An investigation of the relationship between psychopathy and greater gray matter density in lateral prefrontal cortex.

Emily N Lasko,Samuel J West,David S Chester,C Nathan Dewall,Alexandra M Martelli

doi:10.1017/pen.2019.8

Abstract

Psychopathic traits predispose individuals toward antisocial behavior. Such antagonistic acts often result in "unsuccessful" outcomes such as incarceration. What mechanisms allow some people with relatively high levels of psychopathic traits to live "successful", unincarcerated lives, in spite of their antisocial tendencies? Using neuroimaging, we investigated the possibility that "successful" psychopathic individuals exhibited greater development of neural structures that promote "successful" self-regulation, focusing on the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC). Across two structural magnetic resonance imaging studies of "successful" participants (Study 1: N = 80 individuals in long-term romantic relationships; Study 2: N = 64 undergraduates), we observed that gray matter density in the left and right VLPFC was positively associated with psychopathic traits. These preliminary results support a compensatory model of psychopathy, in which "successful" psychopathic individuals develop inhibitory mechanisms to compensate for their antisocial tendencies. Traditional models of psychopathy that emphasize deficits may be aided by such compensatory models that identify surfeits in neural and psychological processes.

Highlights

Some people have the keen ability to con, manipulate, and harm others, all while avoiding the scrutiny of their peers or the public eye
Individuals higher in secondary psychopathy have shown deficits in both emotional and cognitive empathy, poor interpersonal functioning, more symptoms of severe mental illness, decreased executive functioning, and impaired information processing abilities (Blair, 2005; Gao & Raine, 2010; Skeem et al, 2007).They have shown abnormal amygdala and prefrontal cortex (PFC) function (Brook & Kosson, 2013) – areas of the brain related to both emotion and behavioral control, respectively
Study 2 sought to address a fundamental limitation of Study 1

Summary

Introduction

Some people have the keen ability to con, manipulate, and harm others, all while avoiding the scrutiny of their peers or the public eye. The term psychopathy will typically bring to mind people who commit horrendous acts of violence, this describes only a small subset of the wide range of psychopathy manifestations These psychopathic traits can be distilled into two subtypes that demonstrate different behavioral and psychophysiological profiles: primary and secondary psychopathy (Gao & Raine, 2010; Karpman, 1948; Skeem, Johansson, Andershed, Kerr, & Louden, 2007; Skeem, Poythress, Edens, Lilienfeld, & Cale, 2003). Individuals higher in secondary psychopathy have shown deficits in both emotional and cognitive empathy, poor interpersonal functioning, more symptoms of severe mental illness, decreased executive functioning, and impaired information processing abilities (Blair, 2005; Gao & Raine, 2010; Skeem et al, 2007).They have shown abnormal amygdala and prefrontal cortex (PFC) function (Brook & Kosson, 2013) – areas of the brain related to both emotion and behavioral control, respectively

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Discussion

Conclusion