Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id CAA03932 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Sat, 6 May 2000 02:33:32 +0100 Subject: Fwd: Researchers Identify Brain's Moral Center Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 21:31:07 -0400 x-sender: wsmith1@camail2.harvard.edu x-mailer: Claris Emailer 2.0v3, Claritas Est Veritas From: "Wade T.Smith" <wade_smith@harvard.edu> To: "Memetics Discussion List" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable Message-ID: <20000506013106.AAA12940@camailp.harvard.edu@[204.96.32.105]> Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Researchers Identify Brain's Moral Center
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtPrint/EMIHC000/333/7228/280174.html?k=bas
ePrint
May 4, 2000
SAN DIEGO (Reuters Health) - The brain's moral center‹the bit that sorts
"right" from "wrong"‹has been identified on brain scans, researchers
reported here at the American Academy of Neurology's 52nd annual meeting.
Drs. Ricardo de Oliveira-Souza and Jorge Moll of the Neurology and
Neuroimaging Group, LABS and Hospitais D'or, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, used
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to find out which parts of the brain
were working when people were asked to make moral judgments.
Ten subjects (six men and four women), aged 24 to 43 years, were asked to
make a series of moral judgments while lying inside an MRI scanner.
On headphones, the study participants listened to a series of statements,
such as "we break the law if necessary," "everyone has the right to
live," and "let's fight for peace." In each case, the subjects were asked
to silently judge if each sentence was "right" or "wrong."
The participants also listened to sentences with no moral content, such
as "stones are made of water" or "walking is good for health," and judged
these in a similar fashion.
Results from brain scans taken as these judgments were being considered
showed that making moral choices was associated with activation of the
brain's frontal poles‹an area known as Brodmann area 10.
According to the research team, their findings tie in with previous
observations that people who injure this area of the brain may exhibit
severe antisocial activity.
Copyright 2000 Reuters Limited.
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