| Special Workshop Title: | Cognitive Science, Ethics and Law |
| Author: | Prof. Dr. Schwintowski |
| Paper Title: | Towards a Neurology of Law |
| Abstract: |
Recent functional
neuroimaging studies suggest that ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC),
left posterior superior temporal sulcus (STS) and posterior cingulate
cortex are engaged during moral decision-making on complex dilemmatic or
salient emotional stimuli. In this fMRI study we investigated which of
these brain regions are activated during simple ethical decision-making
about unambiguous scenarios that do not contain direct bodily harm or
violence. Simple moral decisions compared to semantic decisions resulted
in activation of left posterior STS and middle temporal gyrus, bilateral
temporal poles and left lateral PFC as well as bilateral vmPFC. These
results thus suggest that posterior STS and vmPFC are a common neuronal
substrate of ethical decisions independent of stimulus material, the
degree of emotional involvement and ethical complexity. |
This page was last updated on: 2003-05-04.