Scan breakthrough means suicidal tendencies can be mapped in brain
♦ On the surface these two brains look broadly the same, but delve deeper and there are some disquieting differences.
For the first time, scientists have discovered that suicidal tendencies can be identified by the activity of neurons, in a major breakthrough which could help doctors determine who is at risk of taking their own life.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh in the US, discovered that the brains of people who are suicidal react very differently when processing emotive concepts such as death.
More than 6,000 people take their own life in Britain each year, and suicide is the leading cause of death in young people between 20 and 34. But using brain imaging technology, scientists were able to predict with 94 per cent accuracy who was suicidal. The team hope it will help save lives.