The Frontal Cortex and §7-examinations: A literature review of frontal assessment

Abstract: Various neuropsychological problems can arise if some part of the brain is damaged. The prefrontal cortex is a cortical region responsible for behavioural inhibition, emotional control, and decision making and if damaged, individuals can display disinhibited behaviour, emotional impairments, and difficulty in decision making. The prefrontal cortex is not fully developed in humans until well into adolescence, which may be a cause for teenagers generally impulsive behaviour. The §7-examination is a preliminary assessment, which purpose is to determine if the offender was mentally sane during the criminal deed and/or is in need of forensic psychiatric care. The examination takes one to two hours to complete and is based on a single conversation with the offender. This thesis aims to identify what type of quantifiable test that could be incorporated into the §7-examination to increase its accuracy with regard to the problems that can arise with prefrontal damage and adolescents. The results are inconclusive, but the Iowa Gambling Task might be a possible candidate to incorporate into the §7-examination.