I picked this topic to learn about simply because it appealed to me more than the others. While I was intrigued by a few topics, “Exploring the Mind of a Killer” would I thought inform me of the view behind the brain of murderers. In the short video TED discusses that when it comes to serial killers the most important things to look at are the genetics, brain damage and the environment. Interestingly enough time is also a major factor to look into. I found this statement cool because I previously thought that there were only similar problems within the genes of a serial killer and their early childhood experiences. The video goes on to say that one thing serial killers have in common is that there is damage within the orbital cortex and the anterior temporal cortex however, between the serial killers, the extensive brain damaged acquired vary. The video then expresses deeper in tell of exactly what all serial killers have in common which brings of the discussion of MAOA, also known as the Major Violence Gene. Apparently it has been scientifically proven that this gene is within a suffice amount of people in the population. Just another fact I found interesting because I, myself, might have the same gene meaning that I could’ve grown up to be a serial killers just like the ones discussed today. Moreover it is said that more boys receive this gene from the X-chromosome of their mother. With this gene, they state that your brain is exposed to too much serotonin, making the brain insensitive to a neurotransmitter that is suppose to calm and relax an individual. The theory of expressing this gene however, is that an individual must have gone through an extremely traumatic experience prior to their puberty stage. The videos finally closes with a few personal comments from the speaker himself. After watching this video it occurred to me that I have in fact, noticed that more serial killers that have been brought to my view have been males. Furthermore I became very skeptical by the ending of the video because it seemed as the the speaker tried to inform the audience that the information today was only a snip bit of truth behind serial killers and that there is a lot more of information not discovered yet and to be revealed eventually. Thus, my strange research idea. The study would be a correlation between the heart rate of serial killers and no serial killers. I would use the a series of various questions within this study and involve a lie detector. My sample would be a random selection of participants currently in prison however the number of men and women would be the same for this experiment.
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This is a great post Morris. I decided to pick the same “TED talk” and was really intrigued by some of the same things you mentioned. I had no idea most psychopathic killers suffered from brain damage, most of which damage was located in the orbital cortex and the anterior temporal cortex. I had never really thought about what could make someone become a psychopath. The MAOA gene known as the Major violence gene is also very interesting, and really gives us an explanation as to why it is mostly men who become serial killers. I would like to hear you talk about how this gene, paired with timing and environment, change or damage someone’s mind. Is the combination of these three what causes damage in the orbital cortex and anterior temporal cortex? I would also like to hear more about your experiment, it seems to be a great idea but what exactly are you trying to prove and how does it apply to a serial killers mental make-up? I’d like to hear what you have to say, thanks!
-Jarrod
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