Brain Scans in the Courtroom

A recent online article pointed out the fact that medicine and law aren't as far apart these days as they might have been in the past. More specifically, the article looks at how brain scans are being used in court cases as indicators of different aspects of the crime under trial. For example, a brain scan may be used in a criminal case to show that the defendant likely suffers from a medical disease that impaired his or her judgment in the situation leading to the trial. It has been suggested that brain scans may also be used to determine whether or not someone is suffering from physical pain elsewhere in the body. If this aspect of imaging does indeed develop, it would be possible for personal injury lawyers to make use of brain scans to show that individuals claiming injury are indeed suffering from pain in the body. There are many different things that hinder the development of using brain scans in the courtroom. Most importantly, the technology that imaging doctors are so familiar with isn't commonly understood by the average jury member. However, we are seeing an increasing number of cases in which brain scans may be used to make or break a case in the courtroom. Next thing you know we'll be using MRIs as lie detectors! Question of the Day: Do you approve of the use of brain scans in proving or disproving information presented in criminal trials?

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