Brain Function Between Pedophiles and Non-pedophiles. Summarize

¶ … brain function between pedophiles and non-pedophiles. Summarize the evidence in support of this assertion. Propose a study that would advance our knowledge of the topic.

Pedophilia is such a horrific crime; it is difficult to rationally evaluate the objective medical evidence that can give clues as to why it occurs. However, recent scientific evidence indicates that there are specific biological components of the brain that can cause a predisposition to develop pedophilia. This is helpful in answering the mystery of why this crime, which is widely condemned in a variety of cultures, has remained such a persistent blight upon society throughout the ages.

Using MRIs, scientists have noted that pedophiles and non-pedophiles exhibit the neurological signs of arousal in a different fashion. In the visual cortex of the brain, "a stronger visual analysis happens as soon as an adult heterosexual man sees a woman of the same age. The exact same regions activate in a pedophile's brain when they see a naked child" (Hajasch 2013). This has expanded the ability of modern science to understand the condition and complicated the notion that pedophilia is only a crime. The MRI evidence indicates that it is a disorder as well of a psychological nature: much like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, the brain activity of pedophiles is notably different than non-pedophiles. Before MRIs, the study of pedophiles was limited to those persons who acted on their impulses and who were apprehended by law enforcement, but via brain scans we are able to see that arousal response patterns are abnormal even in persons who do not act upon their cravings. "According to the new American psychiatric classification system, a person is only classified as a pedophile if that person acts on their sexual attraction to children - or at least suffers from the fact that they have this attraction…If he has this attraction without abusing a child, then we can call it a sexual orientation" (Hajasch 2013). MRIs enable scientists to study this abnormal 'orientation' versus solely view neurological differences between a criminal and legal perspective.

This focus on orientation and brain structure also enables pedophiles to more easily be segmented for research studies, in terms of how they differ from the population as a whole. For example, pedophiles have an IQ of eight points lower than non-pedophiles, and the lower the IQ, the younger the victim's age (Hajasch 2013). This could indicate evidence of possible brain trauma or prenatal or post-natal issues that affect brain development. Pedophiles are also more likely to be left-handed than the general population (Cantor 2008). Their stature tends to be smaller and they are statistically more likely to have suffered a blow to the head as a child (Hajasch 2013). Once again, although no single characteristic is universally associated with the tendency to become a pedophile, an amalgam of these characteristics indicates fundamental problems in the trajectory of normal development.

Of course, these facts should be assessed with a certain degree of caution, given that not every person who is left-handed or of shorter than normal stature becomes a pedophile. There is no 'smoking gun' characteristic of a pedophile; either in terms of a personal character profile that is visible or even for many aspects of MRI scans not visible to the naked eye. However, researchers have also noted that short stature and left-handedness are both linked to exposure of higher levels of toxins in the womb due to smoking and poor nutrition, which could thus likewise be contributing factors in predisposing someone to become a pedophile (Lloyd 2007). In particular, hand preference is notable for being something that develops in utero, supporting the notion that pedophilic brains may have genetic causes. "Handedness is determined by brain organization and is determined largely before birth (fetuses show a hand-preference for thumb-sucking that is observable on sonograms….some important differences in brain organization existed in pedophilic individuals long before they engaged in any pedophilic behaviors" (Cantor 2008). But it could also be that troubled homes are more likely to exhibit careless attitudes to the developing child in utero and these conditions are linked because of correlating circumstances and not due to causal factors in development. "When comparing pedophilic and nonpedophilic men, one must remain careful not to confuse cause with effect. That is, one must consider carefully whether the brain differences we detected cause pedophilia or whether some aspect of being pedophilic caused the brain differences" (Cantor 2008). Factors such as maternal smoking and a child's stature are poorly understood in terms of how they are linked to intellectual development and a wide array of normal and abnormal characteristics, not only pedophilia.

In terms of pre-existing brain structure, there is no singular aspect of the brain that seems to be uniquely implicated in pedophilia: rather, pedophilia seems to be a multifaceted disorder. Pedophilic men have significantly less tissue in two parts of the brain: the superior fronto-occipital fasciculus and the right arcuate fasciculus. "Instead of being in charge of any specific function of the brain (such as self-control or sexual response), these particular brain structures are made up of 'cables' (or axons) that connect other brain regions," suggesting that pedophilia is best described as a "disconnection syndrome" (Cantor 2008). This could also explain why males are more likely to be pedophiles, given that women usually have better hemispheric dialogue within their brains.

Neurologists believe the widespread nature of the difference suggests that these brain differences cause rather than are caused by pedophilia. Interestingly enough, these sections of the brain are not specifically related to impulsivity or self-control, suggesting that pedophiles' general arousal cues are different than those of the rest of the population, not that they are less able to control themselves. "If pedophilic men do suffer from a neurological problem in self-control, it is likely to be either small or a type of problem that is invisible to conventional MRI" (Cantor 2008). Another surprising finding was that the distinctions between the two groups (pedophiles and non-pedophiles) were relatively moderate in nature. Although pedophilia would be classified as an 'extreme' crime beyond the pale of humanity on a cross-cultural basis, the lack of brain connectivity was not in substantial deviation from normal patterns in non-pedophiles, although the difference was measurable.