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Wang YM, Wang Y, Cao Q, Zhang M. Aberrant brain structure in patients with schizophrenia and violence: A meta-analysis. J Psychiatr Res 2023; 164:447-453. [PMID: 37433247 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.06.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have indicated that schizophrenia is associated with an increased risk of violence, which may constitute a public health concern, leading to poor treatment outcomes and stigmatization of patients. Investigating brain structural features of violence in schizophrenia could help us understand its specific pathogenesis and find effective biomarkers. Our study aimed at identifying reliable brain structural changes associated with violence in patients with schizophrenia by conducting a meta-analysis and meta-regression of magnetic resonance imaging studies. Specific brain changes in patients with schizophrenia and violence (VSZ) were studied, compared with patients with schizophrenia and violence (VSZ), patients with non-violent schizophrenia (NVSZ), and individuals with a history of violence only and health controls. Primary outcomes revealed that there was no significant difference of gray matter volume between patients with VSZ and patient with NVSZ. Compared with controls, patients with VSZ exhibited decreased gray matter volume in the insula, the superior temporal gyrus (STG), the left inferior frontal gyrus, the left parahippocampus, and the right putamen. Compared with individuals with a history of violence only, patients with VSZ exhibited decreased volume in the right insula and the right STG. Meta-regression analysis revealed a negative correlation between the duration of schizophrenia and the volume of the right insula in patients with VSZ. These findings may suggest a shared neurobiological basis for both violence and psychiatric symptoms. The impaired frontotemporal-limbic network may serve as a neurobiological basis for higher prevalence of violent behaviour in patients with schizophrenia. However, it is important to note that these changes are not unique to patients with VSZ. Further investigation is needed to explore the neural mechanism that drive the interaction between violent behaviour and specific aggression-related dimensions of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Ming Wang
- School of Biology & Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Ying Wang
- School of Biology & Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Qun Cao
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, 3700 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA
| | - Meng Zhang
- Beijing HuiLongGuan Hospital, Peking University HuiLongGuan Clinical Medical School, Beijing, 100096, China.
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Wiechert J, Janzen A, Achtziger A, Fehr T. Neural Correlates of Decisions in Quasi-Realistic, Affective Social Interactions in Individuals With Violence-Related Socialization. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:713311. [PMID: 34744650 PMCID: PMC8566670 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.713311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Appropriate social behavior in aggressive-provocative interactions is a prerequisite for a peaceful life. In previous research, the dysfunctions of the control of aggression were suggested to be modulated by enhanced bottom-up (sub-cortically driven) and reduced top-down (iso-cortical frontal) processing capability. In the present study, two groups of individuals with enhanced (EG) and normal (NG) experiences of violent acts during their socialization made binary behavioral decisions in quasi-realistic social interactions. These interactions were presented in short video clips taken from a first-person perspective. The video clips showed social interaction scenarios oriented on realistic everyday life situations. The behavioral data supported the distinct affective qualities of three categories of social interactions. These categories were labeled as aggressive–provocative, social–positive, and neutral–social interactions. Functional neuroimaging data showed extended activation patterns and higher signal intensity for the NG compared to the EG in the lateral inferior frontal brain regions for the aggressive provocative interactions. Furthermore, the peri-aqueductal gray (PAG) produced enhanced activations for the affective interaction scenarios (i.e., aggressive-provocative and social-positive) in both groups and as a trend with the medium effect size for the neutral interactions in the EG. As the individuals in the EG did not show open aggression during the functional MRIA (fMRI) investigation, we concluded that they applied individual self-control strategies to regulate their aggressive impulses immediately. These strategies appeared to be top-down regulated through the dorsal frontal brain areas. The predominant recruitment of the heteromodal cortices during the neural processing of complex social interactions pointed to the important role of the learning history of individuals and their socialization with differing levels of violent experiences as crucial modulators in convicts. Our data suggest that building or strengthening the association between prototypical social contexts (e.g., aggressive-provocative interactions) and appropriate behaviors as a response to it provides a promising approach to successfully re-socialize people with a delinquent history.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Axel Janzen
- Correctional and Rehabilitation Center (Justizvollzugsanstalt, JVA) Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Anja Achtziger
- Department of Political and Social Sciences, Zeppelin University, Friedrichshafen, Germany
| | - Thorsten Fehr
- Center for Advanced Imaging Bremen/Magdeburg, Bremen, Germany.,Department of Neuropsychology, Center for Cognitive Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
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Neural networks of aggression: ALE meta-analyses on trait and elicited aggression. Brain Struct Funct 2018; 224:133-148. [PMID: 30291479 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-018-1765-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2018] [Accepted: 09/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
