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Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Assessment of Social Interaction Behaviors
Published on: February 25, 2011
[The neurobiology of antisocial behaviour]
M M Loomans1, J H M Tulen, H J C van Marle
1Erasmus MC te Rotterdam. m.loomans@erasmusmc.nl
Background:
Neuro-imaging is being used increasingly to provide explanations for antisocial behaviour.
Aim:
To make a neurobiological contribution to the diagnosis of many types of antisocial behaviour.
Method:
The literature was searched using PubMed and combinations of the keywords 'psychopathy', 'antisocial', 'neurobiology' and 'neuro-anatomy' for the period 1990-2009.
Results:
Impairments in the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, superior temporal gyrus, corpus callosum and anterior cingulate cortex provide a possible explanation for a large number of the symptoms associated with antisocial behaviour. The concept of psychopathy is connected mainly with impairments in a prefrontal-temporal-limbic system. CONCLUSION Combinations of deficiencies in the associated brain areas and malfunctioning of the communication between the various brain structures seem to play a more important role than deficiencies in the separate brain structures.
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