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Frontal-lobe cognitive dysfunction in conduct disorder adolescents
1Department of Psychology, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI 53233.
Journal of Clinical Psychology
|November 1, 1990
Summary
Adolescents with conduct disorder show frontal lobe deficits, impacting attention and task sequencing. These findings suggest a neurobehavioral link between frontal lobe dysfunction and antisocial behavior due to disinhibition.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychiatry
Background:
- Antisocial behavior disorders share behavioral similarities with frontal-lobe cerebral impairment.
- This suggests conduct disorders may stem from disinhibition deficits linked to frontal-lobe functions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare cognitive functions associated with frontal-lobe operations in adolescents with conduct disorder versus a matched control group.
- To investigate the neurobehavioral underpinnings of conduct disorder.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 21 adolescents diagnosed with conduct disorder was assessed.
- Performance was evaluated on cognitive measures sensitive to frontal-lobe function and non-frontal-lobe specific measures.
- A matched comparison sample was used for benchmarking.
Main Results:
- Adolescents with conduct disorder exhibited poorer performance on measures of conceptual perseveration, sustained attention, and sequencing.
- These deficits were specific to tasks sensitive to frontal-lobe dysfunction.
- No significant differences were found on cognitive measures not specific to the frontal lobe.
Conclusions:
- The findings support a neurobehavioral explanation for antisocial behavior, linking it to cerebral disinhibition associated with frontal-lobe dysfunction.
- While suggestive, caution is advised against overinterpreting causal relationships from neurobehavioral data alone.
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