There is considerable evidence that emotion dysregulation and self-control impairments lead to escalated aggression in populations with psychiatric disorders. However, convergent quantitative evidence on the neural network explaining how aggression arises is still lacking. To address this gap, peak activations extracted from extant functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies were synthesized through coordinate-based meta-analyses. A systematic search in the PubMed database was conducted and 26 fMRI studies met the inclusion criteria. Three separate activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analyses were performed on (1) individual differences in trait aggression (TA) studies, (2) individual differences in TA studies examining executive functioning, and (3) elicited aggression (EA) studies across fMRI behavioral paradigms. Ensuing clusters from ALE meta-analyses were further treated as seeds for follow-up investigations on consensus connectivity networks (CCN) delineated from meta-analytic connectivity modeling (MACM) and resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) to further characterize their physiological functions. Finally, we obtained a data-driven functional characterization of the ensuing clusters and their networks. This approach offers a boarder view of the ensuing clusters using a boarder network perspective. In TA, aberrant brain activations were found only in the right precuneus. Follow-up analyses revealed that the precuneus seed was within the frontal-parietal network (FPN) associated with action inhibition, visuospatial processing and higher-level cognition. With further restricting to only experiments examining executive functioning, convergent evidence was found in the right rolandic operculum (RO), midcingulate cortex (MCC), precentral gyrus (PrG) and precuneus. Follow-up analyses suggested that RO, MCC and PrG may belong to a common cognitive control network, while the MCC seems to be the hub of this network. In EA, we only revealed a convergent region in the left postcentral gyrus. Follow-up CCN analyses and functional characterizations suggested that this region may also belong to the same cognitive control network found in the TA sub-analysis. Our results suggested that escalated aggression arises from abnormal precuneus activities within the FPN, disrupting the recruitment of other large-scale networks such as adaptive cognitive control network. Consequently, failure to recruit such a network results in an inability to generate adaptive responses, increasing the likelihood of acting aggressively.
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Sedgwick O, Young S, Baumeister D, Greer B, Das M, Kumari V. Neuropsychology and emotion processing in violent individuals with antisocial personality disorder or schizophrenia: The same or different? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2017; 51:1178-1197. [PMID: 28992741 DOI: 10.1177/0004867417731525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To assess whether there are shared or divergent (a) cognitive and (b) emotion processing characteristics among violent individuals with antisocial personality disorder and/or schizophrenia, diagnoses which are commonly encountered at the interface of mental disorder and violence. Cognition and emotion processing are incorporated into models of violence, and thus an understanding of these characteristics within and between disorder groups may help inform future models and therapeutic targets. METHODS Relevant databases (OVID, Embase, PsycINFO) were searched to identify suitable literature. Meta-analyses comparing cognitive function in violent schizophrenia and antisocial personality disorder to healthy controls were conducted. Neuropsychological studies not comparing these groups to healthy controls, and emotion processing studies, were evaluated qualitatively. RESULTS Meta-analyses indicated lower IQ, memory and executive function in both violent schizophrenia and antisocial personality disorder groups compared to healthy controls. The degree of deficit was consistently larger in violent schizophrenia. Both antisocial personality disorder and violent schizophrenia groups had difficulties in aspects of facial affect recognition, although theory of mind results were less conclusive. Psychopathic traits related positively to experiential emotion deficits across the two disorders. Very few studies explored comorbid violent schizophrenia and antisocial personality disorder despite this being common in clinical practice. CONCLUSION There are qualitatively similar, but quantitatively different, neuropsychological and emotion processing deficits in violent individuals with schizophrenia and antisocial personality disorder which could be developed into transdiagnostic treatment targets for violent behaviour. Future research should aim to characterise specific subgroups of violent offenders, including those with comorbid diagnoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ottilie Sedgwick
- 1 Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,2 Broadmoor Hospital, West London Mental Health Trust, Crowthorne, UK
| | - Susan Young
- 2 Broadmoor Hospital, West London Mental Health Trust, Crowthorne, UK.,3 Centre for Mental Health, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - David Baumeister
- 1 Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ben Greer
- 2 Broadmoor Hospital, West London Mental Health Trust, Crowthorne, UK
| | - Mrigendra Das
- 2 Broadmoor Hospital, West London Mental Health Trust, Crowthorne, UK
| | - Veena Kumari
- 4 Research and Development, Sovereign Health Group, San Clemente, CA, USA
