Images of prisoners’ brains show important differences between those who are diagnosed as psychopaths and those who aren’t, according to a new study led by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers.
The results could help explain the callous and impulsive antisocial behavior exhibited by some psychopaths.
The study showed that psychopaths have reduced connections between the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), the part of the brain responsible for sentiments such as empathy and guilt, and the amygdala, which mediates fear and anxiety.
Two types of brain images were collected. Diffusion tensor images (DTI) showed reduced structural integrity in the white matter fibers connecting the two areas, while a second type of image that maps brain activity, a functional magnetic resonance image (fMRI), showed less coordinated activity between the vmPFC and the amygdala.
“This is the first study to show both structural and functional differences in the brains of people diagnosed with psychopathy,” says Michael Koenigs, assistant professor of psychiatry in the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. “Those two structures in the brain, which are believed to regulate emotion and social behavior, seem to not be communicating as they should.”
The study, which took place in a medium-security prison in Wisconsin, is a unique collaborative between three laboratories, UW-Madison psychology Professor Joseph Newman has had a long term interest in studying and diagnosing those with psychopathy and has worked extensively in the Wisconsin corrections system.
Dr. Kent Kiehl, of the University of New Mexico and the MIND Research Network, has a mobile MRI scanner that he brought to the prison and used to scan the prisoners’ brains. Koenigs and his graduate student, Julian Motzkin, led the analysis of the brain scans.
The study compared the brains of 20 prisoners with a diagnosis of psychopathy with the brains of 20 other prisoners who committed similar crimes but were not diagnosed with psychopathy.
“The combination of structural and functional abnormalities provides compelling evidence that the dysfunction observed in this crucial social-emotional circuitry is a stable characteristic of our psychopathic offenders,” Newman says. “I am optimistic that our ongoing collaborative work will shed more light on the source of this dysfunction and strategies for treating the problem.”
Learn more:Â Psychopaths’ Brains Show Differences in Structure and Function
The Latest on: Psychopathy
[google_news title=”” keyword=”psychopathy” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Psychopathy
- The Dark Triad’s Dark Underside Shows Where Things Go Wrongon May 18, 2024 at 7:30 am
People with dark triad traits may seem to have everything going for them. A new, large-scale study shows why the reality is quite the opposite when you bring them into the light.
- Why is everyone in NYC suddenly so rudeon May 18, 2024 at 7:00 am
More frightening, the empathy vacuum has led to a spike in casual violence as well. While crimes like murder and rape are down in New York City there’s a new trend of derelicts sucker-punching ...
- Men with dark triad traits accurately detect similar traits in others’ faceson May 17, 2024 at 7:00 am
A recent study published in Frontiers in Psychology has found that people can accurately infer certain personality traits, known as the “dark triad,” from the faces of women but not men. The dark ...
- There's one simple physical sign that suggests someone is a psychopath, according to studyon May 16, 2024 at 9:28 am
A study that was published in the 200th Personality and Individual Difference journal back January suggested there was one physical sign that could indicate someone is a psychopath. Apparently, the ...
- This Is The Surprisingly Simple Way To Tell If Somebody’s A Psychopathon May 15, 2024 at 11:00 pm
However, according to a study published in Personality and Individual Differences, there is one simple sign that can identify a psychopath and it’s all to do with head movements. According to the ...
- Researchers Ask 47 Inmates How They Pick Their Victims, 1 Trait Stood Out from All the Otherson May 15, 2024 at 7:29 pm
Ted Bundy, the notorious American serial killer, rapist and necrophiliac, once chillingly said he could identify a victim merely by ...
- ‘Extremely morbid’ sign eight-year-old girl was a psychopathon May 14, 2024 at 10:04 am
A woman who claims she’s a “diagnosed psychopath” has revealed her dark interests as a child, proving she always had the terrifying condition.
- Female psychopaths have this one particular characteristicon May 14, 2024 at 4:06 am
A recent study into the female psychopaths has been released and scientists found this specific trait that could help you identify one.
- Effortful Helping in Teenagers at Risk for Psychopathyon May 9, 2024 at 4:59 pm
This post was written by Anne Gaule, Ph.D., and Essi Viding, Ph.D., with edits from Patricia Lockwood, Ph.D., and Jo Cutler, Ph.D. Helping other people—be it your friend moving house or a ...
- Does healthy narcissism exist? Why experts say there are positives to this personality disorderon May 9, 2024 at 2:30 am
"Narcissistic personality traits can absolutely be healthy, given that they are innate inside all of us, and do help us take action toward bettering ourselves," Alderete says. "Most of us would not ...
via Bing News