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Reduced prefrontal connectivity in psychopathy.

Julian C Motzkin¹, Joseph P Newman, Kent A Kiehl

¹Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53719, USA.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience

|December 2, 2011

Summary

Psychopathy is linked to reduced brain connectivity in key areas. This study found decreased structural and functional connections involving the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in individuals with psychopathy.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psychiatry
Brain Imaging

Background:

Psychopathy theories often implicate ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) dysfunction.
Limited neuroimaging data exists to confirm vmPFC structural or functional abnormalities in psychopathy.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the structural and functional connectivity of the vmPFC in psychopathic individuals.
To identify potential neurobiological markers for psychopathy.

Main Methods:

Utilized diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to assess structural connectivity.
Employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to evaluate functional connectivity.
Compared psychopathic and non-psychopathic criminal populations.

Main Results:

Reduced structural integrity in the right uncinate fasciculus (vmPFC-anterior temporal lobe connection) was observed in psychopathy.
Diminished functional connectivity between vmPFC and amygdala was found.
Reduced functional connectivity between vmPFC and medial parietal cortex was also identified.

Conclusions:

Diminished vmPFC connectivity is a potential neurobiological characteristic of psychopathy.
Findings support theories linking vmPFC dysfunction to the disorder.
Integrates structural and functional imaging data to characterize psychopathy's neural basis.