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Psychopathy and the posterior hippocampus.
M P Laakso1, O Vaurio, E Koivisto
1Department of Neurology, Bldg. 5, Kuopio University Hospital, POB 1777, 70211, Kuopio, Finland. mikko.laakso@uku.fi
Behavioural Brain Research
|February 13, 2001
Summary
Psychopathy neurobiology is poorly understood. This study found smaller posterior hippocampal volumes in violent offenders, correlating with higher psychopathy scores, suggesting a link to impaired fear conditioning.
Area of Science:
- Neurobiology
- Psychiatry
- Forensic Psychology
Background:
- The neural basis of psychopathy and its relation to violent behavior, moral cognition, and decision-making remain unclear.
- Medial temporal lobe dysfunction is hypothesized in psychopathic behavior, but direct neuroanatomical evidence is lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neuroanatomical correlates of psychopathy by examining hippocampal volumes in habitually violent offenders.
- To explore the relationship between regional hippocampal volumes and psychopathy severity.
Main Methods:
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to measure regional hippocampal volumes in 18 habitually violent offenders.
- Subjects had diagnoses of antisocial personality disorder and type 2 alcoholism.
- Hippocampal volumes were correlated with psychopathy scores from the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R).
Main Results:
- Significant negative correlations (up to -0.79) were found between psychopathy scores and bilateral posterior hippocampal volumes.
- These findings suggest a link between reduced posterior hippocampal volume and the degree of psychopathy.
Conclusions:
- The study provides neuroanatomical evidence supporting the link between posterior hippocampal dysfunction and psychopathy.
- Findings align with theories suggesting impaired conditioned fear acquisition as a core deficit in psychopathy.