Volume Reduction in Prefrontal Gray Matter in Unsuccessful Criminal Psychopaths

doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.01.021

Biological Psychiatry

Volume 57, Issue 10, 15 May 2005, Pages 1103-1108

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.01.021 Get rights and content

Background

Although studies of neurologic patients have suggested that prefrontal structural impairments may predispose to sociopathy, it is unknown whether there is a relationship between psychopathy and prefrontal volume in individuals from the community and whether any prefrontal structural impairment is specific to “unsuccessful” (caught) psychopaths as opposed to “successful” (uncaught) psychopaths. This study tests the hypothesis that psychopathy is associated with a reduction in prefrontal gray volume but that this abnormality is specific to unsuccessful psychopaths.

Method

Prefrontal gray and white matter volumes were assessed using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 16 unsuccessful psychopaths, 13 successful psychopaths, and 23 control subjects.

Results

Higher total as well as subfactor psychopathy scores (arrogant/deceptive, affective, and impulsive/unstable) were all associated with low prefrontal gray volume. Unsuccessful psychopaths, but not successful psychopaths, had a 22.3% reduction in prefrontal gray matter volume compared with control subjects.

Conclusions

These results demonstrating for the first time a prefrontal structural deficit in community psychopaths provide partial support for a prefrontal theory of psychopathy but highlight an important difference between successful and unsuccessful psychopaths.

Section snippets

Subjects

All subjects were drawn from a total sample of 108 community volunteers drawn from five temporary employment agencies in Los Angeles (Raine et al 2000); 91 men were recruited into the study of whom 84 received a structural MRI scan. Group classification was based on total scores on the Psychopathy Checklist—Revised (PCL-R; Hare 1991, described later), as well as a history of criminal convictions derived from statewide court records and lifetime self-reports (Ishikawa et al 2001). Based on a

Correlational analyses

Correlations between psychopathy scores and prefrontal volumes (n = 52) are shown in Table 2. For corrected prefrontal volumes, analyses showed that high total PCL-R scores are associated with low prefrontal gray matter volumes (r =−.388, p = .004). Very similar correlations were found for Hare’s factor 1 (r = −.370, p = .007) and factor 2 (r = −.355, p = .01). Furthermore, all the three Cooke factors again showed similar relationships with prefrontal gray volume: Cooke’s factor 1 (r = −.320, p

Discussion

Results of this study provide initial, provisional answers to the three research questions posed earlier. First, individual differences in psychopathy correlate with volume of prefrontal gray matter, with high total PCL-R scores associated with low prefrontal gray volume. Second, the relationship between psychopathy and prefrontal gray volume is nonspecific in that it was found for all psychopathy factors. Third, unsuccessful psychopaths, but not successful psychopaths, had a 22.3% reduction

References (34)

M.P. Bryden
Measuring handedness with questionnaires
Neuropsychologia
(1977)
A.R. Damasio et al.
Individuals with sociopathic behavior caused by frontal damage fail to respond autonomically to social stimuli
Behav Brain Res
(1990)
M.C. Dolan et al.
Quantitative frontal and temporal structural MRI studies in personality-disordered offenders and control subjects
Psychiatry Res Neuroimag
(2002)
M.J. Hoptman et al.
Frontal white matter microstructure, aggression, and impulsivity in men with schizophreniaA preliminary study
Biological Psychiatry
(2002)
K.A. Kiehl et al.
An event-related potential investigation of response inhibition in schizophrenia and psychopathy
Biol Psychiatry
(2000)
M.P. Laakso et al.
Prefrontal volume in habitually violent subjects with antisocial personality disorder and type 2 alcoholism
Psychiatry Res Neuroimag
(2002)
A. Raine et al.
Hippocampal structural asymmetry in unsuccessful psychopaths
Biol Psychiatry
(2004)
H. Soderstrom et al.
Reduced frontotemporal perfusion in psychopathic personality
Psychiatry Res Neuroimag
(2002)
J. Ventura et al.
Training and quality assurance with Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I/P)
Psychiatry Res
(1998)
A. Bechara et al.
Deciding advantageously before knowing the advantageous strategy
Science
(1997)

Cooke DJ, Michie C (1999): A hierarchical model of psychopathy: Replication and implication for measurement. Paper...

D.J. Cooke et al.

