If I were to select a part of my brain to damage, I would choose the amygdala. The amygdala is a part of the Limbic System which is the boarder between the oldest and newest portions of the brain. The amygdala is linked to the emotions fear, rage, and aggression. It has been removed from many ill-tempered animals and has seemed to make them more mellow. I find myself to have a very short temper. I can get upset at the slightest sight or sound. I get especially aggravated when I hear someone chew. It makes me dislike the person for a week. If the amygdala was damaged, I may become more content. The book suggests that damage of the amygdala may not completely eliminate fear, rage, or aggression. Nevertheless, the amygdala does have some sort
In “The Brain on Trial”, David Eagleman recounts the horrifying events which occurred on August 1, 1966. Charles Whitman entered the University of Texas with a rifle and secured himself in the bell tower. He then proceeded to shoot and kill 13 people and injure 32 more. Whitman was also shot and killed; however, during his autopsy it was discovered that a tumor was pressing against his amygdala. According to Eagleman, “The amygdala is involved in emotional regulation, especially of fear and aggression” (2011).
All around the globe, people have attempted to find an organic, genetic basis for aggressive behavior. Several hormones and neurotransmitters, such as testosterone and seretonin, have been implicated in the "aggression quest", as well as specific localities of the human brain. My paper will serve to suggest that although many findings have shown impressive results regarding possible biological causes of violent behavior, we still do not have sufficient means to understand the neuroanatomical or biochemical basis of aggression.
Osumi, T., Nakao, T., Kasuya, Y., Shinoda, J., Yamada, J., and Ohira, H. (2012). Amygdala dysfunction attenuates frustration-induced aggression in psychopathic individuals in a non-criminal population. Journal of Affective Disorders, 142(1), 331-338, DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2012.05.012)
In 2000 an article was published in Science by Dr. Richard Davidson at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. It showed a study conducted by Davidson on those who had previously committed violent crimes versus those who are considered for the most part, “normal.” The results showed distinct brain activity in the more violent offenders in the frontal lobe and limbic system. This leads us to conclude that those who are violent could potentiall...
According to Parker (2015), “[t]he amygdala is the section of the brain that processes our emotional reactions and helps us with decision making”. A malfunction in this area of the brain leads to impaired judgment due to poor decision making. It also results in an impairment in processing the emotions of others (Parker, 2015). These are well known characteristics of psychopaths. Furthermore, there are speculations by researchers that psychopathy could also be as a result of a dysfunction in the prefrontal cortex.
...n fear and arousal (Schmahl, Berne, Krause, Kleindienst, Valerius, Vermetten &ump; Bohus, 2009). The work of dampening this arousal is carried out by the pre-frontal region of the brain. Brain imaging has revealed that personal differences in the capacity to activate areas of the prefrontal cerebral cortex, which is believed to activate inhibitory responses, predict the capacity to repress negative feelings (Williams Sidis, Gordon &ump; Meares, 2006). Acetylcholine and norepinephrine in addition to serotonin are the main neurotransmitters in the circuit involved in the regulation of emotions. Imbalance of these neurotransmitters in conjunction with increased GABA activity is believed to have the capacity to result in intense mood swings similar to those of borderline personality disorder (Schmahl, Berne, Krause, Kleindienst, Valerius, Vermetten &ump; Bohus, 2009).
The focus of this literature review is on the patterns of amygdala activation and its role in attentional threat assessment, as well the effects of the neuropeptide oxytocin on the amygdala. The amygdala plays an important role in human threat assessment. In both humans and primates, the identification of facial expressions and their direction of gaze is a necessary aspect of social behavior, and the amygdala plays a large role in this function (Boll, Gamer, Kalisch, & Buchel, 2011, p. 299). From a medical standpoint, the study of the amygdala would help in understanding the neurological basis of many behavior disorders such as borderline personality disorder and post traumatic stress disorder. These studies make use of novel techniques with a combination of functional MRI and eye tracking based face perception tasks. More recent studies have involved more precise imaging in order to observe specific regions of the amygdala, rather than the amygdala as a whole structure. The amygdala is strongly influenced by fearful and angry faces, which stimulate feelings of threat. The amygdala also exhibits differential activation in different sexes, thus having extensive implications on tailoring drugs for mood disorders in the different sexes (Lischke et al., 2012, p. 1432).
