Predicting Violent Behavior: What Can Neuroscience Add?

Russell A Poldrack; John Monahan; Peter B Imrey; Valerie Reyna; Marcus E Raichle; David Faigman; Joshua W Buckholtz

doi:10.1016/j.tics.2017.11.003

Predicting Violent Behavior: What Can Neuroscience Add?

Trends Cogn Sci. 2018 Feb;22(2):111-123. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2017.11.003. Epub 2017 Nov 25.

Authors

Russell A Poldrack¹, John Monahan², Peter B Imrey³, Valerie Reyna⁴, Marcus E Raichle⁵, David Faigman⁶, Joshua W Buckholtz⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. Electronic address: poldrack@stanford.edu.
² School of Law, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
³ Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.
⁴ Human Neuroscience Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
⁵ Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA.
⁶ University of California Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco, CA, USA.
⁷ Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.

Abstract

The ability to accurately predict violence and other forms of serious antisocial behavior would provide important societal benefits, and there is substantial enthusiasm for the potential predictive accuracy of neuroimaging techniques. Here, we review the current status of violence prediction using actuarial and clinical methods, and assess the current state of neuroprediction. We then outline several questions that need to be addressed by future studies of neuroprediction if neuroimaging and other neuroscientific markers are to be successfully translated into public policy.

Keywords: crime; machine learning; neuroimaging; predictive modeling; violence.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Antisocial Personality Disorder / diagnosis*
Humans
Neurosciences*
Violence*

Grants and funding

R01 NR014368/NR/NINR NIH HHS/United States