Abstract
Neuropsychological evidence supports the developmental taxonomy theory of antisocial behavior, suggesting that abnormal brain development distinguishes life-course-persistent from adolescence-limited antisocial behavior. Recent neuroimaging work confirmed that prospectively-measured life-course-persistent antisocial behavior is associated with differences in cortical brain structure. Whether this extends to subcortical brain structures remains uninvestigated. This study compared subcortical gray-matter volumes between 672 members of the Dunedin Study previously defined as exhibiting life-course-persistent, adolescence-limited or low-level antisocial behavior based on repeated assessments at ages 7-26 years. Gray-matter volumes of 10 subcortical structures were compared across groups. The life-course-persistent group had lower volumes of amygdala, brain stem, cerebellum, hippocampus, pallidum, thalamus, and ventral diencephalon compared to the low-antisocial group. Differences between life-course-persistent and adolescence-limited individuals were comparable in effect size to differences between life-course-persistent and low-antisocial individuals, but were not statistically significant due to less statistical power. Gray-matter volumes in adolescence-limited individuals were near the norm in this population-representative cohort and similar to volumes in low-antisocial individuals. Although this study could not establish causal links between brain volume and antisocial behavior, it constitutes new biological evidence that all people with antisocial behavior are not the same, supporting a need for greater developmental and diagnostic precision in clinical, forensic, and policy-based interventions.
Highlights
Young people who engage in persistent, pervasive antisocial behavior are often diagnosed with conduct disorder and are more likely to be incarcerated and have poor physical and mental health as adults (Rivenbark et al, 2018)
In a longitudinal study of a population-representative birth cohort, child to adult assessments of antisocial behavior and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data at age 45 years were used to compare subcortical gray-matter volumes in individuals characterized by life-course-persistent antisocial
The Developmental Taxonomy Theory of Antisocial Behavior has influenced both clinical practice and juvenile justice policy (Moffitt, 2018), prompting the recognition of heterogeneity among individuals who are diagnosed with conduct disorder or who appear before the criminal courts
Summary
Young people who engage in persistent, pervasive antisocial behavior are often diagnosed with conduct disorder and are more likely to be incarcerated and have poor physical and mental health as adults (Rivenbark et al, 2018). Longitudinal cohort studies have demonstrated marked individual differences in the age of onset of antisocial behavior and its stability over time. A relatively small proportion of children (around 10%) display early-onset “life-course-persistent” antisocial behavior that continues into adulthood whereas, for a. Association of subcortical gray-matter volumes with life-course-persistent antisocial behavior in a population-representative longitudinal birth cohort. The Developmental Taxonomy Theory (Moffitt, 1993) distinguishes these patterns of antisocial behavior. The theory has been influential in guiding earlyyears prevention, juvenile justice policies, as well as clinical research and practice, such that the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) first incorporated the distinction between childhood-onset versus adolescent-onset conduct disorder (APA, 2000)
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