In determining punishment, an actor's mental state often trumps the impact of emotions, as unintended harms may go unpunished, regardless of their magnitude. Using fMRI, the authors reveal a temporoparietal-medial-prefrontal circuit that regulates amygdala activity and by which evaluation of a transgressor's mental state gates our emotional urges to punish.
- Michael T Treadway
- Joshua W Buckholtz
- René Marois
