Changing Brains and Society

The talk focuses on how our brains and society can be changed.
Introduces Joe, a 32-year-old murderer, encountered 13 years prior at Wormwood Scrubs high-security prison.

Description: Victorian-era prison, built by inmates, housing England's most dangerous criminals.
The speaker was there as part of a research team from University College London, funded by the UK Department of Health.
Objective: Study inmates diagnosed as psychopaths to find neurological causes for their behavior and potential cures.

The speaker's interest in how people change stems from childhood experiences.
The speaker's mother, a clinical psychotherapist, saw patients at home, sparking the speaker's curiosity.
The speaker would eavesdrop on therapy sessions, fascinated by the idea of emotional change.

Testing psychopaths' ability to categorize emotional images and their physical responses.
Typical individuals show physical responses (increased heart rate, sweating) when viewing sad images.
Psychopaths could describe the emotions accurately but lacked the corresponding physical responses, indicating a disconnect from empathy.
They knew the words but not the music of empathy.

Using MRI to image the brains of psychopaths was challenging due to security concerns.
The study revealed a deficit in the amygdala, a brain area crucial for empathy.
Normally, empathy correlates with the size and activity of the amygdala.
The inmate population had deficient amygdalas, potentially leading to a lack of empathy and immoral behavior.

Acquiring moral behavior is typically a natural part of growing up, similar to learning to speak.
At six months, infants can differentiate between animate and inanimate objects.
At 12 months, children imitate purposeful actions, such as a mother stretching.
Example: The speaker's cousin Sasha imitating turning pages in a book by licking a finger.
By age three or four, most children understand the intentions of others, a prerequisite for empathy.
Universality across cultures suggests that the foundations of moral behavior are inborn.
Young children possess a sharp sense of fairness.
The early years are a critical window for mastering moral questions.
Moral development becomes more difficult after this period, similar to adults learning a foreign language.

Neurogenesis, the birth of new brain cells, occurs in the adult mammalian brain.
Initial discoveries were made in the olfactory bulb (sense of smell) and the hippocampus (short-term memory).
Later research found neurogenesis in the amygdala itself.

Mice raised in standard cages (isolation, lack of stimulation) exhibit abnormal behaviors and struggle to bond.
Mice in enriched environments (larger spaces, social interaction, exploration) demonstrate neurogenesis and improved learning and memory.
Improved environment results in healthy, sociable behavior.
Mice in standard cages, similar to prison cells, show dramatically lower levels of new neurons.

Stress hormones (glucocorticoids) suppress the growth of new brain cells.
More stress leads to less brain development, reduced adaptability, and higher levels of stress.
This highlights the interplay between nature and nurture.

Our current solution of imprisoning individuals with stressed amygdalas inhibits further growth.
Imprisonment is necessary for the criminal justice system and protecting society.
Because our brains are capable of change, we need to take responsibility for our actions, and they need to take responsibility for their rehabilitation.

Victims and perpetrators meet face-to-face in structured, safe encounters (Victims, if they choose to participate).
Perpetrators are encouraged to take responsibility, and victims play an active role.
Perpetrators can see victims as real people, stimulating the amygdala.
This may be a more effective rehabilitative practice than incarceration.
Such programs won't work for everyone, but for many, it could be a way to break the frozen sea within.

Change Our Mindset: Society has advanced in many areas, but prisons remain stuck in outdated concepts.
We believe that the brain is capable of extraordinary change, and the best way to achieve that, even in adults, is to change and modulate our environment.
Create an Alliance: Collaboration between scientists, clinicians, social workers, policymakers, philanthropists, and human rights activists is essential for social change.
Change Our Own Amygdalas: Our views of criminals such as Joe must change to facilitate their rehabilitation.

Joe will be released in a decade; it's crucial to help him train his amygdala to reduce the likelihood of reoffending.
Enabling brain growth and new connections will benefit both Joe and society.