The psychopath magnetized: insights from brain imaging

Abstract

Psychopaths commit a disproportionate amount of violent crime, and this places a substantial economic and emotional burden on society. Elucidation of the neural correlates of psychopathy may lead to improved management and treatment of the condition. Although some methodological issues remain, the neuroimaging literature is generally converging on a set of brain regions and circuits that are consistently implicated in the condition: the orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala, and the anterior and posterior cingulate and adjacent (para)limbic structures. We discuss these findings in the context of extant theories of psychopathy and highlight the potential legal and policy implications of this body of work.

Dissociable relations between amygdala subregional networks and psychopathy trait dimensions in conduct‐disordered juvenile offenders

“…Interpersonal psychopathic traits related to increased connectivity of BLA and CMA with a corticostriatal network formation potentially relevant to psychopathy [Anderson and Kiehl, 2012; Blair, 2015; Blair, 2013a; Glenn and Yang, 2012], which extended from the orbitofrontal and anterior insular cortices to the nucleus accumbens, caudate, and putamen. These regions are highly interconnected with BLA and CMA subregions, forming an amygdalo‐cortico‐striatal circuit dedicated, among other things, to various aspects of reward processing [Haber, 2011; Haber and Knutson, 2010; Naqvi and Bechara, 2009].…”

“…Interpersonal psychopathic traits additionally related to stronger CMA connectivity with a network of cortical midline structures growingly implicated in psychopathy [Anderson and Kiehl, 2012; Philippi et al, 2015; Pujol et al, 2012], which extended from the precuneal and posterior cingulate cortices to rostral and ventral portions of the medial prefrontal territory. Notwithstanding their myriad functions, these interconnected cortical regions seem to serve as key nodes within the so‐called default mode network (DMN), whose network function putatively supports internally and externally directed sociocognitive processes [Andrews‐Hanna et al, 2010; Li et al, 2014].…”

“…Yet, despite these pressing concerns the pathophysiology of psychopathic traits in these youths remains poorly understood. As psychopathy is increasingly conceptualized a disorder of neurocircuits [Anderson and Kiehl, 2012; Blair, 2015], adopting a brain connectivity approach seems crucial in elucidating the underlying neuropathology and informing more effective treatment strategies.…”

“…Recent system‐level theories suggest amygdala‐centered network dysfunction in the etiology of psychopathic traits among antisocial people [Anderson and Kiehl, 2012; Blair, 2015; Blair, 2013a]. Within these theories, the amygdala is generally hyporesponsive to negative affective stimuli and lacks optimal functional interactions with paralimbic neurocircuits, leading to deficient affective reactivity (particularly to fear), biased attention modulation, and poor associative learning [Anderson and Kiehl, 2012; Blair, 2013a; Blair, 2015].…”

“…Within these theories, the amygdala is generally hyporesponsive to negative affective stimuli and lacks optimal functional interactions with paralimbic neurocircuits, leading to deficient affective reactivity (particularly to fear), biased attention modulation, and poor associative learning [Anderson and Kiehl, 2012; Blair, 2013a; Blair, 2015]. Very few studies, though, have actually investigated amygdala functional networks in relation to psychopathy, yielding conflicting results of both enhanced and diminished network integrity [Aghajani et al, 2016; Contreras‐Rodriguez et al, 2015; Decety et al, 2013a; Finger et al, 2012; Marsh et al, 2011; Motzkin et al, 2011; Yoder et al, 2015].…”