Twenty-five percent of the population show patterns of antisocial behavior at least once during their childhood and adolescence. However, there is hope for people to grow out of this behavior.
People who persistently lie, steal and bully others have smaller brains than those who behave better, according to a study by University College London published in the journal "The Lancet Psychiatry."
Scientists said that naughty young children should be provided more help than is currently offered to prevent them from falling into a life of crime. They added that parents should also be offered classes.
According to lead author Christina Carlisi from UCL, "Our findings support the idea that, for the small proportion of individuals with life-course-persistent antisocial behavior, there may be differences in their brain structure that make it difficult for them to develop social skills that prevent them from engaging in antisocial behavior."
The study by UCL examined 672 adults who underwent MRI scans at the age of 45. Those who had shown antisocial behavior from childhood were shown to have had reduced surface area and thinner cortex in parts of the brain previously linked to such behavior.
It was ambiguous if this was inherited or due to factors such as low IQ, substance abuse, or poor mental health.
The authors of the study noted that going off the rails as a teenager was fairly normal. But younger children who unrelentingly behave badly in the long term run the risk of becoming criminals due to how their brains have formed.
Compared to behaved people, individuals exhibiting antisocial behavior in the long term such as stealing, lying, bullying, or violence may have thinner outer brain layer, the cortex, and smaller surface area in regions associated with antisocial behavior. These regions are associated with executive function, motivation, and affect.
Some people exhibit life-course-persistent antisocial behavior that begins in childhood and endures into adulthood, while others manifest the trait in adolescence but desists upon reaching adulthood.
However, the researchers did not see any widespread structural brain abnormalities in people who exhibited antisocial behavior only during adolescence.
Unfortunately, they were not able to identify whether the behavior shaped the brain or the structure caused the behavior.
Carlisi added, "Most people who exhibit antisocial behavior primarily do so only in adolescence, likely as a result of navigating socially difficult years, and these individuals do not display structural brain differences."
The individuals are usually capable of reformation and going back to becoming valuable members of society.
The study is the first robust evidence to suggest people who offended persistently all their lives had underlying neuropsychological differences.
Bullies who were at an increased risk of incarceration and poor physical and mental health later in life may be dealing with some level of disability.
