Functional neural correlates of psychopathy: a meta-analysis of MRI data

Philip Deming,Michael Koenigs

doi:10.1038/s41398-020-0816-8

Philip Deming, Michael Koenigs

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-020-0816-8

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Journal: Translational Psychiatry	Publication Date: May 6, 2020
Citations: 40	License type: open-access

Affiliation: University of Wisconsin–Madison

Abstract

Neuroimaging studies over the last two decades have begun to specify the neurobiological correlates of psychopathy, a personality disorder that is strongly related to criminal offending and recidivism. Despite the accumulation of neuroimaging studies of psychopathy, a clear and comprehensive picture of the disorder’s neural correlates has yet to emerge. The current study is a meta-analysis of functional MRI studies of psychopathy. Multilevel kernel density analysis was used to identify consistent findings across 25 studies (460 foci) of task-related brain activity. Psychopathy was associated with increased task-related activity predominantly in midline cortical regions overlapping with the default mode network (dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate, and precuneus) as well as medial temporal lobe (including amygdala). Psychopathy was related to decreased task-related activity in a region of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex overlapping with the salience network. These findings challenge predominant theories of amygdala hypoactivity and highlight the potential role of hyperactivity in medial default mode network regions and hypoactivity in a key node of the salience network during task performance in psychopathy.

Highlights

Two decades of neuroimaging studies have begun to specify the neurobiological correlates of psychopathy, a personality disorder characterized by callous and impulsive antisocial behavior
Total psychopathy was positively related to neural activity in a large, bilateral portion of medial parietal and occipital cortex, bilateral dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), right inferior frontal gyrus, right posterior orbitofrontal cortex, right medial temporal
Through a meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies of psychopathy, we identified several reliable neural correlates of psychopathy

Summary

Introduction

Two decades of neuroimaging studies have begun to specify the neurobiological correlates of psychopathy, a personality disorder characterized by callous and impulsive antisocial behavior. Despite the accumulation of neuroimaging studies of psychopathy, a clear and comprehensive picture of the disorder’s neural correlates has yet to emerge. Specifying the neurobiological correlates of psychopathy could have implications for the diagnosis and treatment of the disorder, as well as for the criminal justice system. The identification of neural correlates of psychopathy could inform the development of biomarkers for vulnerability and early detection, anatomical targets for intervention, and predictors of treatment response. Given the relatively high prevalence of psychopathy among criminal offenders and its predictive utility for violent reoffending, there is growing interest in the relevance of neuroimaging data for predicting future offense[4], as well as for influencing sentencing of psychopathic offenders[5].

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