Psychopaths

Psychopaths are [responsible:possible] for a disproportionate amount of crime. These people are primarily identified by an extreme lack of [empathy:knowledge] . Now a study finds that when psychopaths see images of people in pain, there's a pattern of activity in their brains that is [quite:night] different from brain activity in non-psychopaths. Researchers tested 80 prisoners to gauge their levels of psychopathy. They then scanned the prisoners' brains using functional MRI as the prisoners were shown photos of people being [intentionally:internationally] hurt. Participants who scored high in psychopathy traits, versus those who were not considered psychopaths, showed much less activation in the areas of the brain involved in emotional [reactions:revelations] , social behavior and decision making. The study is published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. Unexpectedly, when viewing the photos the psychopaths experienced significant activity in the [insular:consular] cortex, which is involved in emotion and self-awareness.