What Patients With Behavioral-Variant Frontotemporal Dementia Can Teach Us About Moral Responsibility

Darby, Richard; Edersheim, Judith G.; Price, Bruce H.

doi:10.1080/21507740.2016.1236044

Cited by 27 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, moral decision making incorporates several different neuropsychological processes including cognitive control ( 33 ), value or reward-based decision making ( 34 ), theory of mind ( 35 ), and empathy ( 27 ). The potential contributions of each process to criminal behavior are contested ( 36 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These results link lesions resulting in criminal behavior to regions whose activity is correlated with moral decision making, value-based decision making, and theory of mind in normal subjects. Exactly which psychological processes are abnormal or disrupted in criminals remains a matter of ongoing research and debate ( 36 ). It is also unknown whether deficits in moral decision making contribute to lesion-associated criminal behavior.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Lesion network localization of criminal behavior

Darby

Horn

Cushman

et al. 2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

Self Cite

151

114

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SignificanceCases like that of Charles Whitman, who murdered 16 people after growth of a brain tumor, have sparked debate about why some brain lesions, but not others, might lead to criminal behavior. Here we systematically characterize such lesions and compare them with lesions that cause other symptoms. We find that lesions in multiple different brain areas are associated with criminal behavior. However, these lesions all fall within a unique functionally connected brain network involved in moral decision making. Furthermore, connectivity to competing brain networks predicts the abnormal moral decisions observed in these patients. These results provide insight into why some brain lesions, but not others, might predispose to criminal behavior, with potential neuroscience, medical, and legal implications.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lesion network localization of criminal behavior

Darby

Horn

Cushman

et al. 2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

Self Cite

151

114

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, free will is commonly discussed as it relates to social, legal, and moral responsibility for decisions, not just movement (3,4). It remains unknown whether the network of brain regions we identify as related to free will for movements is the same as that important for moral decision making (58)(59)(60), as prior studies have suggested important differences (30).…”

Section: Preliminary Extension Of Network Localization To Neuroimagingmentioning

confidence: 86%

Lesion network localization of free will

Darby

Joutsa

Burke

et al. 2018

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

Self Cite

120

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Our perception of free will is composed of a desire to act (volition) and a sense of responsibility for our actions (agency). Brain damage can disrupt these processes, but which regions are most important for free will perception remains unclear. Here, we study focal brain lesions that disrupt volition, causing akinetic mutism (n = 28), or disrupt agency, causing alien limb syndrome (n = 50), to better localize these processes in the human brain. Lesion locations causing either syndrome were highly heterogeneous, occurring in a variety of different brain locations. We next used a recently validated technique termed lesion network mapping to determine whether these heterogeneous lesion locations localized to specific brain networks. Lesion locations causing akinetic mutism all fell within one network, defined by connectivity to the anterior cingulate cortex. Lesion locations causing alien limb fell within a separate network, defined by connectivity to the precuneus. Both findings were specific for these syndromes compared with brain lesions causing similar physical impairments but without disordered free will. Finally, our lesion-based localization matched network localization for brain stimulation locations that disrupt free will and neuroimaging abnormalities in patients with psychiatric disorders of free will without overt brain lesions. Collectively, our results demonstrate that lesions in different locations causing disordered volition and agency localize to unique brain networks, lending insight into the neuroanatomical substrate of free will perception. free will | agency | volition | functional connectivity | lesions

show abstract

“…The two target articles in this issue tackle different topics, but both are attempts to join the emerging neuroscientific image with our everyday conception of persons. Darby, Edersheim, and Price (2016) attempt to establish a compatibilist view of free will, and then use that position to display a new framework that could be used to determine when individuals with behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) can be considered morally responsible for their actions. Elsey and Kindt (2016) discuss new ways of modifying traumatic memories at the reconsolidation phase, that is, at the point of recall, and assess whether the therapeutic application of memory alteration is ethically permissible and even justified for individuals with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).…”

Section: Editorialmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In each of the cases, the individuals are described as being aware of the reasons their behavior is wrong, but for patients with bvFTD, desired ends become more motivating than moral reasons. The limitation of the proposed approach by Darby, Edersheim, and Price (2016) is that it could be used to explain most, if not all, immoral behavior. Consider, for example, individuals who know that cheating on their spouse is immoral but nonetheless repeatedly commit adultery.…”

Section: Editorialmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Applicability of Psychological and Moral Distinctions in an Emerging Neuroscientific Framework

Gligorov

2016

AJOB Neuroscience

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

What Patients With Behavioral-Variant Frontotemporal Dementia Can Teach Us About Moral Responsibility

Cited by 27 publications

References 36 publications

Lesion network localization of criminal behavior

Lesion network localization of criminal behavior

Lesion network localization of free will

The Applicability of Psychological and Moral Distinctions in an Emerging Neuroscientific Framework

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About