When kids go bad

There is growing public concern over crime and antisocial behaviour among young people. Scientists have started to unravel what goes wrong when kids go bad and develop new methods to nip teenage crime in the bud. Cognitive deficits that predispose kids to violent crime may be acquired in early life through poor nutrition, birth complications or low birth weight. Minor physical anomalies such as low-seated ears or furrowed tongues which may be connected to poor neural development or damage, may also be a sign. Now researchers are beginning to unravel how specific genes and the social environment interact to produce changes in the brain that influence emotional control and violence in kids. Scientists have identified the gene for the enzyme monoamine oxidase A. Variants of MAO-A have been linked with aggression in both animals and humans.