Negative correlation between level of self-reported antisocial personality disorder symptoms and neural...

Individuals with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) exhibit an elevated risk for both threat/frustration-based reactive aggression and goal-directed aggression. This heightened risk may be associated with atypical neural responses to environmental threats. The objective of this study was to investigate neural responsiveness to threatening facial stimuli among individuals with varying levels of self-reported ASPD.

Fifty-four male participants were recruited, comprising 27 violent offenders incarcerated in a judicial police hospital and 27 individuals from the community. All participants underwent blood-oxygenation-level-dependent fMRI while engaging in an experiment that involved repeated presentations of angry and neutral facial stimuli, which either loomed towards or receded from them. The level of ASPD was measured using the ASPD subscale from the self-report Personality Disorder Questionnaire.

A significant negative correlation was observed between ASPD symptoms and threat responsiveness (looming angry faces versus looming neutral faces) within the left superior temporal gyrus (STG), left inferior temporal gyrus and right ventral tegmental area (VTA).

This study provides evidence supporting the association between self-reported levels of ASPD and diminished threat responsiveness. The atypical activation of brain regions underlying the theory of mind (ToM) and facial recognition, particularly in the context of threat perception, is correlated with an increased level of self-reported ASPD symptoms.