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Lamsma J, Mackay C, Fazel S. Structural brain correlates of interpersonal violence: Systematic review and voxel-based meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies. Psychiatry Res 2017; 267:69-73. [PMID: 28772208 PMCID: PMC5670119 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2017.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2017] [Revised: 05/26/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Owing to inconsistent nomenclature and results, we have undertaken a label-based review and anatomical likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis of studies measuring the quantitative association between regional grey matter (GM) volume and interpersonal violence. Following PRISMA guidelines, we identified studies by searching 3 online databases (Embase, Medline, PsycInfo) and reference lists. Thirty-five studies were included in the label-based review, providing information for 1288 participants and 86 brain regions. Per region, 0-57% of the results indicated significant reductions in GM volume, while 0-23% indicated significant increases. The only region for which more than half of all results indicated significant reductions was the parietal lobe. However, these results were dispersed across subregions. The ALE meta-analysis, which included 6 whole-brain voxel-based morphometry studies totaling 278 participants and reporting 144 foci, showed no significant clusters of reduced GM volume. No material differences were observed when excluding experiments using reactive violence as outcome or subjects diagnosed with psychopathy. Possible explanations for these findings are phenomenological and etiological heterogeneity, and insufficient power in the label-based review and ALE meta-analysis to detect small effects. We recommend that future studies distinguish between subtypes of interpersonal violence, and investigate mediation by underlying emotional and cognitive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelle Lamsma
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Warneford Lane, OX3 7JX Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Clare Mackay
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Warneford Lane, OX3 7JX Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Seena Fazel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Warneford Lane, OX3 7JX Oxford, United Kingdom.
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Abstract
Violence is a serious public health issue across the world. This article assists clinicians in understanding the most up-to-date literature regarding structural and functional brain theories related to risk of violence. In this article, we review anatomic regions of the brain that have been implicated in violence and associated personality constructs associated with violence. We discuss different imaging techniques that have been used to uncover abnormal brain volume, associations, and functions throughout the brain in samples with violence history or risk. Finally, we discuss implications of these findings both for treatment considerations and future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delaney Smith
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 1670 Upham Drive, Suite 130, Columbus, OH 43214, USA; Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare, 2200 West Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43223, USA.
| | - Riley Smith
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Wayne State University/Beaumont, 18181 Oakwood Boulevard, Suite 411, Dearborn, MI 48124, USA
| | - Douglas Misquitta
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 1670 Upham Drive, Suite 130, Columbus, OH 43214, USA
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Raschle NM, Menks WM, Fehlbaum LV, Tshomba E, Stadler C. Structural and Functional Alterations in Right Dorsomedial Prefrontal and Left Insular Cortex Co-Localize in Adolescents with Aggressive Behaviour: An ALE Meta-Analysis. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0136553. [PMID: 26339798 PMCID: PMC4560426 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0136553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2015] [Accepted: 08/04/2015] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent neuroimaging work has suggested that aggressive behaviour (AB) is associated with structural and functional brain abnormalities in processes subserving emotion processing and regulation. However, most neuroimaging studies on AB to date only contain relatively small sample sizes. To objectively investigate the consistency of previous structural and functional research in adolescent AB, we performed a systematic literature review and two coordinate-based activation likelihood estimation meta-analyses on eight VBM and nine functional neuroimaging studies in a total of 783 participants (408 [224AB/184 controls] and 375 [215 AB/160 controls] for structural and functional analysis respectively). We found 19 structural and eight functional foci of significant alterations in adolescents with AB, mainly located within the emotion processing and regulation network (including orbitofrontal, dorsomedial prefrontal and limbic cortex). A subsequent conjunction analysis revealed that functional and structural alterations co-localize in right dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and left insula. Our results are in line with meta-analytic work as well as structural, functional and connectivity findings to date, all of which make a strong point for the involvement of a network of brain areas responsible for emotion processing and regulation, which is disrupted in AB. Increased knowledge about the behavioural and neuronal underpinnings of AB is crucial for the development of novel and implementation of existing treatment strategies. Longitudinal research studies will have to show whether the observed alterations are a result or primary cause of the phenotypic characteristics in AB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora Maria Raschle
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Clinics Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
| | - Willeke Martine Menks
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Clinics Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lynn Valérie Fehlbaum
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Clinics Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ebongo Tshomba
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Clinics Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christina Stadler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Clinics Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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9
