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Deming P, Heilicher M, Koenigs M. How reliable are amygdala findings in psychopathy? A systematic review of MRI studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 142:104875. [PMID: 36116578 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
The amygdala is a key component in predominant neural circuitry models of psychopathy. Yet, after two decades of neuroimaging research on psychopathy, the reproducibility of amygdala findings is questionable. We systematically reviewed MRI studies (81 of adults, 53 of juveniles) to determine the consistency of amygdala findings across studies, as well as within specific types of experimental tasks, community versus forensic populations, and the lowest- versus highest-powered studies. Three primary findings emerged. First, the majority of studies found null relationships between psychopathy and amygdala structure and function, even in the context of theoretically relevant tasks. Second, findings of reduced amygdala activity were more common in studies with low compared to high statistical power. Third, the majority of peak coordinates of reduced amygdala activity did not fall primarily within the anatomical bounds of the amygdala. Collectively, these findings demonstrate significant gaps in the empirical support for the theorized role of the amygdala in psychopathy and indicate the need for novel research perspectives and approaches in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Deming
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Mickela Heilicher
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 6001 Research Park Blvd., Madison, WI 53719, USA
| | - Michael Koenigs
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 6001 Research Park Blvd., Madison, WI 53719, USA
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2
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Morrow MT, Hubbard JA, Bookhout MK, Docimo MA, Swift LE, Grassetti SN, Cabanas KL. Lower Levels of Classroom Aggression Predict Stronger Relations Between Peer Victimization and Reactive Versus Proactive Aggression. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2022; 37:NP13182-NP13202. [PMID: 33794681 DOI: 10.1177/0886260521997956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We examined the concurrent relations of children's reactive and proactive aggression with their experience of peer victimization. Extending previous research, we assessed these relations at both the child and classroom levels. We predicted that reactive aggression would relate positively to peer victimization, proactive aggression would relate negatively to peer victimization, and that these relations would vary with classroom levels of aggression. Participants included 1,291 fourth- and fifth-grade children (681 girls; M age = 10.14 years) and their 72 teachers from 9 schools in one public school district in the Mid-Atlantic United States. Children completed self-report measures of peer victimization and teachers completed measures of aggression for each child in their classrooms. Via two-level regression (level 1 = child; level 2 = classroom), reactive aggression related positively to peer victimization and proactive aggression related negatively to peer victimization. The positive relation between reactive aggression and peer victimization was only significant in classrooms with low levels of reactive aggression. The negative relation between proactive aggression and peer victimization was only significant in classrooms with low levels of proactive aggression. Our hypotheses were supported and offered further evidence for differential relations of reactive and proactive aggression with peer victimization at the child level, while demonstrating the important role of classroom norms for aggression in moderating these relations.
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Delfin C, Wallinius M, Björnsdotter M, Ruzich E, Andiné P. Prolonged NoGo P3 latency as a possible neurobehavioral correlate of aggressive and antisocial behaviors: A Go/NoGo ERP study. Biol Psychol 2021; 168:108245. [PMID: 34958853 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Aggressive and antisocial behaviors are detrimental to society and constitute major challenges in forensic mental health settings, yet the associated neural circuitry remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated differences in aggressive and antisocial behaviors between healthy controls (n = 20) and violent mentally disordered offenders (MDOs; n = 26), and examined associations between aggressive and antisocial behaviors, behavioral inhibitory control, and neurophysiological activity across the whole sample (n = 46). Event-related potentials were obtained using EEG while participants completed a Go/NoGo response inhibition task, and aggressive and antisocial behaviors were assessed with the Life History of Aggression (LHA) instrument. Using a robust Bayesian linear regression approach, we found that MDOs scored substantially higher than healthy controls on LHA Aggression and Antisocial subscales. Using the whole sample and after adjusting for age, we found that scores on the LHA Aggression and Antisocial subscales were robustly associated with longer NoGo P3 latency, and less robustly with longer NoGo N2 latency. Post-hoc analyzes suggested that healthy controls and MDOs exhibited similar associations. With several limitations in mind, we suggest that prolonged NoGo P3 latency, reflecting decreased neural efficiency during the later stages of conflict monitoring or outcome evaluation, is a potential neurobehavioral correlate of aggressive and antisocial behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl Delfin
- Lund Clinical Research on Externalizing and Developmental Psychopathology, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Centre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Research Department, Regional Forensic Psychiatric Clinic, Växjö, Sweden.
