Facing the Interface: forensic psychiatry and the law

As we know from history, in court cases experts used to be called in when the defendant showed symptoms of a psychiatric illness. This was necessary, as the law itself did not provide rules about how to define abnormality. Mental illness needed an explanation for it to fit into the framework of the criminal justice system. With the emancipation of the empirical psychology and progress in the examination of patients’ brains with modern imaging techniques, a separation has developed between the naturalistic man-oriented view of offending, and empiricism, in which facts are true if they are measured with reproducible tests. This is the case with judicial rulings about responsibility for a crime, the presence of illness at the time of the offence and the risk of recidivism concerning the length of treatment of mentally ill offenders and their targets. These aspects in the debate between the court and expert witnesses are discussed separately. The conclusion is that the field of law has been extended into the field of empirical sciences for more objectivity, and that the influence of these sciences on juridical reality can play an auxiliary role only. It is therefore necessary that judges and lawyers be trained in the use of empirical data. Still, forensic reality requires an interpretation, in which the forensic psychiatrist has different loyalties to the relevant parties in the court proceedings. But he is above all a medical man with ethical restrictions

Endocrine markers of puberty timing and antisocial behaviour in girls and boys

Background: Early puberty is associated with higher than average risk of antisocial behaviour, both in girls and boys. Most studies of such association, however, have focused on psychosocial mediating and moderating factors. Few refer to coterminous hormonal measures. Aim: The aim of this review is to consider the role of hormonal markers as potential mediating or moderating factors between puberty timing and antisocial behaviour. Method: A systematic literature search was conducted searching Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, Psycinfo, Cochrane and Google Scholar. Results: Just eight studies were found to fit criteria, all cross-sectional. Measurements were too heterogeneous to allow meta-analysis. The most consistent associations found were between adrenal hormones—both androgens and cortisol—which were associated with early adrenarche and antisocial behaviours in girls and later adrenarche and antisocial behaviour in boys. Conclusions: The findings from our review suggest that longitudinal studies to test bidirectional hormone–behaviour associations with early or late puberty would be worthwhile. In view of the interactive processes between hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal and hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal

Integrating Neuroscience in Criminal Law: The Dutch Situation as an Example

Empirical findings demonstrate that neuroscientific expertise is increasingly prevalent in courtrooms. This suggests that both “territorial conflicts” between law and neuroscience—- for example about how to conceptualize concepts like culpability—and questions regarding the integration of neuroscience and law, which both have long been present in theoretical discussions, are now finding their way to legal practice. As jurisdictions around the globe differ on multiple dimensions (e.g., on how concepts like culpability are conceptualized, embedded in legal doctrine, and how integration of neuroscience takes place within (procedural) legal frameworks) analyses on a national level are needed next to universal endeavors. In this article, the Dutch situation will be addressed. First, we will assess whether the theoretical notions underlying Dutch criminal law are compatible with the theore

Аналіз кількісних та якісних характеристик динаміки наукових кадрів вищої кваліфікації України

Обговорюється проблема кількісних характеристик та індикаторів якості науково-кадрового потенціалу науки, методики їх оцінки. Наведено кількісну оцінку динаміки та сучасного стану науково-кадрового потенціалу вищої кваліфікації України, оцінку динаміки та сучасного стану його якісних показників.Обсуждается проблема количественных характеристик и индикаторов качества научно-кадрового потенциала науки, методики их оценки. Приведены количественная оценка динамики и современного состояния научно -кадрового потенциала высшей квалификации Украины, оценка динамики и современного состояния его качественных показателей.The discussion concerns the problem of quantitative parameters and indicators reflecting the quality of R&D personnel, and their measurement methodology. A quantitative measure is given of the dynamics, current conditions and qualitative indicators of the Ukrainian R&D personnel of the highest qualification

Oxytocin moderates the association between testosterone-cortisol ratio and trustworthiness:A randomized placebo-controlled study

Oxytocin has been proposed to enhance feelings of trust, however, these findings have been difficult to replicate. Environmental or hormonal factors might influence this association. We studied whether oxytocin moderates the association between the testosterone-cortisol ratio, which is associated with risk taking behavior and aggression, and trustworthiness, while controlling for the general level of trust. A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study with 53 healthy males was performed in which 32IU oxytocin (n = 27) or placebo (n = 26) was administered intranasally. Participants subsequently played the Trust Game in which they were allocated to the role of trustee. In the third phase of the Trust Game, we found a positive association between the testosterone-cortisol-ratio and the proportion of the amount that is returned to the investor (P=<0.01). However, administration of oxytocin reduced reciprocity in those with a high testosterone-cortisol ratio after reciprocity restoration (a significant interaction effect between administration of oxytocin and the testosterone-cortisol ratio in the third phase of the Trust Game, P = 0.015). The third phase of the Trust Game represents the restoration of reciprocity and trustworthiness, after this is violated in the second phase. Therefore, our data suggest that oxytocin might hinder the restoration of trustworthiness and diminish risk-taking behavior when trust is violated, especially in those who are hormonally prone to risk-taking behavior by a high testosterone-cortisol ratio