The frontal lobe is located in the most anterior part of the brain hemispheres. It is considered responsible for much of the behavior that makes possible stable and adequate social relations. Self-control, planning, judgment, the balance of individual versus social needs, and many other essential functions underlying effective social intercourse are mediated by the frontal structures of the brain. (3) Antonio and Anna Damasio, two noted Portuguese neurologists and researchers working in the University of Iowa, have been investigating in the last decade the neurological basis of psychopathy.
Neuroscience and social work how do they relate? For many people, when they hear the term social worker, they automatically think of child welfare and food stamps, yet no one thinks of a social worker being a psychiatrist or a counselor even though these are considered social work as well. This is how neuroscience and social work might be related. Social work is a practice-based occupation that promotes social adjustment, growth, and social structure. The main beliefs of social work are social integrity, civil liberties, combined responsibility and respect for diversities. There are many types of social workers, such as family services worker, psychiatrist, and many types of counselors.
Damage to the frontal lobe cortex of the brain can cause difficulty in everyday activities. The frontal lobes role in people’s behavior includes executive processes, language, emotional expression and movement. Ryan Godfrey has difficulties in some areas of executive processes due to the damage tumors caused in his brain. Ryan and others with frontal lobe damage can benefit from knowing these deficits by taking steps to reduce their impact. The brain tends to compensate for damaged parts and a faith in God brings power to overcome deficits. Thus, behavioral difficulties for frontal lobe damaged patients are only a guideline not a box, for nothing is impossible for God to accomplish.
Drug addiction involves potentially life-long behavioural abnormalities that are caused in vulnerable individuals by repeated exposure to a drug of abuse (Kumar et al., 2005). The persistence of these behavioural changes suggests that long-lasting changes in gene expression, within regions of the brain, may contribute to the addiction phenotype (Kumar et al., 2005). Recent research has been aiming to characterize the influence of epigenetic regulatory events in mediating the lasting effects of abusive drugs on the brain in animal models of drug addiction (Kumar et al., 2005). Evidence has shown that repeated exposure to abusive drugs induces change within the brain’s reward region in three modes of epigenetic regulations; histone modifications
Twardosz, S. (2010). Child Maltreatment and the Developing Brain: A Review of Neuroscience Perspectives. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 15(1), 59-68. 201507082251571463432670Twardosz S 2010 Child Maltreatment and the Developing Brain: A Review of Neuroscience
Using brain imaging technology and neurochemical techniques, scientists have discovered that the amygdala and the hippocampus play significant roles in most anxiety disorders.
Most of the body’s functions such as, thinking, emotions, memories and so forth are controlled by the brain. It serves as a central nervous system in the human body. The mind is the intellect/consciousness that originates in the human brain and manifests itself in emotions, thoughts, perceptions and so forth. This means that the brain is the key interpreter of the mind’s content. Jackson and Nagel seem to resist identifying what we call “mental events” with brain events, for different reasons, while J.J.C. Smart takes the opposing view.
All experiences change the brain, both good and bad. This is because the brain is designed to change in response to patterned, repetitive stimulation. The stimulation associated with fear and trauma changes the brain. Over the last twenty years, neuroscientists studying the brain have learned how fear and trauma influence the mature brain, and more recently, the developing brain. It is increasingly clear that experiences in childhood has relatively more impact on the developing child than experiences later in life. (Perry) The functional capabilities of the mature brain develop throughout life, but most of critical structural and functional development takes place in childhood. By shaping the developing brain, the experiences of childhood define the adult. Simply stated, children reflect the world in which they are raised. If that world is characterized by threat, chaos, unpredictability, fear and trauma, the brain will reflect that by altering the development of the neural systems involved in the stress and fear response. “The human brain is designed to sense, process, store, perceive, and act on information from the external and the internal environment. These complex systems and activities work together for one overall purpose – survival.”