Functional and Structural Brain Imaging Research on Psychopathy

Yang, Yaling; Raine, Adrian

doi:10.1002/9780470516157.ch4

Cited by 9 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 89 publications

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“…31–34 The findings in this study provide the first evidence, to our knowledge, showing significant volume reductions and regional morphological alterations in bilateral amygdala in psychopathic individuals and indicate that structural impairments are most prominent in the vicinity of basolateral, lateral, central, and cortical nuclei. The amygdala reductions may particularly predispose to core psychopathic features of emotional and social dysfunctions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

“…28,29 For example, the basolateral and lateral nuclei have been linked to the encoding of sensory-specific features, whereas the central nucleus has been associated with encoding the motivational or affective aspects. 30 The importance of the amygdala and its subdivisions in emotional processing and social functioning has led to several predictions that global and regional deficits of the amygdala may contribute to features of psychopathy 31–34 ; however, to our knowledge, no study to date has examined the structural integrity of the amygdala in psychopathic individuals.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Localization of Deformations Within the Amygdala in Individuals With Psychopathy

Yang

Raine²,

Narr³

et al. 2009

Arch Gen Psychiatry

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222

162

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Context Despite the repeated findings of impaired fear conditioning and affective recognition in psychopathic individuals, there has been a paucity of brain imaging research on the amygdala and no evidence suggesting which regions within the amygdala may be structurally compromised in individuals with psychopathy. Objective To detect global and regional anatomical abnormalities in the amygdala in individuals with psychopathy. Design Cross-sectional design using structural magnetic resonance imaging. Setting Participants were recruited from high-risk communities (temporary employment agencies) in the Los Angeles, California, area and underwent imaging at a hospital research facility at the University of Southern California. Participants Twenty-seven psychopathic individuals as defined by the Hare Psychopathy Checklist–Revised and 32 normal controls matched on age, sex, and ethnicity. Main Outcome Measures Amygdala volumes were examined using traditional volumetric analyses and surface-based mesh modeling methods were used to localize regional surface deformations. Results Individuals with psychopathy showed significant bilateral volume reductions in the amygdala compared with controls (left, 17.1%; right, 18.9%). Surface deformations were localized in regions in the approximate vicinity of the basolateral, lateral, cortical, and central nuclei of the amygdala. Significant correlations were found between reduced amygdala volumes and increased total and facet psychopathy scores, with correlations strongest for the affective and interpersonal facets of psychopathy. Conclusions Results provide the first evidence, to our knowledge, of focal amygdala abnormalities in psychopathic individuals and corroborate findings from previous lesion studies. Findings support prior hypotheses of amygdala deficits in individuals with psychopathy and indicate that amygdala abnormalities contribute to emotional and behavioral symptoms of psychopathy.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Localization of Deformations Within the Amygdala in Individuals With Psychopathy

Yang

Raine²,

Narr³

et al. 2009

Arch Gen Psychiatry

Self Cite

222

162

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“…Additional issues that might contribute to variability in findings include heterogeneity in antisocial samples and variation in imaging methodology. Violence, psychopathy, and comorbid psychiatric disorders may moderate study outcomes (Mena et al, 2005; Raine and Yang, 2004; Spampinato et al, 2005; Yang and Raine, 2006). Several imaging methodology variables have been shown to influence quality, including the magnet strength, repetition time (TR), full-width-at-half-maximum (FHWM), and uptake time (Levin and Hoffman, 1999; McCarley et al, 1999), and differences in findings on antisocial behavior could be attributable to these factors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prefrontal structural and functional brain imaging findings in antisocial, violent, and psychopathic individuals: A meta-analysis

Yang

Raine

2009

Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging

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674

408

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Brain imaging studies suggest that antisocial and violent behavior is associated with structural and functional deficits in the prefrontal cortex, but there is heterogeneity in findings and it is unclear whether findings apply to psychopaths, non-violent offenders, community-based samples, and studies employing psychiatric controls. A meta-analysis was conducted on 43 structural and functional imaging studies and results show significantly reduced prefrontal structure and function in antisocial individuals. Effect sizes were significant for both structural and functional studies. With minor exceptions, no statistically significant moderating effects of sample characteristics and methodological variables were observed. Findings were localized to the right orbitofrontal cortex, right anterior cingulate cortex, and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Findings confirm the replicability of prefrontal structural and functional impairments in antisocial populations and highlight the involvement of orbitofrontal, dorsolateral frontal, and anterior cingulate cortex in antisocial behavior.

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“…Data on brain damage can inform us about the regions most likely to be involved in manifestations similar to those found in psychopathy and, therefore, can allow us to analyze them in more detail using structural and functional neuroimaging techniques. This approach is defended by Yang and Raine (2006) when they write "Neurological research on individuals who were once normal but who then suffered brain lesions allows temporal cause-effect relationships to be teased out" (p. 285).…”

Section: Neuroscientific Aspects Of Psychopathymentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychopathy: Legal and neuroscientific aspects

Ortega-Escobar¹,

Alcázar-Córcoles²,

Puente-Rodríguez³

et al. 2017

Anuario de Psicología Jurídica

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Psychopathy is characterised by emotional disturbances that affect interpersonal behaviour and decisionmaking. The objective of this paper is to review the most recent contributions to the field of neuroscience of psychopathy and the implications that this disorder has on the criminal legal field. In regards to this last aspect, we evaluate the issue of psychopaths' accountability and the incidence of psychopathy in many other penal institutions. In terms of the contributions of neuroscience, we will focus on the orbitofrontal (ofPFC) and ventromedial (vmPFC) regions of the frontal lobes and on the amygdala. Data spanning from the nineteenth century to the present indicate that damage to the ofPFC and vmPFC is the basis of behaviours that have been referred to as pseudopsychopathic. The earlier during brain development the damage occurs, the more likely these behaviours will resemble those of psychopaths. The damage to the amygdala is rather related to impairments in the ability to distinguish facial expressions of fear and the capacity to feel emotions. Damage to ofPFC, vmPFC, and amygdala are highly relevant to the expression of pseudopsychopathic behaviours.

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Functional and Structural Brain Imaging Research on Psychopathy

Cited by 9 publications

References 89 publications

Localization of Deformations Within the Amygdala in Individuals With Psychopathy

Localization of Deformations Within the Amygdala in Individuals With Psychopathy

Prefrontal structural and functional brain imaging findings in antisocial, violent, and psychopathic individuals: A meta-analysis

Psychopathy: Legal and neuroscientific aspects

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