Dr. James Fallon, the neuroscientist who discovered he was a psychopath, takes to the MSF stage!
Dr. James Fallon recently took to the Pearl Stable stage to dazzle us with an out of this world story. Dr. Fallon, a neuroscientist by training, is now professor of psychiatry and human behavior and emeritus professor of anatomy and neurobiology in the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. His research interests include neuroanatomy, higher brain functions and brain imaging. He has made significant contributions in several neuroscientific subjects, including discoveries of growth factors in the brain and their impact on stimulating adult stem cells in an injured brain. His research has contributed advancements in fields such as schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, drug addiction and imaging genetics.
In addition to his neuroscience research, he regularly presents and writes on topics ranging from art and the brain all the way to the brains of psychopath. His own personal story, The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist’s Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain, relates his own neurological and genetic correlates to psychopathic brains and he has categorized himself as a “pro-social psychopath”. This work has been documented in numerous TV shows and appearances. His own self-awareness has led him to research the three pillars of psychopathy: specific brain structure characteristics, specific genetic features, and a traumatic event in childhood. He has the first two but lived a happy childhood and now maintains a happy personal life.
His own personal story is interwoven in his presentation and will make us think more critically about our lives and our relationships. Dr. Fallon’s family tree is composed of a line of Cornells that includes seven alleged murderers, including Lizzy Borden. His experiences sit right on the edge of what your environment can do to you. We will enjoy an evening with Dr. Fallon as we grow to think about personality traits in everyone we see now, all the way from our angry bosses at work to the current US Presidential candidates.
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