Refining the construct of psychopathyTowards a hierarchical model

Psychol Assess

(2001)

A. Damasio

Descartes’ ErrorEmotion, Reason, and the Human Brain

(1994)

A.R. Damasio

A neural basis for sociopathy

Arch Gen Psychiatry

(2000)

R.J. Davidson

Affective style, psychopathology, and resilienceBrain mechanisms and plasticity

Am Psychol

(2000)

R.J. Davidson et al.

Dysfunction in the neural circuitry of emotion regulation—a possible prelude to violence

Science

(2000)

D.S. Elliott et al.

The prevalence and incidence of delinquent behavior: 1976–1980. National Youth Survey

(1983)

Cited by (267)

The implications of frontotemporal dementia for brain dysfunction in psychopathy
2022, Biological Psychology
Understanding how psychopathy compares with brain disease can help clarify its underlying mechanisms. This literature review is a broad overview of the neurobiology of psychopathic traits in comparison to behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), a disorder uniquely associated with criminal behavior. In addition to violation of social norms, both psychopathy and bvFTD result in impaired socioemotional perception and empathy, impulsivity, and altered moral judgment. Despite wide areas of decreased function in psychopathy, structural changes are primarily evident in amygdala and, to a lesser extent, anterior insula, whereas in bvFTD neuropathology involves a wider paralimbic region. In psychopathy, relatively intact medial prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices facilitate theory of mind and psychopathic traits such as deceitfulness and manipulation, bold fearlessness, and risk-taking behavior. In conclusion, many frontotemporal areas are hypoactive in psychopathy and bvFTD, but differences in dysfunctional connectivity in psychopathy vs. direct involvement in bvFTD potentially explain similarities and differences between these two conditions.
Exploring effects of psycho-bio-social risk factors on later offending
2021, Journal of Criminal Justice
Different perspectives in criminology have explored how potential risk factors affect delinquency and criminal behavior over the life-course. Although many scholars look at risk factors individually and estimate how they may affect future criminal involvement, an emerging school of thought has proposed that risk factors may work in tandem to affect future criminality. This emerging line of research uses a cumulative approach to the study of crime, considering the role of multiple risk factors on criminal involvement. This study aims at using a cumulative stressor approach to look at the effect of summative biosocial, psychopathological, and family risk factors on later offending. To do so, a sample of high-risk offenders is used to estimate the role of cumulative biosocial, psychological, and family-related risk factors of violent and non-violent offending. The results suggest that biosocial and family risk factors seem to significantly predict offending frequency, while psychopathologies seem to have a crime-reducing effect. Additionally, offenders with more biosocial and family risk factors seem to offend more seriously and at a higher frequency.
Aggression
2021, Encyclopedia of Behavioral Neuroscience: Second Edition
The term “aggression” describes an array of hostile attitudes or behaviors that are an innate part of social interactions both in humans and in the animal kingdom. Aggressive behavior is often dysfunctional and puts an enormous strain on interpersonal relationships and society as a whole. A wide range of neurobiological and psychophysiological studies have been conducted to identify potential origins, mechanisms, markers and risk factors of aggression in humans, such as differences in baseline autonomic activity, different electrocortical reactions to stimuli, and altered brain morphology and brain function. These studies include investigations into self-control and impulsivity-related behaviors both in prison detainees and control participants, as well as animal models. It is noteworthy that people high in psychopathy (psychopathic personality) exhibit differential psychophysiological response patterns when compared to other types of aggression-prone individuals, resulting in multiple complementary models to explain aggression-related mechanisms in people high in reactive aggression, people high in premeditated aggression, and people high in psychopathy. Taken together, available research demonstrates inter-individual variations in aggression proneness and also suggests an underlying and heritable common factor increasing the risk for different aggression-related behaviors. However, aggression remains a heterogeneous and multidetermined phenomenon that requires multi-level methodological and explanatory approaches. This entry will review relevant current findings and models and will discuss practical and ethical implications.
Structural Brain Correlates of the Externalizing Spectrum in Young Adults
2021, Neuroscience
