Introduction to a Special Issue

For centuries, Anglo-American jurisprudence has looked to one form or another of what today would be called neuropsychiatric evidence—evidence linking not just the mind but also the brain and central nervous system to criminal legal issues such as mens rea, insanity, and culpability, among others. More recently, but still many decades back, our legal system has relied upon neuropsychiatric evidence to help resolve civil legal issues such as damages in tort lawsuits. As neuroscience and neuropsychiatric practice has become exponentially more sophisticated and objective in recent decades, this progress has had a major impact on forensic psychiatry and neuropsychiatric evidence has comes to play an even greater role than ever before in the adjudication of legal cases. This issue of Behavioral Sciences and the Law provides an up-to-date snapshot of the ever-expanding contributions neuropsychiatry is now making not only in assisting in the resolution of individual legal disputes but also in bringing about substantive (and in some cases Constitutional) changes in the law itself. Defenses in Persons with Neuropsychiatric Disorders Forensic Neuropsychiatric Evaluation of Personal Injury Cases Neurobiological Evidence and Criminal Competencies Neurobiological Evidence in Sentencing Mitigation Forensic Psychiatric Issues in Intellectual Disability Somatoform and Functional Neurological Disorders Forensic Neuropsychiatric Aspects of Epilepsy Forensic Neuropsychiatric Aspects of Sleep Neuropsychological Testing and Assessment Malingering and Deception Forensic Neuropsychiatric Report Writing Neuroethics and Neurolaw in Forensic Neuropsychiatry Editor's Note At the request of Manish Fozdar, M.D., this issue is dedicated to Robert P. Granacher, M.D. Dr. Granacher has been a pioneer in forensic neuropsychiatry. He started working in this field in the 1970s and made significant contributions to its advancement until his recent retirement. He has written a seminal textbook on clinical and forensic assessment of traumatic brain injury, which has three editions. He has generously mentored many students and aspiring forensic psychiatrists over time

Neuropsychiatry · Psychiatry · Medicine · Mental Health and Psychiatry · Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations · Psychology