Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-18T02:01:46.982Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Brain, Mind and Behaviour

Some Medico-legal Aspects

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Peter Fenwick*
Affiliation:
The Maudsley Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AZ

Abstract

The advent of new imaging techniques is broadening our understanding of the major psychiatric illnesses. The increased knowledge of brain function will have consequences for the expert medical witness who has to give evidence in court. Both the insanity defence and the defence of automatism depend on disorders of the mind. Psychiatry is now able in many cases to produce evidence that these are consequent upon disorders of the brain. In presenting evidence in court there is an apparent conflict between ‘brain words' and ‘mind words'.

Type
Lecture
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1993 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Besson, J. A., Crawford, J. R., Parker, D. M., et al (1990) Multimodal imaging in Alzheimer's disease. The relationship between MRI, SPECT, cognitive and pathological changes. British Journal of Psychiatry, 157, 216220.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Binnie, C., Channon, S. & Marston, D. (1991) Behavioural correlates of inter-ictal spikes. In Advances in Neurology. Neurobehavioural Problems in Epilepsy (eds Smith, D., Trieman, D. Trimble, A. M.), Vol. 55, pp. 113127. New York: Raven Press.Google Scholar
Bratty V. A. G. for Northern Ireland (1963) Appeal Cases 386.Google Scholar
Eichelman, B. (1987) Neurochemical and psychopharmacological aspects of aggressive behaviour. In Psychopharmacology: the Third Generation of Progress (ed. Meltzer, H.), pp. 697704. New York: Raven Press.Google Scholar
Eichelman, B. (1990) Neurochemical bases of aggressive behaviour; bridges between preclinical and clinical findings. In Depression, Anxiety and Aggression. Factors that Influence the Course (eds Swinkles, J. A. & Blijlevan, W.), pp. 173193. Medidact. b.v.i.o. Peppelkade 2C Houten.Google Scholar
Eisenberg, H. & Levin, H. (1989) Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging in mild to moderate head injuries. In Mild Head Injury (eds Levin, H., Eisenberg, H. & Benton, A.), pp. 133141. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Engel, J., Bandler, R., Griffiths, N., et al (1991) Neurobiological evidence for epilepsy-induced ictal disturbances. In Advances in Neurology, Neurobehavioural Problems in Epilepsy (eds Smith, D., Trieman, D. & Trimble, M.), Vol. 55, pp. 97113. New York: Raven Press.Google Scholar
Fenwick, P. (1986a) Is dyscontrol epilepsy? In What is Epilepsy? (eds Reynolds, E. & Trimble, M.). Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.Google Scholar
Fenwick, P. (1986b) Murdering while asleep. British Medical Journal, ii, 574575.Google Scholar
Fenwick, P. (1987) Somnambulism and the law: a review. Behavioural Sciences and the Law, 5, 343357.Google Scholar
Fenwick, P. (1990a) Automatism. In Principles and Practice of Forensic Psychiatry (eds Bluglass, R., Bowden, P. & Walker, N.), pp. 271286. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.Google Scholar
Fenwick, P. (1990b) The use of magnetoencephalography in neurology. In Advances in Neurology, Vol. 54: Magnetoencephalography (ed. Sato, S.), pp. 271282. New York: Raven Press.Google Scholar
Libet, B. (1993) Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Consciousness (CIBA Foundation Symposium 174), pp. 123146. Chichester: J. Wiley.Google Scholar
Mayberg, H. S. (1992) Functional brain scans as evidence in Criminal Court: an argument for caution. Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 33, 18, 19, 25.Google ScholarPubMed
Miller, R. D. (1990) Who's afraid of forensic psychiatry? Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry Law, 18, 235247.Google ScholarPubMed
Miller, B. L., Cummings, J. L., Villanueva-Meyer, J., et al (1991) Frontal lobe degeneration: clinical, neuropsychological and SPECT characteristics. Neurology, 41, 13741382.Google Scholar
Olivier, B. & Moss, J. (1990) Serotonin, serenics and aggressive behaviour in animals. In Depression, Anxiety and Aggression. Factors that Influence the Course (eds Swinkles, J. A. & Blijlevan, W.), pp. 133165. Medidact. b.v.i.o. Peppelkade 2C Houten.Google Scholar
R. v. Burgess (1991) Law Reports, Queen's Bench. Vol. 2, p. 92.Google Scholar
R. v. Charlson (1955) 1 WLR 317: 1 All ER 859.Google Scholar
R. v. Kemp (1957) 1 Queens Bench 339: (1956) 3 WLR 724: (1956) 3 All ER 249.Google Scholar
R. v. Parker (1992) Supreme Court of Canada.Google Scholar
R. v. Sullivan (1984) AC 156: (1983) 3 WLR 123: (1983) 2 All ER 673.Google Scholar
Ricci, G. B. (1990) Italian contributions to magnetoencephalographic studies of the epilepsies. In Advances in Neurology, Vol. 54: Magnetoencephalography (ed. Sato, S.), pp. 247260. New York: Raven Press.Google Scholar
Shagass, C. (1977) Twisted thoughts, twisted brain waves? In Psychopathology in Brain Dysfunction (eds Shagass, C., Gershon, S. & Friedhof, A.), pp. 353378. New York: Raven Press.Google Scholar
Small, J. G. (1970) Small sharp spikes in a psychiatric population. Archives of General Psychiatry, 22, 277284.Google Scholar
Sutherling, W. W. & Bath, D. S. (1990) Magnetoencephalography in clinical epilepsy studies. The UCLA experience. In Advances in Neurology, Vol. 54: Magnetoencephalography (ed. Sato, S.), pp. 231245. New York: Raven Press.Google Scholar
Struve, F. A., Saraf, K. R., Arko, R. S., et al (1977) Relationship between paroxysmal electroencephalographs dysrhythmia and suicide ideation and attempts in psychiatric patients. In Psychopathology and Brain Dysfunction (eds Shagass, C., Gershon, S. & Friedhof, J.), pp. 199221. New York: Raven Press.Google Scholar
Szelies, B., Herholz, K., Pawlik, G., et al (1991) Widespread functional effects of discrete thalamic infarction. Archives of Neurology, 48, 178182.Google Scholar
Traskman-Bendz, L. (1990) Biochemical and pharmacological aspects of suicidal behaviour. In Depression, Anxiety and Aggression. Factors that Influence the Course (eds Swinkles, J. A. & Blijlevan, W.), pp. 121131. Medidact. b.v.i.o. Peppelkade 2C Houten.Google Scholar
van Praag, H. M. (1991) Serotonergic dysfunction and aggression control. Psychological Medicine, 21, 1519.Google Scholar
Vieth, J. B. (1990) Magnetoencephalography in the study of stroke (cerebrovascular accident). In Advances in Neurology, Vol. 54: Magnetoencephalography (ed. Sato, S.), pp. 261269. New York: Raven Press.Google Scholar
Virkkunen, M. (1992) Brain serotonin and violent behaviour. Journal of Forensic Psychiatry, 3, 171174.Google Scholar
Wieser, H. G., Elger, C. E. & Stodieck, S. R. (1985) The ‘foramen ovale electrode’: a new recording method for the preoperative evaluation of patients suffering from mesio-basal temporal lobe epilepsy. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 61, 314322.Google Scholar
Williamson, P. D., Wieser, H. & Delgado-Escueta, A. V. (1987) Clinical characteristics of partial seizures. In Surgical Treatment of the Epilepsies (ed. Engel, J.), pp. 101120. New York: Raven Press.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.