Functional and clinical neuroanatomy of morality

Brain : a Journal of Neurology
Manuela Fumagalli, A Priori

Abstract

Morality is among the most sophisticated features of human judgement, behaviour and, ultimately, mind. An individual who behaves immorally may violate ethical rules and civil rights, and may threaten others' individual liberty, sometimes becoming violent and aggressive. In recent years, neuroscience has shown a growing interest in human morality, and has advanced our understanding of the cognitive and emotional processes involved in moral decisions, their anatomical substrates and the neurology of abnormal moral behaviour. In this article, we review research findings that have provided a key insight into the functional and clinical neuroanatomy of the brain areas involved in normal and abnormal moral behaviour. The 'moral brain' consists of a large functional network including both cortical and subcortical anatomical structures. Because morality is a complex process, some of these brain structures share their neural circuits with those controlling other behavioural processes, such as emotions and theory of mind. Among the anatomical structures implicated in morality are the frontal, temporal and cingulate cortices. The prefrontal cortex regulates activity in subcortical emotional centres, planning and supervising moral decision...Continue Reading

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Citations

May 7, 2013·Brain : a Journal of Neurology·Asli Demirtas-Tatlidede, Jeremy D Schmahmann
May 8, 2013·Brain : a Journal of Neurology·Manuela Fumagalli, Alberto Priori
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