Feature - Antisocial behaviour: Brains and misbehaviour

Is antisocial behaviour by children and young people caused by poor moral choices or brain damage? The question may sound stark, but the answer has profound consequences for policy and practice, affecting everything from the structure of the criminal justice system, through to how professionals are trained. Yet an understanding of neuroscience isnot a pre-requisite for working with the young, and faced with a surge in youth crime, politicians are quick to propose ever-tougher sanctions.

So why do brains matter? Scanning technology is now so sophisticated that scientists can see fine details in the brain's structure. Emerging imaging data shows that the brains of abused adults and children are "significantly altered", explains Dr Ernest Gralton, consultant forensic psychiatrist in developmental disabilities at St Andrew's Healthcare's adolescent service in Northampton. "For example, there is evidence that the longer the duration of the trauma, the smaller the overall brain size is and the larger the fluid-filled spaces or ventricles of the brain." These changes in the brain have a profound impact on the behaviour of children and young people, which is why Gralton believes childhood trauma is the "single most important public health challenge that we face today".