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Weidacker K, Kärgel C, Massau C, Krueger THC, Walter M, Ponseti J, Walter H, Schiffer B. Interference inhibition in offending and non-offending pedophiles: A preliminary event-related fMRI study. Neuropsychologia 2022; 173:108301. [PMID: 35697089 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The ability to inhibit behavior is thought to be an import skill for avoiding criminal conduct, especially when combined with personal predispositions or criminogenic needs such as a pedophilic preference disorder. While previous research emphasized the relationship between impulsivity and child sexual offending, not pedophilia per se, studies on the underlying neurobiological mechanisms in subdomains of impulsivity remained scarce. Here, we focused on interference inhibition and examined event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data of three groups of men performing a color-word Stroop task: (1) pedophiles with a history of CSO (P+CSO, n = 11), (2) pedophiles without a history of CSO (P-CSO, n = 8) and (3) non-pedophilic, non-offending healthy controls (HC, n = 10). On the behavioral level, P+CSO revealed increased Stroop interference as compared to P-CSO and HC. Moreover, increased Stroop interference in P+CSO was accompanied by enhanced conflict-related activity in left superior parietal cortex and precentral gyrus as compared to P-CSO. Albeit behavioral analyses of error and post-error processing revealed no significant between-group differences, P-CSO showed increased post-error-related activity in left posterior cingulate, precuneus and middle temporal gyrus as compared to P+CSO. Our preliminary data highlight inhibition deficits in offending as compared to non-offending pedophiles or healthy men and suggest that functional alterations in attention reallocation and impulse suppression/control may moderate the risk for committing CSO in men suffering from pedophilia.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Weidacker
- School of Psychology, University of Swansea, Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom; Division of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Preventive Medicine, LWL-University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Alexandrinenstr. 1-3; 44791 Bochum, Germany
| | - C Kärgel
- Division of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Preventive Medicine, LWL-University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Alexandrinenstr. 1-3; 44791 Bochum, Germany
| | - C Massau
- Division of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Preventive Medicine, LWL-University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Alexandrinenstr. 1-3; 44791 Bochum, Germany
| | - T H C Krueger
- Department of Clinical Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry, and Psychotherapy, Hanover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
| | - M Walter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Jena, Germany
| | - J Ponseti
- Institute of Sexual and Forensic Medicine, University Hospital Kiel, Germany
| | - H Walter
- Division of Mind and Brain, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
| | - B Schiffer
- Division of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Preventive Medicine, LWL-University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Alexandrinenstr. 1-3; 44791 Bochum, Germany.
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Unterhorst K, Gerwinn H, Pohl A, Kärgel C, Massau C, Ristow I, Kneer J, Amelung T, Walter H, Beier K, Walter M, Schiffer B, Kruger THC, Stirn A, Ponseti J. An Exploratory Study on the Central Nervous Correlates of Sexual Excitation and Sexual Inhibition. J Sex Res 2020; 57:397-408. [PMID: 30489159 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2018.1539462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The Sexual Inhibition/Sexual Excitation Scales (SIS/SES) measure sexual excitation and sexual inhibition proneness. We used SIS and SES scores of 62 heterosexual teleiophilic men (Mage 34.3, SD = 9.9) to predict brain activation levels during the presentation of male and female visual sexual stimuli in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Statistical analyses revealed significant correlations. SES and SIS1 scores were positively associated with brain activation in various brain regions during the presentation of both male and female stimuli. SIS2 turned out to be a weaker predictor of brain activation, still revealing one significant correlation in the right lateral orbitofrontal cortex. Significant regions for SES and SIS1 were, among others, primary and supplementary motor areas, the caudate nucleus, the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, anterior insula, and prefrontal areas. Our study can be seen as an exploratory investigation of SIS and SES with means of functional brain imaging. The results provide a promising contribution to the assertion of neurophysiological systems of sexual inhibition and excitation proneness.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Unterhorst
- Institute for Sexual Medicine and Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Center for Integrative Psychiatry
| | - H Gerwinn
- Institute for Sexual Medicine and Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Center for Integrative Psychiatry
| | - A Pohl
- Institute for Sexual Medicine and Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Center for Integrative Psychiatry
| | - C Kärgel
- Division of Forensic Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Preventive Medicine, LWL-University Hospital Bochum
- Institute of Forensic Psychiatry, University of Duisburg-Essen
| | - C Massau
- Division of Forensic Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Preventive Medicine, LWL-University Hospital Bochum
- Institute of Forensic Psychiatry, University of Duisburg-Essen
| | - I Ristow
- Clinical Affective Neuroimaging Laboratory, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg
- Department of Behavioral Neurology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology
| | - J Kneer
- Division of Clinical Psychology and Sexual Medicine, Department of Clinical Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry, and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School
| | - T Amelung
- Institute of Sexology and Sexual Medicine, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin
| | - H Walter
- Division of Mind and Brain Research, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin
| | - K Beier
- Institute of Sexology and Sexual Medicine, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin
| | - M Walter
- Clinical Affective Neuroimaging Laboratory, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg
- Department of Behavioral Neurology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology
- Department of Psychiatry, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
| | - B Schiffer
- Division of Forensic Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Preventive Medicine, LWL-University Hospital Bochum
- Institute of Forensic Psychiatry, University of Duisburg-Essen
| | - T H C Kruger
