Abnormal cortical gyrification in criminal psychopathy

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Forensic Psychology

Background:

• Psychopathy involves emotional deficits and antisocial behavior, often linked to brain abnormalities.
• Previous research focused on cortical thickness and volume, but not cortical gyrification.
• Cortical gyrification, a measure of brain complexity, may reflect early neurodevelopmental connectivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in cortical gyrification in adult male inmates with psychopathy.
• To assess the relationship between local gyrification index (LGI) and psychopathy scores.

Main Methods:

• Measured local gyrification index (LGI) in 716 adult male inmates.
• Conducted whole-brain analysis correlating LGI with Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) total and factor scores.

Main Results:

• Negative association between PCL-R scores and LGI in right hemisphere regions (midcingulate cortex, superior frontal gyrus, superior parietal cortex).
• PCL-R Factor 1 (interpersonal/affective traits) linked to reduced LGI in right midcingulate cortex and increased LGI in occipital cortex.
• PCL-R Factor 2 (impulsivity/antisocial behavior) showed no significant association with LGI.

Conclusions:

• Psychopathy, particularly interpersonal/affective traits, is associated with distinct neurodevelopmental structural brain abnormalities.
• These abnormalities may underlie altered brain function in emotional processing and cognitive control.