Organisms living inside the gut of psychopaths could be the drivers of bad, sinful behaviour and conduct, claim scientists

In one of the first studies of its kind, scientists have claimed that the organisms living inside the gut of psychopaths may be the drivers of their peculiar behaviour. The research team has claimed that they have discovered a link between the specific balance of microflora in the gut and psychopathic behaviour.As detailed in the yet-to-be-peer-reviewed study published in Translational Psychiatry, a team of researchers led by University of Porto biomedical scientist Carolina Costa said they’ve found the first-ever evidence of how microbiota could influence traits linked to psychopathy. Psychopathy is considered a controversial personality construct characterised by lack of empathy, poor behaviour control as well as antisocial and in extreme cases, criminal behaviour. It is important to understand that having some psychopathic traits does not automatically mean that a person is violent or criminal.As Science Alert points out, previous research has found that psychopaths can share similar brain structures, including pathways in the prefrontal cortex. The latest paper, however, suggests those links could even extend into the microbiome.A gut connection?The gut is home to trillions of ...