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Scientists have attempted to delve into the minds of killers to find out how they can justify their violent crimes.

Brain scans have pinpointed a region called the lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), which is activated based on whether or not some feels the crime is justified.

Researchers claim the results could provide important insights into how people in certain situations, such as war, are able to commit extreme violence against others.

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Brain scans have pinpointed a region called the lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), pictured in green, which is activated based on whether or not some feels the crime is justified

The study, led by Monash University, involved asking volunteers to play video games in which they imagined themselves to be shooting innocent civilians or enemy soldiers.

Dr Pascal Molenberghs recorded their brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while they played.

'When participants imagined themselves shooting civilians compared to soldiers, greater activation was found in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), an important brain area involved in making moral decisions,' Dr Molenberghs said.

'The more guilt participants felt about shooting civilians, the greater the response in the lateral OFC. When shooting enemy soldiers, no activation was seen in lateral OFC.'

The results show that the neural mechanisms that are typically implicated with harming others become less active when the violence against a particular group is seen as justified.

Jim Fallon's TED Talk, 'Exploring the mind of a killer'

The results show that the neural mechanisms that are typically implicated with harming others become less active when the violence against a particular group is seen as justified 

'The findings show that when a person is responsible for what they see as justified or unjustified violence, they will have different feelings of guilt associated with that,' Dr Molenberghs said.

'For the first time we can see how this guilt relates to specific brain activation.'

The researchers now hope to investigate how people become desensitised to violence and how personality and group membership of both perpetrator and victim influence these processes.

The study follows separate research last year which found most acts of violence come from a very the desire to do the right thing.

Their study argued that many violent attacks are committed as a form of retribution, with the aggressor feeling as though they must commit the crime.

'When someone does something to hurt themselves or other people, or to kill somebody, they usually do so because they think they have to,' Professor Alan Fiske of the University of California said.

'They think they should do it, that it's the right thing to do, that they ought to do it and that it's morally necessary.'

They say they arrived at their conclusion after analysing a wide array of previous research on violence, including thousands of interviews with violent offenders.

NEUROLOGIST DISCOVERS 'DARK PATCH' INSIDE KILLLERS' BRAINS 

German neurologist Dr Gergard Roth claims to have found the 'evil patch' in the brain's central lobe (ringed) that lurks in violent criminals

Last year, a German neurologist claimed to have found the area of the brain where 'evil' lurks in killers, rapists and robbers.

Bremen scientist Dr Gerhard Roth said the 'evil patch' lies in the brain's central lobe and shows up as a dark mass on X-rays.

He discovered it when investigating violent convicted offenders over the years for German government studies.

'We showed these people short films and measured their brain waves,' he said.

'Whenever there were brutal and squalid scenes the subjects showed no emotions. In the areas of the brain where we create compassion and sorrow, nothing happened.'

The dark mass at the front of the brain, he says, appears in all scans of people with records for criminal violence.

His research has led him to believe that some criminals have a 'genetic predisposition' to violence.

He added: 'When you look at the brain scans of hardened criminals, there are almost always severe shortcomings in the lower forehead part of the brain.

'There are cases where someone becomes criminal as a result of a tumour or an injury in that area, and after an operation to remove the tumour, that person was completely normal again.

'Or there are physiological deficits, because certain substances such as serotonin in the forebrain are not working effectively.

'But this is definitely the region of the brain where evil is formed and where it lurks.'