Over time, increasing numbers of criminal actions, violence, murders, and other crimes in the United States have been linked to perpetrators' psychiatric conditions. This has raised a good deal of controversy, as some believe that mental health has been used as an excuse by certain criminals to commit heinous crimes and avoid legal consequences. Nonetheless, there is some evidence of a relationship between psychiatric conditions and criminal or violent actions.

Psychopathy is a condition distinguished by abnormal behaviors focused on emotional dysfunction, behavioral issues, and unstable personality traits. Such characteristics include disinhibition, impulsivity, egocentricity, and an inability to show empathy or remorse. Individuals with psychopathic tendencies are likely to mask their personas through superficiality and charm; they can be manipulative and exploitative. Psychopathic traits also include a lack of guilt and a refusal to accept responsibility or accountability for one's actions.

Cause: The cause of psychopathy is unknown; research continues to explore its roots but a combination of genetics, brain abnormalities, and environmental and neurobiological conditions have been implicated as plausible causes in the development of psychopathic traits.

Neuroimaging has been used to study brain structure and performance in individuals with psychopathic traits. Research by Johanson et al. (2020) found reduced gray matter density, neural connections, and orbital cortex inactivity—responsible for processing emotions and empathy—in individuals with psychopathic traits. Additional neuroimaging studies have revealed anterior cingulate and inferior gyrus alterations (also responsible for processing emotions) in persons with psychopathic traits.

Other neuroscientific research suggests that genetic predispositions increase the likelihood of developing psychopathic traits. The predisposition of psychopathy is nearly 50% from parents to offspring and has been linked to abnormal glucose metabolism and opioidergic neurotransmission; some individuals with these neurobiological concerns display psychopathic characteristics and have been involved in violent acts.

Tihonen et al.'s 2020 study showed “robust alternations in the expression of several genes and immune response-related molecular pathways which were specific for psychopathy.” In addition, psychopathic traits were linked to specific upregulation (i.e., activation of the nervous........

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