Reduced White Matter Integrity in Antisocial Personality Disorder: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

Weixiong Jiang,Dewen Hu,Hui Shen,Zhongxiang Ding,Celina Shen,Gang Li,Dinggang Shen,Wei Wang,Feng Shi,Seong-Whan Lee,Huasheng Liu

doi:10.1038/srep43002

Abstract

Emerging neuroimaging research suggests that antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) may be linked to abnormal brain anatomy, but little is known about possible impairments of white matter microstructure in ASPD, as well as their relationship with impulsivity or risky behaviors. In this study, we systematically investigated white matter abnormalities of ASPD using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures: fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD). Then, we further investigated their correlations with the scores of impulsivity or risky behaviors. ASPD patients showed decreased FA in multiple major white matter fiber bundles, which connect the fronto-parietal control network and the fronto-temporal network. We also found AD/RD deficits in some additional white matter tracts that were not detected by FA. More interestingly, several regions were found correlated with impulsivity or risky behaviors in AD and RD values, although not in FA values, including the splenium of corpus callosum, left posterior corona radiate/posterior thalamic radiate, right superior longitudinal fasciculus, and left inferior longitudinal fasciculus. These regions can be the potential biomarkers, which would be of great interest in further understanding the pathomechanism of ASPD.

Highlights

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) involves behavioral impairments that include poor self-control ability, impulsivity, aggression, and callous-unemotional traits
9 clusters show significant fractional anisotropy (FA) decreases in the following tracts (p < 0.05, false discovery rate (FDR) corrected) (Fig. 1, Table 1): right uncinate fasciculus (UNC), left superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), bilateral inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), bilateral anterior corona radiate (ACR), right anterior limb of internal capsule (ALIC), left retrolenticular part of internal capsule (RPIC), left superior corona radiata (SCR), left fornix/stria terminalis, and several superficial whiter matter regions, such as the right middle frontal blade, left post-central blade and left parieto-temporal blade
antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) patients show significantly lower axial diffusivity (AD) in 17 clusters located in the following tracts (p < 0.05, FDR corrected) (Fig. 2, Table 2): bilateral SLF, splenium of corpus callosum (SCC), bilateral SCR, left posterior corona radiate (PCR), left ACR, left anterior limb of internal capsule (ALIC), left RLIC and posterior limb of internal capsule (PLIC), left posterior thalamic radiation (PTR), left fornix/stria terminalis, and some superficial cluster index voxel size region name

Summary

Introduction

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) involves behavioral impairments that include poor self-control ability, impulsivity, aggression, and callous-unemotional traits. Reduced gray matter volume in the medial and lateral temporal regions was revealed in ASPD5–7 In accord with these findings, studies using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) found reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) values in the uncinate fasciculus that connects limbic system regions in the temporal lobe to the orbitofrontal cortex[8,9]. Based on this evidence, theories that suggest that fronto-temporal abnormalities are associated with antisocial behavior disorders are put forward[10] and certified continually[9,11,12]. This study will provide valuable information regarding the abnormal microstructure of ASPD, and highlight the potential relations between structural changes and impulsivity or risky behaviors in ASPD patients

Methods

Results

Conclusion