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Damaged amygdala, which is critical for emotions like fear and is part of the neural circuitry underlying moral decision-making. Charles Whitman – a sniper who killed 14 people and wounded 31 others left a note that pleaded for his brain to be tested for dysfunction after death. An autopsy found that he had a temporal lobe tumour, pressing on his amygdala.

The frontal lobe which keeps the limbic systems emotions in check are all part of the cerebral cortex. In the frontal lobe is the prefrontal cortex which is divided into three parts, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the orbitofrontal cortex and the medial prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal parts are responsible for controlling emotions and behaviour and in criminals they are thought to be not as functional as in non-criminals (Beaver, 2008).

This is important for the expression of anger and aggression A study by Flynn (1967) on cats showed that if the hypothalamus was stimulated they entered ‘sham rage’ (attack when feeling threatened) or predatory aggression, dependant upon what section was stimulated.