Clarifying the role of defensive reactivity deficits in psychopathy and antisocial personality using startle reflex methodology.

Abstract

Prior research has demonstrated deficits in defensive reactivity (indexed by potentiation of the startle blink reflex) in psychopathic individuals. However, the basis of this association remains unclear, as diagnostic criteria for psychopathy encompass two distinct phenotypic components that may reflect differing neurobiological mechanisms – an affective-interpersonal component, and an antisocial deviance component. Likewise, the role of defensive response deficits in antisocial personality disorder (APD), a related but distinct syndrome, remains to be clarified. The current study examined affective priming deficits in relation to factors of psychopathy and symptoms of APD using startle reflex methods in 108 adult male prisoners. Deficits in blink reflex potentiation during aversive picture viewing were found in relation to the affective-interpersonal (Factor 1) component of psychopathy, and to a lesser extent in relation to the antisocial deviance (Factor 2) component of psychopathy and symptoms of APD—but only as a function of their overlap with affective-interpersonal features of psychopathy. These findings provide clear evidence that deficits in defensive reactivity are linked specifically to the affective-interpersonal features of psychopathy, and not the antisocial deviance features represented most strongly in APD.

Risk taking and the triarchic model of psychopathy

“…images has been shown to be deficient in psychopathy (Patrick, Bradley, & Lang, 1993), and in particular in those with high scores on Factor 1 of the PCL9R (Vaidyanathan, Hall, Patrick, & Bernat, 2011). Recently, the modulation of the startle reflex by threat stimuli has been examined with respect to the subscales of the TriPM.…”

Effect of d-amphetamine on emotion-potentiated startle in healthy humans: implications for psychopathy and antisocial behaviour

“…There is robust evidence for impaired startle potentiation to aversive stimuli (e.g. Benning et al 2005;Herpertz et al 2001;Patrick et al 1993;Vaidyanathan et al 2011) as well as amygdala dysfunction (reviews, Blair 2010; Gao et al 2009) in psychopathic individuals. Given consistent evidence from both animal (review, Davis et al 1993) and human studies (e.g.…”

“…Measures of fearfulness and psychopathy show positive and negative associations, respectively, with startle potentiation during unpleasant picture viewing (e.g. Benning et al 2005;Herpertz et al 2001;Vaidyanathan et al 2011). Much is known from rodent studies about the neural substrates underlying the affect-startle relationship, with critical roles played by the amygdala in the potentiation of startle by fear (review, Davis et al 1993) and the nucleus accumbens in the attenuation of startle by pleasure (Koch et al 1996).…”

Temperamento de bajo miedo y respuesta cardiaca de defensa

“…Por lo que respecta a la segunda cuestión, las características de desviación conductual de la psicopatía se han asociado con marcadores psicofisiológicos de vulnerabilidad externalizante, como los componentes P300 y ERn de los potenciales evocados (Iacono, Malone y McGue, 2003;Hall, Bernat y Patrick, 2007), mientras que solo los rasgos afectivo/interpersonales del trastorno se han visto relacionados con el deficitario aprendizaje emocional (López et al, 2013) y la falta de potenciación del reflejo de sobresalto (Patrick, 1994;Patrick, Bradley y Lang, 1993;Poy et al, 2009;Vaidyanathan et al, 2011). El examen de otros índices psicofisiológicos de la activación defensiva contribuiría sin lugar a dudas a añadir mayor evidencia empírica a una conceptuación dual de la psicopatía.…”