| | - Märta Wallinius
- Lund Clinical Research on Externalizing and Developmental Psychopathology, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Centre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Research Department, Regional Forensic Psychiatric Clinic, Växjö, Sweden
| | - Malin Björnsdotter
- Department of Affective Psychiatry, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Emily Ruzich
- MedTech West, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Peter Andiné
- Centre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Forensic Psychiatric Clinic, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Forensic Psychiatry, National Board of Forensic Medicine, Gothenburg, Sweden
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4
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Response-locked component of error monitoring in psychopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis of error-related negativity/positivity. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 123:104-119. [PMID: 33497788 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Evidence suggests that psychopathic individuals display difficulties to adapt their behavior in accordance with the demands of the environment and show altered performance monitoring. Studies investigating the error-related negativity (ERN) and the error-positivity (Pe) as electrophysiological markers of error monitoring reported contradictory results for this population. To explain these discrepancies, we hypothesized that psychopathy dimensions influence electrophysiological outcomes. We predicted that individuals with impulsive-antisocial features would display abnormal ERN compared to individuals with interpersonal-affective features. A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies investigating ERN and Pe components were conducted. A factorial analysis was undertaken to investigate the role of psychopathy dimensions on ERN and Pe. Compared to controls, psychopathic individuals (n = 940) showed a reduced ERN and Pe amplitude. The factorial analysis indicates a dissociation regarding the construct of psychopathy. The models reported that psychopathic individuals related specifically to the interpersonal-affective dimension displayed normal ERN component and efficient error-monitoring, while psychopathic individuals with a marked impulsive-antisocial dimension display a decreased ERN component and altered performance monitoring.
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Delfin C, Ruzich E, Wallinius M, Björnsdotter M, Andiné P. Trait Disinhibition and NoGo Event-Related Potentials in Violent Mentally Disordered Offenders and Healthy Controls. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:577491. [PMID: 33362599 PMCID: PMC7759527 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.577491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Trait disinhibition may function as a dispositional liability toward maladaptive behaviors relevant in the treatment of mentally disordered offenders (MDOs). Reduced amplitude and prolonged latency of the NoGo N2 and P3 event-related potentials have emerged as promising candidates for transdiagnostic, biobehavioral markers of trait disinhibition, yet no study has specifically investigated these two components in violent, inpatient MDOs. Here, we examined self-reported trait disinhibition, experimentally assessed response inhibition, and NoGo N2 and P3 amplitude and latency in male, violent MDOs (N = 27) and healthy controls (N = 20). MDOs had a higher degree of trait disinhibition, reduced NoGo P3 amplitude, and delayed NoGo P3 latency compared to controls. The reduced NoGo P3 amplitude and delayed NoGo P3 latency in MDOs may stem from deficits during monitoring or evaluation of behavior. NoGo P3 latency was associated with increased trait disinhibition in the whole sample, suggesting that trait disinhibition may be associated with reduced neural efficiency during later stages of outcome monitoring or evaluation. Findings for NoGo N2 amplitude and latency were small and non-robust. With several limitations in mind, this is the first study to demonstrate attenuated NoGo P3 amplitude and delayed NoGo P3 latency in violent, inpatient MDOs compared to healthy controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl Delfin
- Centre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Research Department, Regional Forensic Psychiatric Clinic, Växjö, Sweden
| | - Emily Ruzich
- MedTech West, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Märta Wallinius
- Centre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Research Department, Regional Forensic Psychiatric Clinic, Växjö, Sweden
- Lund Clinical Research on Externalizing and Developmental Psychopathology, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Malin Björnsdotter
- Centre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Affective Psychiatry, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Peter Andiné
- Centre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Forensic Psychiatric Clinic, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Forensic Psychiatry, National Board of Forensic Medicine, Gothenburg, Sweden
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6
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Deming P, Koenigs M. Functional neural correlates of psychopathy: a meta-analysis of MRI data. Transl Psychiatry 2020; 10:133. [PMID: 32376864 PMCID: PMC7203015 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-0816-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Revised: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies over the last two decades have begun to specify the neurobiological correlates of psychopathy, a personality disorder that is strongly related to criminal offending and recidivism. Despite the accumulation of neuroimaging studies of psychopathy, a clear and comprehensive picture of the disorder's neural correlates has yet to emerge. The current study is a meta-analysis of functional MRI studies of psychopathy. Multilevel kernel density analysis was used to identify consistent findings across 25 studies (460 foci) of task-related brain activity. Psychopathy was associated with increased task-related activity predominantly in midline cortical regions overlapping with the default mode network (dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate, and precuneus) as well as medial temporal lobe (including amygdala). Psychopathy was related to decreased task-related activity in a region of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex overlapping with the salience network. These findings challenge predominant theories of amygdala hypoactivity and highlight the potential role of hyperactivity in medial default mode network regions and hypoactivity in a key node of the salience network during task performance in psychopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Deming
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 West Johnson St., Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 6001 Research Park Blvd., Madison, Wisconsin, 53719, USA.
