Domestic Violence Perpetrators' Brains Are Different From Other Criminals'

The brains of men who engage in violence are different from the brains of other criminals, said a new study from the University of Granada.

The study showed that men who attacked their partners or ex-partners had different reactions when they were shown images that depicted different kinds of violence, said brain scan results of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Lead researcher Miguel Pérez García, professor of Personality, Evaluation, and Psychological Treatment at the University of Granada said this is one of the only three studies in the world that has used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine and work out various differences in the brains of violent men.

García's team is assured that the new study offers an important insight into violence against women. They have identified some risks involved in such repeated attacks among violent men.

The brains of violent men showed more activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, the medial prefrontal cortex, and the medial prefrontal cortex when they were exposed to images of intimate partner violence, compared to others that showed neutral images.

Moreover, such brain regions depended on the kind of violence too. Some direct comparisons of different kinds of images showed a strong response in the medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex when the violent men were exposed to partner violence images compared to pictures of other types of violence.

García noted that the "results of these studies could have important implications to better understanding violence against women, as well as the variables that are related to recidivism in batterers."

Moreover, such findings may also indicate "dysfunctional coping strategies, emotion regulation problems, fear of abandonment and emotional instability" in those men who battered women or got involved in close violence with their partners.

The latest study is important, as those who are victimised by partner violence tend to suffer different kinds of physical and mental health problems.

"The women who have suffered intimate partner violence from their partner (or ex-partner) sustain a multitude of physical, psychological, neurological, and cognitive problems as a consequence of abuse. These negative effects can be caused by direct damage as a consequence of hits to the head; but also as indirect damage to the brain through cerebral alterations produced by psychological sequelae (most notably posttraumatic stress) and from the effect of cortisol in situations of chronic stress," said  Natalia Hidalgo Ruzzante of the University of Granada who co-led the study.

"An adequate neuropsychological evaluation could delineate the possible cognitive, emotional, and behavioral alterations caused by this brain damage. Currently, battered women are not routinely evaluated for the diagnosis of potential neuropsychological deterioration, and even less when the only precursor is having been a victim of psychological abuse (and not physical)," Hidalgo Ruzzantes added.

The findings were published on Feb. 16, 2016, issue of the journal of Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.