Neuropsychology of violence

Aggression has many neurobiological causes. It may arise from documented but uncommon disorders of the oldest parts of the brain, which include the limbic system and result in uncontrollable rage or under conscious control. Of most interest in neuropsychology, however, are those violence-related disorders which involve the frontal lobes of the brain, with special focus on the anterior parts of the frontal lobe (located behind the forehead and above the eyes), an area responsible for the control of our emotions in adults as well as for higher cognitive processes which differentiate adults from children and humans from animals. Much of the neuropsychological research has focused on the specific role of the left hemisphere in cases of criminal violence (Volavka, Martell, & Convit 1992). Other studies have focused on specific psychological attributes such as impulsivity in relationship to aggression. Neuropsychological assessments are most often used in forensic cases where there have been major crimes which require an understanding of why those crimes occurred. A review of the research reveals a complex interaction between psychological and neuropsychological factors.