Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse how novel homicide defences predicated on contemporary neuroscience align with legal insanity.

Design/methodology/approach

Doctrinal analysis, systematic investigation of relevant statutes and cases, was used to elucidate how the law of insanity is evolving. Cases represent the first recorded instance of a particular neuroscientific defence. US appellate cases were categorised according to the mechanism of action of neurotransmitter relied upon in court. A case study approach was also used to provide a contextualised understanding of the case outcome in depth.

Findings

Findings broadly depict how the employment of expert testimony runs parallel with our contemporary understanding of key neurotransmitters and their function in human behaviour. Generally, medico-legal evidence concerning neuromodulating agents and violent behaviour was inconclusive. However, the outcome of defence strategy may depend on the underlying neurotransmitter involved.

Practical implications

This study shows that as more discoveries are made about the neurobiological underpinnings of human behaviour; this new knowledge will continue to seep into the US court system as innovative defence strategies with varying success. Medical and legal practitioners may gauge the success of a defence depending on the neuromodulating agent.

Originality/value

Many scholars have focused on the role of neuroimaging as neuroscientific evidence and how it is used is shaping US criminal jurisprudence. To the best of the author’s knowledge, no study has incorporated the true origin of neuroscientific evidence as being underpinned by the understanding of neurotransmitters.

中文翻译：

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美国法院的脑科学：罪魁祸首的神经递质

目的

本文的目的是分析基于当代神经科学的新型杀人案辩护如何与法律精神错乱相一致。

设计/方法/途径

理论分析，对相关法规和案例的系统调查，被用来阐明精神错乱法是如何演变的。案例代表了特定神经科学防御的第一个记录实例。美国上诉案件根据法院所依赖的神经递质的作用机制进行分类。案例研究方法也被用来提供对案例结果的深入理解。

发现

调查结果广泛描述了专家证词的使用如何与我们当代对关键神经递质及其在人类行为中的功能的理解并行。一般来说，关于神经调节剂和暴力行为的医学法律证据尚无定论。然而，防御策略的结果可能取决于所涉及的潜在神经递质。

实际影响

这项研究表明，随着对人类行为的神经生物学基础的更多发现；这种新知识将作为创新的辩护策略继续渗透到美国法院系统中，并取得不同程度的成功。医学和法律从业者可以根据神经调节剂来衡量防御的成功与否。

原创性/价值

许多学者关注神经成像作为神经科学证据的作用，以及它的使用方式正在塑造美国的刑事判例。据作者所知，没有研究将神经科学证据的真正起源纳入对神经递质的理解的支持。