Neuroscientists have long discussed if particular sites of damage within the brain may influence moral judgement. Researchers have now utilized biotechnology and imaging to determine that the brain’s ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) is critical for the acquisition and maturation of moral competency—going beyond self-interest to consider the welfare of others.“By understanding how dysfunction in the prefrontal cortex early in life disrupts moral development, we hope to inform efforts to treat and prevent antisocial behavior, from common criminality to the mass murders our society has witnessed in recent years,” says co-first author Bradley Taber-Thomas. Understanding the connection between drain damage and moral judgement paves the way for forensic psychiatry and radiology in the future. Ethical dilemmas arise as we aim to assess, for example, combat soldiers with brain damage who commit immoral crimes.
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