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Howell BR, McCormack KM, Grand AP, Sawyer NT, Zhang X, Maestripieri D, Hu X, Sanchez MM. Brain white matter microstructure alterations in adolescent rhesus monkeys exposed to early life stress: associations with high cortisol during infancy. BIOLOGY OF MOOD & ANXIETY DISORDERS 2013; 3:21. [PMID: 24289263 PMCID: PMC3880213 DOI: 10.1186/2045-5380-3-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2013] [Accepted: 10/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early adverse experiences, especially those involving disruption of the mother-infant relationship, are detrimental for proper socioemotional development in primates. Humans with histories of childhood maltreatment are at high risk for developing psychopathologies including depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and behavioral disorders. However, the underlying neurodevelopmental alterations are not well understood. Here we used a nonhuman primate animal model of infant maltreatment to study the long-term effects of this early life stress on brain white matter integrity during adolescence, its behavioral correlates, and the relationship with early levels of stress hormones. METHODS Diffusion tensor imaging and tract based spatial statistics were used to investigate white matter integrity in 9 maltreated and 10 control animals during adolescence. Basal plasma cortisol levels collected at one month of age (when abuse rates were highest) were correlated with white matter integrity in regions with group differences. Total aggression was also measured and correlated with white matter integrity. RESULTS We found significant reductions in white matter structural integrity (measured as fractional anisotropy) in the corpus callosum, occipital white matter, external medullary lamina, as well as in the brainstem of adolescent rhesus monkeys that experienced maternal infant maltreatment. In most regions showing fractional anisotropy reductions, opposite effects were detected in radial diffusivity, without changes in axial diffusivity, suggesting that the alterations in tract integrity likely involve reduced myelin. Moreover, in most regions showing reduced white matter integrity, this was associated with elevated plasma cortisol levels early in life, which was significantly higher in maltreated than in control infants. Reduced fractional anisotropy in occipital white matter was also associated with increased social aggression. CONCLUSIONS These findings highlight the long-term impact of infant maltreatment on brain white matter structural integrity, particularly in tracts involved in visual processing, emotional regulation, and somatosensory and motor integration. They also suggest a relationship between elevations in stress hormones detected in maltreated animals during infancy and long-term brain white matter structural effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany R Howell
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, 101 Woodruff Circle, WMB Suite 4000, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
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Bobes MA, Ostrosky F, Diaz K, Romero C, Borja K, Santos Y, Valdés-Sosa M. Linkage of functional and structural anomalies in the left amygdala of reactive-aggressive men. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2012; 8:928-36. [PMID: 22956672 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nss101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Amygdala structural and functional abnormalities have been associated to reactive aggression in previous studies. However, the possible linkage of these two types of anomalies has not been examined. We hypothesized that they would coincide in the same localizations, would be correlated in intensity and would be mediated by reactive aggression personality traits. Here violent (n = 25) and non-violent (n = 29) men were recruited on the basis of their reactive aggression. Callous-unemotional (CU) traits were also assessed. Gray matter concentration (gmC) and reactivity to fearful and neutral facial expressions were measured in dorsal and ventral amygdala partitions. The difference between responses to fearful and neutral facial expressions was calculated (F/N-difference). Violent individuals exhibited a smaller F/N-difference and gmC in the left dorsal amygdala, where a significant coincidence was found in a conjunction analysis. Moreover, the left amygdala F/N-difference and gmC were correlated to each other, an effect mediated by reactive aggression but not by CU. The F/N-difference was caused by increased reactivity to neutral faces. This suggests that anatomical anomalies within local circuitry (and not only altered input) may underlie the amygdala hyper-reactivity to social signals which is characteristic of reactive aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- María A Bobes
- Cuban Neuroscience Center, CNEURO, Ave 25 y 158, Cubanacan, Apartado 12100, La Habana, Cuba.
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Dolan M. The neuropsychology of prefrontal function in antisocial personality disordered offenders with varying degrees of psychopathy. Psychol Med 2012; 42:1715-1725. [PMID: 22142550 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291711002686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite methodological differences between studies, it has been suggested that psychopathy may be associated with a ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) deficit and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), as classified in the DSM-IV, with a broader range of deficits in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and VMPFC function. METHOD Ninety-six male offenders with ASPD who were assessed using the psychopathy checklist: screening version (PCL:SV) and 49 male right-handed healthy controls (HCs), matched for age and IQ, completed a neuropsychological test battery. RESULTS Offenders with ASPD displayed subtle impairments on executive function tasks of planning ability and set shifting and behavioural inhibition compared to HCs. However, among the offenders with ASPD there was no significant association between executive function impairment and scores on the measure of psychopathy. CONCLUSIONS Psychopathic traits in offenders with ASPD are not associated with greater executive function impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Dolan
- Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science, Monash University, Clifton Hill, VIC, Australia.
