Can a blow to the head influence a person’s political interest?

Is it possible for a traumatic brain event to influence an individual’s political engrossment? According to a study published in the journal Brain, led by Northwestern University and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, the connection is evident. By analysing veterans of the Vietnam War, with and without brain injuries, researchers identified brain networks that regulate political passion.

The study, conducted between 2008 and 2012, was helmed by Jordan Grafman, professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and director of brain injury research at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. His team analysed the brain activity of 124 male U.S. military veterans 40 – 45 years after their injury, where they were asked about their current and pre-injury political interests.

Prior to questioning, the scientists mapped brain lesions using lesion network mapping, a neuroimaging technique, to identify circuits influencing political beliefs. Their study led to interesting conclusions – that those who experienced damage to prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that contributes heavily to decision making and cognitive control, had increased political feeling, while those who suffered damage to the amygdala, the part of the brain that regulates emotions, had the opposite affect.

“While most people have not sustained brain injuries akin to those experienced by the veterans in the study, our findings tell us what neural circuits are at play for the population at large,” Grafman said. “We didn’t find brain networks tied to liberal or conservative ideology, but we identified circuits that influence the intensity of political engagement across the political spectrum. This suggests that factors like emotion shape how pre-existing political beliefs are expressed, rather than determining ideology itself.” 

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