Syndrome E on TF1: does this pathology really exist?

Last Thursday, TF1 released the thriller Syndrome E, adapted from the novel of the same name by Frank Tillez, in which two police officers, played by Vincent Elbaz and Jennifer Dekker from the Comédie-Française, team up to solve a complicated case. Together, they will have to track down the origin of the evil that may be connected to the E syndrome…

In 1997, the American neurosurgeon and psychiatrist, Itzhak Fried, first proposed the theory that this disease is related to the cerebral cortex. This great name in neurosurgery was thus published in the journal lancet An analysis of the prevalence of violence in genocides to explain how a group of previously nonviolent individuals can become “as repeated killers of vulnerable members of society“.

“This transformation is characterized by a set of symptoms and signs that lead to the common syndrome, E. Mood disturbances and inability to adapt to stimulus/reinforcement associations.”

From a neurological point of view, these behaviors would be associated with hyperactivity of the orbitofrontal cortex, the front part of the brain, resulting in “cognitive impairment“. An individual with E syndrome will then no longer receive the messages that their body is sending out, be it panic, fear, or even distress due to the distress of others.

Silencing these areas of the brain transforms the individual into a killing machine. A syndrome that explains how ordinary people can turn into mass murderers if their brains are conditioned. Although this hypothesis is not yet recognized by medicine, E syndrome is still the subject of research.

Catch two new episodes of Syndrome E this Thursday from 9.10pm on TF1. Season 1 is now available to preview on the Salto platform.