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How to Measure Cortical Folding from MR Images: a Step-by-Step Tutorial to Compute Local Gyrification Index

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Cortical thinning in psychopathy.

Martina Ly¹, Julian C Motzkin, Carissa L Philippi

¹Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, the Neuroscience Training Program, and the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA.

The American Journal of Psychiatry

|May 15, 2012

Summary

Psychopathy is linked to thinner brain cortex in key areas like the insula and anterior cingulate cortex. This neurostructural difference in psychopaths also shows reduced functional connectivity.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psychiatry
Brain Imaging

Background:

Psychopathy is a personality disorder marked by antisocial behavior and cognitive/affective deficits.
The underlying neuropathology of psychopathy remains unclear.
Cortical thickness is a valuable neuroimaging marker for psychiatric disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate neurostructural differences in psychopathy by assessing cortical thickness.
To examine functional connectivity in brain networks affected by cortical thinning in psychopaths.

Main Methods:

Utilized T1 MRI data to compute cortical thickness in 21 psychopathic and 31 nonpsychopathic male inmates.
Employed resting-state functional MRI data from 20 psychopathic and 20 nonpsychopathic inmates to assess functional connectivity.
Controlled for age, IQ, and substance use in the analysis.

Main Results:

Psychopathic inmates exhibited significantly thinner cortex in regions including the left insula, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, precentral gyri, anterior temporal cortices, and inferior frontal gyrus.
These cortical thinning differences were independent of age, IQ, or substance use.
A reduction in functional connectivity was observed between the left insula and left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex in psychopaths.

Conclusions:

Psychopathy is characterized by a specific pattern of cortical thinning.
Reduced functional connectivity in specific brain networks is associated with psychopathy.