| | - Michael Koenigs
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 6001 Research Park Blvd., Madison, Wisconsin, 53719, USA
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Paiva TO, Almeida PR, Coelho RC, Pasion R, Barbosa F, Ferreira‐Santos F, Bastos‐Leite AJ, Marques‐Teixeira J. The neurophysiological correlates of the triarchic model of psychopathy: An approach to the basic mechanisms of threat conditioning and inhibitory control. Psychophysiology 2020; 57:e13567. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2019] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tiago O. Paiva
- Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences University of Porto Porto Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine Department of Medical Imaging University of Porto Porto Portugal
| | - Pedro R. Almeida
- Faculty of Law School of Criminology Interdisciplinary Research Center on Crime, Justice and Security University of Porto Porto Portugal
| | - Rui C. Coelho
- Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences University of Porto Porto Portugal
| | - Rita Pasion
- Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences University of Porto Porto Portugal
| | - Fernando Barbosa
- Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences University of Porto Porto Portugal
| | - Fernando Ferreira‐Santos
- Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences University of Porto Porto Portugal
| | | | - João Marques‐Teixeira
- Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences University of Porto Porto Portugal
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Frey KS, Higheagle Strong Z. Aggression Predicts Changes in Peer Victimization that Vary by Form and Function. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL CHILD PSYCHOLOGY 2019; 46:305-318. [PMID: 28500469 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-017-0306-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Peer victimization is predictive of serious problems in adjustment, especially among children who are both victimized and aggressive. This study investigated how different types of aggression contribute to later victimization. Specifically, we examined prospective relationships between the types of aggression that children perpetrated and the types that they experienced at the hands of others. Trained observers coded schoolyard behavior of 553 children in grades 3-6 during the initial year of a bullying intervention program. Both observed aggression and victimization were specified by form (direct, indirect) and function (proactive, reactive). Total hourly rates of victimization were highest in the upper grades. Direct-reactive aggression uniquely predicted increases in victimization, while direct-proactive aggression predicted decreases, particularly in direct-proactive victimization. Indirect-proactive aggression (e.g., derogatory gossip) predicted increases in indirect-proactive victimization only in the control group. Indirect-reactive aggression and victimization occurred too rarely to detect change. Aggression-victimization relationships did not differ for boys and girls. Discussion considers why children might risk direct reactive aggression in the face of increased victimization. Different sequelae for different forms and functions of aggression highlight the need to resolve theoretical ambiguities in defining proactive and reactive aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin S Frey
- Educational Psychology, College of Education, University of Washington, Miller box 353600, Seattle, WA, 98105-3600, USA.
| | - Zoe Higheagle Strong
- Educational Psychology, College of Education, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
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Pujol J, Harrison BJ, Contreras-Rodriguez O, Cardoner N. The contribution of brain imaging to the understanding of psychopathy. Psychol Med 2019; 49:20-31. [PMID: 30207255 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291718002507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Psychopathy is a personality type characterized by both callous emotional dysfunction and deviant behavior that affects society in the form of actions that harm others. Historically, researchers have been concerned with seeking data and arguments to support a neurobiological foundation of psychopathy. In the past few years, increasing research has begun to reveal brain alterations putatively underlying the enigmatic psychopathic personality. In this review, we describe the brain anatomical and functional features that characterize psychopathy from a synthesis of available neuroimaging research and discuss how such brain anomalies may account for psychopathic behavior. The results are consistent in showing anatomical alterations involving primarily a ventral system connecting the anterior temporal lobe to anterior and ventral frontal areas, and a dorsal system connecting the medial frontal lobe to the posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus complex and, in turn, to medial structures of the temporal lobe. Functional imaging data indicate that relevant emotional flow breakdown may occur in both these brain systems and suggest specific mechanisms via which emotion is anomalously integrated into cognition in psychopathic individuals during moral challenge. Directions for future research are delineated emphasizing, for instance, the relevance of further establishing the contribution of early life stress to a learned blockage of emotional self-exposure, and the potential role of androgenic hormones in the development of cortical anomalies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesus Pujol
- MRI Research Unit, Department of Radiology,Hospital del Mar,CIBERSAM G21, Barcelona,Spain
| | - Ben J Harrison
- Department of Psychiatry,Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health,Melbourne,Australia
| | - Oren Contreras-Rodriguez
