Brain structural alterations in autism and criminal psychopathy

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Brain Imaging

Background:

• Social cognition relies on complex brain networks.
• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and psychopathy exhibit distinct social interaction deficits.
• Understanding the neuroanatomical basis of these differences is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the anatomical brain differences between individuals with ASD and violent offenders with high psychopathic traits.
• To compare these differences with healthy controls.
• To identify shared and distinct structural alterations in social brain networks.

Main Methods:

• Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used.
• Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analyzed grey matter volume (GMV).
• Participants included 20 individuals with ASD, 19 violent offenders, and 19 controls.

Main Results:

• ASD group showed lower GMV in the left precuneus, right cerebellum, and right precentral gyrus compared to controls.
• Offender group had lower GMV in the insula, frontal cortex, and sensorimotor cortex (from prior study).
• Offenders and ASD groups differed in the right temporal pole and left inferior frontal gyrus; both showed lower GMV in the right precentral cortex compared to controls.

Conclusions:

• Violent offenders with psychopathy and ASD individuals exhibit distinct structural brain differences in frontotemporal social networks.
• Shared abnormalities in the motor cortex may underlie common social cognition deficits in both conditions.
• Findings contribute to understanding the neurobiology of social interaction disorders.