Disrupted functional connectome in antisocial personality disorder

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Network Science

Background:

• Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is characterized by antisocial behaviors.
• Neuroimaging studies have identified focal brain region abnormalities in ASPD.
• Limited understanding exists regarding whole-brain network alterations and topological organization in ASPD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the functional connectome and topological organization of brain networks in ASPD patients.
• To compare network properties between ASPD patients and healthy controls using resting-state fMRI.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (R-fMRI) was used.
• Functional connectome of 32 ASPD patients and 35 normal controls was examined.
• Network properties including small-worldness, modularity, and connectivity were analyzed.

Main Results:

• ASPD patients exhibited decreased small-worldness, increased path length, and reduced network efficiency, indicating impaired global integration.
• Modularity analysis revealed decreased overall modularity and altered intra- and inter-module connectivities, especially in frontal regions.
• Network-based statistics identified a significantly affected fronto-parietal sub-network in ASPD patients.

Conclusions:

• ASPD is associated with reduced integration and segregation in functional brain network topology.
• Disruptions in the fronto-parietal control network may underlie behavioral and cognitive disturbances in ASPD.
• Findings offer insights into the functional brain networks implicated in ASPD.