- Psychiatry Department,Bellvitge University Hospital, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute-IDIBELL,CIBERSAM G17, Barcelona,Spain
| | - Narcis Cardoner
- Department of Mental Health, Corporació Sanitaria Parc Taulí, Sabadell, and Department of Psychiatry,Autonomous University of Barcelona,Barcelona,Spain
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Pasion R, Fernandes C, Pereira MR, Barbosa F. Antisocial behaviour and psychopathy: Uncovering the externalizing link in the P3 modulation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 91:170-186. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2016] [Revised: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Poldrack RA, Monahan J, Imrey PB, Reyna V, Raichle ME, Faigman D, Buckholtz JW. Predicting Violent Behavior: What Can Neuroscience Add? Trends Cogn Sci 2018; 22:111-123. [PMID: 29183655 PMCID: PMC5794654 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2017.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2017] [Revised: 10/02/2017] [Accepted: 11/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The ability to accurately predict violence and other forms of serious antisocial behavior would provide important societal benefits, and there is substantial enthusiasm for the potential predictive accuracy of neuroimaging techniques. Here, we review the current status of violence prediction using actuarial and clinical methods, and assess the current state of neuroprediction. We then outline several questions that need to be addressed by future studies of neuroprediction if neuroimaging and other neuroscientific markers are to be successfully translated into public policy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John Monahan
- School of Law, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Peter B Imrey
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Valerie Reyna
- Human Neuroscience Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Marcus E Raichle
- Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - David Faigman
- University of California Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco, CA, USA
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Glenn AL, Han H, Yang Y, Raine A, Schug RA. Associations between psychopathic traits and brain activity during instructed false responding. Psychiatry Res 2017; 266:123-137. [PMID: 28666247 PMCID: PMC5583004 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2017.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2017] [Revised: 06/16/2017] [Accepted: 06/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Lying is one of the characteristic features of psychopathy, and has been recognized in clinical and diagnostic descriptions of the disorder, yet individuals with psychopathic traits have been found to have reduced neural activity in many of the brain regions that are important for lying. In this study, we examine brain activity in sixteen individuals with varying degrees of psychopathic traits during a task in which they are instructed to falsify information or tell the truth about autobiographical and non-autobiographical facts, some of which was related to criminal behavior. We found that psychopathic traits were primarily associated with increased activity in the anterior cingulate, various regions of the prefrontal cortex, insula, angular gyrus, and the inferior parietal lobe when participants falsified information of any type. Associations tended to be stronger when participants falsified information about criminal behaviors. Although this study was conducted in a small sample of individuals and the task used has limited ecological validity, these findings support a growing body of literature suggesting that in some contexts, individuals with higher levels of psychopathic traits may demonstrate heightened levels of brain activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea L Glenn
- Center for the Prevention of Youth Behavior Problems, Department of Psychology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA.
| | - Hyemin Han
- Educational Psychology Program, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
| | - Yaling Yang
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Adrian Raine
- Departments of Criminology, Psychiatry, and Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Robert A Schug
- Department of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Forensic Psychology, California State University, Long Beach, CA, USA
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Blunted Ambiguity Aversion During Cost-Benefit Decisions in Antisocial Individuals. Sci Rep 2017; 7:2030. [PMID: 28515474 PMCID: PMC5435701 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-02149-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Antisocial behavior is often assumed to reflect aberrant risk processing. However, many of the most significant forms of antisocial behavior, including crime, reflect the outcomes of decisions made under conditions of ambiguity rather than risk. While risk and ambiguity are formally distinct and experimentally dissociable, little is known about ambiguity sensitivity in individuals who engage in chronic antisocial behavior. We used a financial decision-making task in a high-risk community-based sample to test for associations between sensitivity to ambiguity, antisocial behavior, and arrest history. Sensitivity to ambiguity was lower in individuals who met diagnostic criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder. Lower ambiguity sensitivity was also associated with higher externalizing (but not psychopathy) scores, and with higher levels of aggression (but not rule-breaking). Finally, blunted sensitivity to ambiguity also predicted a greater frequency of arrests. Together, these data suggest that alterations in cost-benefit decision-making under conditions of ambiguity may promote antisocial behavior.
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