By: Karla Garcia
There have been many serial killers here in America, which may cause people to wonder if there is any way we can predetermine who is a serial killer. The short answer is no, well kind of, because each killer has their individual characteristics and mental illnesses that don’t always link all of them. Mental illnesses can be indicators of certain genetic linkages, but can being a serial killer be genetic? There are some studies that indicate that High levels of MAOA and CSH13 lead to higher levels of aggression. While this isn’t a clear sign that all people who have high levels of these genes are for sure serial killers, we can at least take note of these links and compare them to various other serial killers. This reference to those genes being called “serial killer genes” might be from the show Riverdale, which claims that the one of the characters in the show carries a gene that they believe is linked to being a serial killer. While it might be a stretch, it does have some indicators that people with higher levels off these genes show more aggression which is what a serial killer shows his victims. This specific gene Many serial killers, when their brains are scanned and analyzed, show an abnormal activity in a variety of brain regions. Some of the more alarming abnormal brain activity happened in the prefrontal cortex that deals with empathy, judgment, and forethought.
Some other characteristics that they share is their lack of empathy/remorse after they kill their victims. Some earlier signs that we can see is anti-socialness, but we know that it doesn’t directly mean that they are a serial killer, but we see that in almost every serial killer. Also, many people confuse psychopathy as a direct link to serial killers, and while many serial killers are diagnosed with that it doesn’t automatically make them a serial killer. The absolutely terrifying part of all this is that we don’t really what makes serial killers do what they do, and yes, they all have their own circumstances which might explain some of their behaviors, but we cannot fully be sure. Another distinction that scientists have found when studying serial killer’s brain activity is their decreased connectivity between the amygdala, a region of the brain that processes negative stimuli and lead to fearful reactions, and the prefrontal cortex, which receives and interprets responses from the amygdala.
There are no certain characteristics or genetic links that we can see lead to being a serial killer for absolute, but we can continue to further research this topic and see if with future technology we can start seeing an indicator.
Key Words: Serial killer, mental illness, Victims, characteristics, indicators
Comments