Profs & Pints Online presents: “Exploring the Psychopathic Brain,” with Dean Haycock, neurobiologist, former instructor at Brown University, and author of Murderous Minds, Exploring the Criminal Psychopathic Brain.

Psychopathic characters captured the public’s imagination long before Hannibal Lecter, Dexter Morgan and Villanelle made it big in film and on television. But few of the intriguing villains who play central roles in fictional thrillers reflect the true nature and behavior of real psychopathic criminals, people who engage in the worst behavior imaginable.

Let Dean Haycock, who previously gave a fascinating Profs and Pints Online talk on the minds of dictators, take you on a scholarly journey into the world of brain scientists who are exploring the psychopathic mind. You’ll learn about not just their research and findings, but the broader legal and social implications of their discoveries.

He’ll look at how psychologists, psychiatrists and neuroscientists have been imaging, mapping, testing and dissecting the brains of people who lack a conscience, be they Machiavellian college students, dishonest CEOs, or people who repeatedly commit violent crimes. Among their advances, such researchers have identified in reproducible studies brain structures closely related to antisocial behavior. These include parts of the limbic system normally involved in emotional responses and areas of the frontal cortex involved in executive functions and regulation of emotional controls. In addition, genetic studies have identified multiple genes associated with a predisposition toward violence.

These scientific advances, however, raise significant questions regarding the very definition of psychopathy and the implications of the results. Are all researchers studying the same condition when they describe psychopathic people? Should their findings be admissible as mitigating factors in court? Why is an estimated 1 percent of our species psychopathic? Does it provide a survival benefit?

Increasing our understanding of psychopathy holds the promise of increasing our understanding of antisocial interactions not only a personal level but also on a national and international level, as history has shown. In looking for the origins of antisocial behavior, we’re also finding out more about what it means to be a caring human being. (Ticket: $12. A recorded version of this talk will remain available at the link given here.)

Profs & Pints Online: Exploring the Psychopathic Brain