railway being built sent a Tampa Road through his brain

  went through his right head and out his left cheek

  Lost the use of left eye

  Fully functional human - displayed aggressive behaviour

  prefrontal cortex damaged

  Memory still intact
• Evaluation -

  • raine -41 impulsive, violent murderers and 41 control - PET brain scans different - BIOLOGICAL EXPLANATION FOR DIFFERENT IN AGGRESSION AS THE GENES PEOPLE HAVE POSE DIFFERENT REIGN ACTIVATION LEVELS.
  • Pardini used FMRI scans finding a negative correlation between aggression and amygdala volumes
  • cannot conduct experiments on humans - hard to establish cause and effect relationship
  • Giamanco found increase in testosterone are related to more aggressive behaviour in several species of male animals