Multimodal neuroimaging measures and intelligence influence pedophile child sexual offense behavior

Lett, Tristram A.; Mohnke, Sebastian; Amelung, Till; Brandl, Eva J.; Schiltz, Kolja; Pohl, Alexander; Gerwinn, Hannah; Kärgel, Christian; Massau, Claudia; Tenbergen, Gilian; Wittfoth, Matthias; Kneer, Jonas; Beier, Klaus M.; Walter, Martin; Ponseti, Jorge; Krüger, Tillmann H.C.; Schiffer, Boris; Walter, Henrik

doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2018.05.002

Cited by 21 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…This finding might be related to research results on deficient inhibitory control in offending pedophiles (see below) (64). In a large sample of 283 individuals, Lett et al could further demonstrate with moderate effect sizes that as compared to non-offending pedophiles (n = 77) and healthy controls (n = 133), pedophiles with child sexual offenses (n = 73) showed lower IQ-performance, reduced cortical thickness in the right motor cortex, reduced cortical surface area comprising bilateral frontal, temporal, cingulate, and insular regions, and reduced white matter fractal anisotropy particularly in the corpus callosum (65).…”

Section: Structural Imagingmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Recent reviews and meta-analyses investigating differences between individuals sexually oriented toward children and individuals sexually oriented toward adults revealed that their brain structures are very similar in nature (17,62,63). As indicated by two recent studies, aberrant neuroanatomy might rather be associated with child sexual abuse than with pedophilia (64,65). Applying voxel based morphometry (VBM) in 219 individuals, Schiffer et al failed to find group differences in the relative gray matter volume specifically associated with pedophilia (64).…”

Section: Structural Imagingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As mentioned in Structural and Functional Imaging, altered brain structures might rather be associated with child sexual offending than with pedophilia (64,65). Nevertheless, structural brain alterations are well known for several psychiatric diseases.…”

Section: Structural Imagingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Are There Any Biomarkers for Pedophilia and Sexual Child Abuse? A Review

et al. 2020

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The use of biomarkers in medicine is a common and valuable approach in several clinical fields. Understanding the relationship between measurable biological processes and clinical outcomes not only is indispensable in the face of understanding physiological processes in healthy as well as in diseased organisms but also for understanding and evaluating treatment effects. Therefore, also in the context of forensic psychiatry, biomarkers and their potentially beneficial effects are of growing interest. The objective of this review is to examine if there are biomarkers that may serve as a tool to support diagnostic process, treatment evaluation, and risk assessment of pedophilic individuals and child sexual offenders. In the first part, we present an overview of the current neurobiological, as well as physiological and psychophysiological approaches to characterize pedophilia and child sexual offending. Secondly, we discuss and evaluate the impact of these approaches on the development of biomarkers for diagnosis, therapy, and risk assessment in pedophilic subjects and child sexual offenders. We conclude that a lot of research has already enhanced our neurobiological knowledge about pedophilia and child sexual offending. Although there surely exist promising parameters and approaches, in our view currently none of these is ready yet to serve as a clinically applicable diagnostic, response, or predictive biomarker for pedophilia and child sexual offending. Therefore, further work remains to be done. The development of a composite diagnostic biomarker to assess deviant sexual interest, combining several measures like functional magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalogram, eye tracking, and behavioral approaches seems to be most promising. A valid and reliable measurement of deviant sexual interest, insensitive to manipulations could significantly support clinical diagnostic process. Similarly, regarding therapy evaluation and risk assessment, a composite biomarker to assess inhibitory control functions seems to be promising. Furthermore, the application of the Research Domain Criteria-approach, a new approach for investigating and classifying mental disorders, offers the possibility to take research to a new level.

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Section: Structural Imagingmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Structural Imagingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Are There Any Biomarkers for Pedophilia and Sexual Child Abuse? A Review

et al. 2020

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Section: Structural Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, Lett et al (2018) examined MRI scans of pedophilic offenders, pedophiles with no history of offending, and nonpedophilic controls. Results indicated surface area reductions were found among the pedophilic abusers versus the control group (Lett et al 2018). Furthermore, several areas of difference among the pedophilic abusers compared with the nonoffending pedophilic group were found, including decreased cortical thickness in the right motor and premotor cortices and left temporal lobe, and surface area reductions laterally in the prefrontal, cingulate, temporal, orbitofrontal, and occipital cortices (Lett et al 2018).…”

Section: Structural Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neuroanatomical Differences Among Sexual Offenders: A Targeted Review with Limitations and Implications for Future Directions

Kirk-Provencher

Nelson-Aguiar

Spillane

2020

Violence and Gender

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As sexual assault and child sexual abuse continue to be worldwide public health concerns, research has continued to explore factors associated with sexual offending. Structural and functional neuroanatomical brain differences have been examined in an effort to differentiate sexual offenders and their behavior. This targeted review searched PubMed and Google Scholar for empirical studies using brain imaging techniques to examine possible structural or functional differences among control groups compared with at least one group of sexual offenders with contact offenses. This targeted review summarizes the structural and functional findings of 15 brain imaging studies (i.e., computed tomography, diffusion tensor imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and functional magnetic resonance imaging), which suggest possible differences in brain size and gray matter volume, cortical thickness, white matter connectivity, and specific structural and functional differences among brain regions (fronto-temporal region, amygdala, prefrontal cortex, etc.). The methodological limitations of brain imaging studies and the associated findings with regard to sexual offenders are highlighted, as research indicates that many of the proposed differences in brain structure and function are not unique to this population. We further highlight several limitations to using neuroimaging studies to examine this population of interest, including publication bias, small sample size, underpowered studies, and all-male samples. As these results are mixed and findings are not seemingly unique to sexual offenders, we suggest future sexual offender research may benefit from focusing on more financially feasible options, such as neuropsychological assessment approaches, to assess for and attend to offenders' criminogenic and rehabilitative/therapeutic needs in alignment with the risk-need-responsivity model.

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Neurobiological Basis of Sexual Deviance

Krüger¹,

Kneer²

2021

Sexual Deviance

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Multimodal neuroimaging measures and intelligence influence pedophile child sexual offense behavior

Cited by 21 publications

References 35 publications

Are There Any Biomarkers for Pedophilia and Sexual Child Abuse? A Review

Are There Any Biomarkers for Pedophilia and Sexual Child Abuse? A Review

Neuroanatomical Differences Among Sexual Offenders: A Targeted Review with Limitations and Implications for Future Directions

Neurobiological Basis of Sexual Deviance

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