14 DAY TRIAL // Human brain chemistry and genetics are working hard to decode the mental substratum of the violence, from hooligan's behavior to extreme cases, like the recent most infamous school mass shooter in Virginia.
"There is no doubt in my mind that if we could have examined his brain (the killer at Virginia Tech) we would have found anomalies, and we would have been able to suggest for him to get therapies. We might have been able to avoid this ... if he had been treated properly in the hospital setting" said Dr. Allan Siegel, a neurologist and researcher at the University of Medicine of New Jersey (UMDNJ).
"Clinical research as well as animal testing, particularly on cats, over some 40 years has shown that there are specific zones in the brain linked to aggression and violence," he said.
The prefrontal cortex, including the limbic system, located in the brain fore region, is deeply linked to violent behavior. "The killer Charles Whitman, who gunned down 16 people at the University of Texas in the 1960s, was found to have a tumor in the temporal lobe in the region of the limbic system," said Siegel.
Researchers got the first clue about this connection in 1848, when a railroad worker who got brain damages in the front part due to an explosion turned his behavior, from previously respectful, sensitive manner, to an impulsive and aggressive one.
"Medical cases since have linked violent tendencies to damage to the front part of the brain," said Siegel.
Researches revealed that prefrontal cortex damages in children before age seven triggered an inability to suppress their frustration, anger and aggression.
Brain scanning in 41 killers revealed that most of them had impaired function in the prefrontal cortex or the amygdala, in the middle brain.
"In the case of the Virginia Tech gunman, a medical investigation would also have to examine if he suffered a deficiency in his serotonin system," said Klaus Miczek, a neuroscientist at Tufts University. Serotonin, also called "the happiness hormone", is linked with several severe disorders. "Brain sertonin is a transmitter that has been investigated more than any other transmitter when it comes to violent, aggressive activity," Miczek said.
"A number of drugs have proved effective in controlling violent impulses by compensating for serotonin deficiencies," said Siegel. Prozac and lithium are the most common in treating schizophrenia.