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12
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Identification of neuronal loci involved with displays of affective aggression in NC900 mice. Brain Struct Funct 2012; 218:1033-49. [PMID: 22847115 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-012-0445-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2012] [Accepted: 07/16/2012] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Aggression is a complex behavior that is essential for survival. Of the various forms of aggression, impulsive violent displays without prior planning or deliberation are referred to as affective aggression. Affective aggression is thought to be caused by aberrant perceptions of, and consequent responses to, threat. Understanding the neuronal networks that regulate affective aggression is pivotal to development of novel approaches to treat chronic affective aggression. Here, we provide a detailed anatomical map of neuronal activity in the forebrain of two inbred lines of mice that were selected for low (NC100) and high (NC900) affective aggression. Attack behavior was induced in male NC900 mice by exposure to an unfamiliar male in a novel environment. Forebrain maps of c-Fos+ nuclei, which are surrogates for neuronal activity during behavior, were then generated and analyzed. NC100 males rarely exhibited affective aggression in response to the same stimulus, thus their forebrain c-Fos maps were utilized to identify unique patterns of neuronal activity in NC900s. Quantitative results indicated robust differences in the distribution patterns and densities of c-Fos+ nuclei in distinct thalamic, subthalamic, and amygdaloid nuclei, together with unique patterns of neuronal activity in the nucleus accumbens and the frontal cortices. Our findings implicate these areas as foci regulating differential behavioral responses to an unfamiliar male in NC900 mice when expressing affective aggression. Based on the highly conserved patterns of connections and organization of neuronal limbic structures from mice to humans, we speculate that neuronal activities in analogous networks may be disrupted in humans prone to maladaptive affective aggression.
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Anderson DJ. Optogenetics, sex, and violence in the brain: implications for psychiatry. Biol Psychiatry 2012; 71:1081-9. [PMID: 22209636 PMCID: PMC3380604 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2011] [Revised: 11/18/2011] [Accepted: 11/18/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Pathological aggression and the inability to control aggressive impulses takes a tremendous toll on society. Yet aggression is a normal component of the innate behavior repertoire of most vertebrate animal species as well as of many invertebrates. Progress in understanding the etiology of disorders of aggressive behavior, whether genetic or environmental in nature, therefore requires an understanding of the brain circuitry that controls normal aggression. Efforts to understand this circuitry at the level of specific neuronal populations have been constrained by the limited resolution of classical methodologies, such as electrical stimulation and electrolytic lesion. The availability of new, genetically based tools for mapping and manipulating neural circuits at the level of specific, genetically defined neuronal subtypes provides an opportunity to investigate the functional organization of aggression circuitry with cellular resolution. However, these technologies are optimally applied in the mouse, where there has been surprisingly little traditional work on the functional neuroanatomy of aggression. Here we discuss recent, initial efforts to apply optogenetics and other state-of-the-art methods to the dissection of aggression circuitry in the mouse. We find, surprisingly, that neurons necessary and sufficient for inter-male aggression are located within the ventrolateral subdivision of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus, a structure traditionally associated with reproductive behavior. These neurons are intermingled with neurons activated during male-female mating, with approximately 20% overlap between the populations. We discuss the significance of these findings with respect to neuroethological and neuroanatomical perspectives on the functional organization of innate behaviors and their potential implications for psychiatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J. Anderson
- Author for correspondence: Telephone: (626) 395-6821, FAX: (626) 354-8457,
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von Polier GG, Vloet TD, Herpertz-Dahlmann B. ADHD and delinquency--a developmental perspective. BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW 2012; 30:121-139. [PMID: 22371085 DOI: 10.1002/bsl.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders of childhood and adolescence. Until now, it has been unclear whether ADHD by itself constitutes a risk factor for later delinquency or does so only in combination with other disruptive symptoms. This article seeks to give a comprehensive account of the literature to shed light on the developmental pathway from childhood ADHD to adult criminality. Comorbid ADHD and conduct disorder (CD) are significantly related to a range of biological and environmental risk factors such as neurocognitive impairment, high parental psychopathology, poor social functioning, and other comorbid mental disorders, particularly substance abuse, that are described in this review. In addition, the results of treatment studies are presented, with a special focus on the results of the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (MTA). Although treatment programs, including medication and psychosocial treatment, can be very effective in improving the functioning of children with ADHD in the social and academic domains in the short term, there is no conclusive evidence that such treatments lower the risk for developing delinquency in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- G G von Polier
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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Dolan MC, Fullam RS. Moral/conventional transgression distinction and psychopathy in conduct disordered adolescent offenders. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2010.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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