The externalizing spectrum, including traits and behaviors such as aggression, reduced inhibitiory control and substance abuse, is associated with altered prefrontal brain morphology. However, the degree to which different manifestations of the externalizing spectrum are associated with distinct or overlapping variations in individual brain morphology is unclear. Here, we therefore used structural magnetic resonance imaging, self-report assessment, and a response inhibition task in a sample of 59 young adults to examine how cortical thickness in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) relate to four different manifestations of the externalizing spectrum: disinhibition, callous aggression, substance abuse, and behavioral inhibitory control. Using Bayesian linear regression models controlling for age, gender, and years of education, we found that the different manifestations of the externalizing spectrum were associated with both distinct and overlapping morphology variations. Specifically, both callous aggression and inhibitory control was associated with increased cortical thickness of the OFC, a region involved in reward processing, decision-making, and regulation of anxiety and fear. Both disinhibition and substance abuse were associated with DLPFC thickness, although with opposite association patterns, possibly reflecting processes related to inhibitory control, working memory and attention. Moreover, disinhibition, but not callous aggression or substance abuse, was associated with behavioral inhibitory control. Our results provide further support for the link between externalizing behaviors and prefrontal brain morphology, while identifying distinct prefrontal areas associated with different clinically relevant manifestations. These findings may help guide further research aimed at developing novel treatment and intervention strategies for externalizing behaviors and disorders.
The neurobiology of human aggressive behavior: Neuroimaging, genetic, and neurochemical aspects
2021, Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry
Citation Excerpt :
Indeed, the lack of impartiality and fair behavior can induce antisocial and aggressive attitude. Conversely, volumetric reduction of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and ventromedial prefrontal cortex was found in antisocial aggressive individuals (Yang et al., 2005). In particular, reduced functionality and structural abnormality of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (and more generally impaired prefrontal structures and function) was strongly associated with antisocial features of impulsivity and poor behavioral control (Yang and Raine, 2009).
In modern societies, there is a strive to improve the quality of life related to risk of crimes which inevitably requires a better understanding of brain determinants and mediators of aggression. Neurobiology provides powerful tools to achieve this end. Pre-clinical and clinical studies show that changes in regional volumes, metabolism-function and connectivity within specific neural networks are related to aggression. Subregions of prefrontal cortex, insula, amygdala, basal ganglia and hippocampus play a major role within these circuits and have been consistently implicated in biology of aggression. Genetic variations in proteins regulating the synthesis, degradation, and transport of serotonin and dopamine as well as their signal transduction have been found to mediate behavioral variability observed in aggression. Gene-gene and gene-environment interactions represent additional important risk factors for aggressiveness. Considering the social burden of pathological forms of aggression, more basic and translational studies should be conducted to accelerate applications to clinical practice, justice courts, and policy making.
On the associations between indicators of resting arousal levels, physiological reactivity, sensation seeking, and psychopathic traits
2019, Personality and Individual Differences
Despite consistent findings associating autonomic activity, such as resting heart rate, with antisocial behavior, the research connecting autonomic variables to related phenotypes, such as psychopathy and sensation seeking, has been mixed. The existing research in this area has been limited by underpowered samples, focused predominantly on incarcerated males, frequently dichotomized samples into “psychopaths” and controls, and failed to consider potential gender differences. The current study sought to address some of these limitations using a relatively large undergraduate sample (N = 453), four measures of autonomic activity (e.g., resting heart rate, resting skin conductance, heart rate reactivity, and skin conductance reactivity), a sensation seeking scale, and two measures of psychopathic traits. In order to thoroughly assess possible gender differences, the analyses were conducted for males and females separately. Few significant associations were found between the autonomic and psychological variables, and most became insignificant after controlling for age and race and correcting for multiple comparisons. The current study offers little support for an association between autonomic activity and sensation seeking or psychopathic traits.

View all citing articles on Scopus

View full text

Original articleVolume Reduction in Prefrontal Gray Matter in Unsuccessful Criminal Psychopaths

Background

Method

Results

Conclusions

Section snippets

Subjects

Correlational analyses

Discussion

Neuropsychologia

Behav Brain Res

Psychiatry Res Neuroimag

Biological Psychiatry

Biol Psychiatry

Psychiatry Res Neuroimag

Biol Psychiatry

Psychiatry Res Neuroimag

Psychiatry Res

Deciding advantageously before knowing the advantageous strategy

Science

Refining the construct of psychopathyTowards a hierarchical model

Psychol Assess

Descartes’ ErrorEmotion, Reason, and the Human Brain

A neural basis for sociopathy

Arch Gen Psychiatry

Affective style, psychopathology, and resilienceBrain mechanisms and plasticity

Am Psychol

Dysfunction in the neural circuitry of emotion regulation—a possible prelude to violence

Science

The prevalence and incidence of delinquent behavior: 1976–1980. National Youth Survey

Original article
Volume Reduction in Prefrontal Gray Matter in Unsuccessful Criminal Psychopaths