So, it seems that scientists are discovering a lot about the brain and its function. Specifically with regard to brain chemistry and new psychiatric medications. I take one such, Seroquel, which helps to clear up my paranoia symptoms amongst others.
This link and quote are an example of such research:
BBC: Brain scans used to examine psychiatric disorders
Quote:
The mutation results in disruption of a gene called DISC1, which is associated with recurrent major depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Experts found those with the mutation had changes in the structure of their brains, changes which were ultimately linked with the severity of their symptoms of mental ill-health.
The study also showed carriers of the mutation had lower levels of the chemical glutamate in parts of their brain.
Previous studies have pointed to a strong link between reduced glutamate levels and schizophrenia.
I have also found that Gabapentin improves my fine motor coordination and executive function.
It is these experiences that lead me to ask if character is a concept that will be left in the past. I see a future where everyone is scanned and modified to perform at their utmost. Productivity seems to be the mantra of these times.
I have often been criticized for being a slob and leaving things to the last minute. But my medications have made me more organized and functional. So was this behaviour a poor showing of character on my part or was it out of my control?
Here's another article:
Guardian: Can a brain scan uncover your morals?Quote:
Brain images are becoming standard evidence in some of the country’s most controversial and disturbing death penalty cases. In March, Barack Obama’s bioethics commission released a report stating that neuroscience is used in about a quarter of capital cases, and that percentage is rising quickly.
Lawyers use scans in a few principal ways. Sometimes it’s to explain a psychiatrist’s diagnosis to help a plea of insanity, or to help prove intellectual disability. Most often they are used to ask juries for mercy during the sentencing phase of the grimmest trials.
Since the inner workings of a criminal’s mind are central to a case, any tool that might shed light on the 3-lb organ is worth considering. And brain scans have diagnostic credibility: they are fundamental in clinical settings for spotting tumors, cancer or traumatic injuries. They have been used to study aspects of behavior, such as decision-making, depression and impulse control. But in death penalty cases, the images are taken out of that medical or experimental context, and used to clarify nuances of criminal actions.
...
Meanwhile, the federal government is pumping millions of dollars into fMRI research on mental diagnoses, partly in anticipation of the judicial system benefitting from it.
Everyone who has a stake in the science is hoping the scans will some day provide an unbiased truth. But there is a systematic problem because the law needs finality, while science relies on continued research. And for now, there is no way to see intention in the scans – there is no record of a crime, of innocence, of morality, of honesty. Behavioral brain scans are as objective as their interpreters.
If brain scans are being used to determine culpability in the punishment phase then the legal system has already accepted that character is effected by biology. I think this is the beginning of a steep slope.
02 Sep 2016, 6:53 am