- Division of Clinical Psychology and Sexual Medicine, Department of Clinical Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry, and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School
| | - A Stirn
- Institute for Sexual Medicine and Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Center for Integrative Psychiatry
| | - J Ponseti
- Institute for Sexual Medicine and Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Center for Integrative Psychiatry
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Weidacker K, Kärgel C, Massau C, Weiß S, Kneer J, Krueger THC, Schiffer B. Approach and Avoidance Tendencies Toward Picture Stimuli of (Pre-)Pubescent Children and Adults: An Investigation in Pedophilic and Nonpedophilic Samples. Sex Abuse 2018; 30:781-802. [PMID: 29188755 DOI: 10.1177/1079063217697134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The presence of pedophilic sexual interests is considered of high importance for predicting recidivism among individuals who have committed sexual offenses. However, objective and valid assessment methods that are robust against confounding issues such as cognitive capacity and manipulation are sparse. We applied the Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT) for detecting sexual interests in 38 pedophilic men (18 primarily attracted to boys) and 27 male nonpedophilic (11 gay) participants. The AAT relies on automatic approach and avoidance tendencies, independent of cognitive abilities such as memory capacity and intelligence. Approach-avoidance tendencies toward stimuli depicting seminude prepubescent boys and girls as well as men and women are reported. The results were consistent with previous research on the utility of the AAT: Except for pedophiles attracted to girls, the mean AAT scores (approach minus avoidance reaction time for each stimulus category) were positive only for stimuli of the preferred category. A multivariate binary logistic regression approach revealed 80% overall accuracy in differentiating pedophilic from nonpedophilic participants.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Weidacker
- 1 Swansea University, Wales, UK
- 2 University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
| | - C Kärgel
- 2 University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
- 3 Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
| | - C Massau
- 2 University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
- 3 Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
| | - S Weiß
- 2 University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
| | - J Kneer
- 4 Hannover Medical School, Germany
| | | | - B Schiffer
- 2 University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
- 3 Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
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Krug A, Cabanis M, Pyka M, Pauly K, Kellermann T, Walter H, Wagner M, Landsberg M, Shah NJ, Winterer G, Wölwer W, Brinkmeyer J, Müller BW, Kärgel C, Wiedemann G, Herrlich J, Vogeley K, Schilbach L, Rapp A, Klingberg S, Kircher T. Attenuated prefrontal activation during decision-making under uncertainty in schizophrenia: a multi-center fMRI study. Schizophr Res 2014; 152:176-83. [PMID: 24325976 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2013.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2013] [Revised: 11/04/2013] [Accepted: 11/11/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Decisions are called decisions under uncertainty when either prior information is incomplete or the outcomes of the decision are unclear. Alterations in these processes related to decisions under uncertainty have been linked to delusions. In patients with schizophrenia, the underlying neural networks have only rarely been studied. We aimed to disentangle the neural correlates of decision-making and relate them to neuropsychological and psychopathological parameters in a large sample of patients with schizophrenia and healthy subjects. Fifty-seven patients and fifty-seven healthy volunteers from six centers had to either indicate via button-press from which of two bottles red or blue balls were drawn (decision-making under uncertainty condition), or indicate whether eight red balls had been presented (baseline condition) while BOLD signal was measured with fMRI. Patients based their decisions on less conclusive evidence and had decreased activations in the underlying neural network, comprising of medial and lateral frontal as well as parietal areas, as compared to healthy subjects. While current psychopathology was not correlated with brain activation, positive symptoms led to longer decision latencies in patients. These results suggest that decision-making under uncertainty in schizophrenia is affected by a complex interplay of aberrant neural activation. Furthermore, reduced neuropsychological functioning in patients was related to impaired decision-making and task performance was modulated by distinct positive symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Krug
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany.
| | - M Cabanis
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany
| | - M Pyka
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany
| | - K Pauly
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - T Kellermann
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - H Walter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin, Germany
| | - M Wagner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - M Landsberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - N J Shah
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Medical Imaging Physics (INM4), Research Centre Juelich, Germany; Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, JARA, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - G Winterer
- Cologne Center for Genomics, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany
| | - W Wölwer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Heinrich Heine University, Rhineland State Clinics for Psychiatry, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - J Brinkmeyer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Heinrich Heine University, Rhineland State Clinics for Psychiatry, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - B W Müller
- LVR-Hospital Essen, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Rhineland State Clinics for Psychiatry, Essen, Germany
| | - C Kärgel
- LVR-Hospital Essen, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Rhineland State Clinics for Psychiatry, Essen, Germany
| | - G Wiedemann
- Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Clinical Center, Fulda, Germany
| | - J Herrlich
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - K Vogeley
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany; Institute for Neurosciences and Medicine, Cognitive Neuroscience (INM3), Research Center Juelich, Germany
| | - L Schilbach
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany
| | - A Rapp
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany
| | - S Klingberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany
| | - T Kircher
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany
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