Brain injury

Question 1

acquired brain injury

Answer 1

damage caused by events after birth e.g. strokes, tumours, infections

Question 2

traumatic brain injury

Answer 2

a type of ABI, injury to the brain caused by trauma to the head from an internal force e.g. road traffic accidents, assaults

Question 3

what is the role of the PFC?

Answer 3

• if PFC doesn’t function correctly it leads to difficulty with cognitive processing , which can lead to aggressive behaviour
• regulates the amygdala, if the amygdala is not regulated correctly, aggressive emotions can arise

Question 4

what is the role of the hypothalamus?

Answer 4

• has been shown to cause aggressive behaviour when electrically stimulated
• has receptors that determine aggression levels based on their interactions with the neurotransmitter serotonin and hormones (testosterone & cortisol)

Question 5

Brower and Price 2001
(supporting evidence)

Answer 5

• found anti-social and criminal behaviour related to brain injury in frontal lobes
• prefrontal lobes are associated with problem solving and decision making so damage can lead to aggression (cannot identify the consequences of their actions)

Question 6

Williams 2012
(supporting evidence)

Answer 6

• young people are most at risk of TBI (affecting 8.5% of population with males more at risk)
• young people who have TBI can behave in a criminal way, 60% of young male adult prisoners in custody having a TBI
• the inability to prevent impulsivity links to evidence of prefrontal lobes being for control & executive functioning
• brain not fully developed until around 25 yrs

Question 7

Kreutzer et al 1991
(opposing research)

Answer 7

• unable to provide or disprove a cause and effect relationship between TBI and violence.
• out of 74 patients, 20% had been arrested pre-injury and 10% post-injury
• concluded that criminal behaviour may be as a result of post-injury changes e.g. poor judgement
• substance abuse was most common amongst those under 35, leading to legal difficulties and TBI.