VIOLENT MIND! Deciphering the Warped Neurobiology of a Terrorist: Nature, Nurture or Genetics? What makes a person commit acts of violent extremism, are all terrorists `extremely violent and or suicidal’? What goes on in the brain and the body of a person that forces them to commit acts of extreme violence. Perfectly normal individuals turn into extremely violent individuals, what ticks in the minds of such violators.
Dr Sumaiya Shaikh, a neuroscientist at the Center for Social & Affective Neuroscience, Linkoping University Hospital in Sweden is trying to decipher the biological clues of violent behavior that closely resembles the violence such as terrorism, shootings, lynchings, as we witness these in the society across the world.
Dr Shaikh says there is a `warrior gene’ technically called `monoamine oxidase A’ that is often mutated in violent individuals. But one gene or one area of the brain is not the answer to addressing violent behavior because not all individuals carrying the mutated gene become violent. There is a massive complexity of both nature and nurture.
The world is grappling with violence and terrorism and in India it has been a nightmare for a very long time, first the militants from Punjab, then terrorists from Kashmir and from Pakistan and not to forget the Tamil Tigers. In America and Europe one has seen mass shooting of children and innocents in schools and public places.
Today the world is trying out many ways to try and contain terrorism, especially in cases where ordinary individuals become violent towards whom they harbor no personal grudge or have a context to turn violent. Globally the control is mostly through aggressive counter terrorism activities.
But can one read the mind of a terrorist are brain scans like functional MRI the answer in trying to decipher what happens to the neurobiology of a terrorist. Shaikh says there is actually much more to decipher than just using brain scans, techniques like neurophysiology, brain imaging, genetics and behavioral psycho-physics could play a role in understanding the violent mind.
Dr Shaikh born in Gujarat, in western India and studied in Australia says a cure for violent tendencies whose extreme manifestation is felt through terrorism is still far-far away but positive social reinforcement is one way to minimize people turning into extremely violent individuals.
From: New Frontiers in Science and Development
Titled: VIOLENT MIND! Deciphering the Warped Neurobiology of a Terrorist: Nature, Nurture or Genetics?
By: Pallava Bagla
Location: New Delhi, India
Dated: October 15, 2019
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