ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The corpus striatum, comprised of the caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus, plays an important role in reward processing and may be involved in the pathophysiology of antisocial behavior. Few studies have explored whether differences are present in the striatum of antisocial individuals. Here, we examine the structure of the striatum in relation to psychopathy. METHODS: Using a case-control design, we examined the volume of the striatum in psychopathic individuals compared with control subjects matched for age, sex, ethnicity, and substance dependence. Twenty-two psychopathic individuals assessed using the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised and 22 comparison subjects underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging. Volumes of the left and right lenticular nucleus (putamen and globus pallidus), caudate head, and caudate body were assessed and the psychopathic and control groups were compared. RESULTS: Psychopathic individuals showed a 9.6% increase in striatum volumes. Analyses of subfactors of psychopathy revealed that caudate body volumes were primarily associated with the interpersonal and affective features of psychopathy, while caudate head volumes were primarily associated with the impulsive, stimulation-seeking features. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide new evidence for differences in the striatum of psychopathic individuals. This structural difference may partially underlie the reward-seeking and decision-making deficits associated with psychopathy.
Subject(s)
Antisocial Personality Disorder/pathology , Corpus Striatum/pathology , Adult , Brain Mapping , Female , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods , Male , Regression Analysis , Statistics, Nonparametric , Young AdultABSTRACT
The objective of this pilot study on a convenience sample of 25 offspring of Alzheimer patients (mean age 61.5 +/- 8.8 years; range, 50-82) was the early detection of neurocognitive decline. This preliminary report appears to be the first one dealing with 20-year follow-up of neurocognitive data of Alzheimer's disease (AD) children. Digit symbol (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale) was the only of 11 neurocognitive measures with a significant decline. And that decline between first and last testing (mean = 19.98 +/- 0.30 years) was on raw scores, not scaled scores. Neither parents' age at onset of AD nor autopsy confirmation or offspring APOE-e4 status influenced neurocognitive results. More robust data than currently available are needed to confirm the findings of this first pilot study and to determine both the trajectory of neurocognitive decline in AD and the risks of developing AD faced by children whose parent had the disease.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/genetics , Cognition Disorders/etiology , Genetic Predisposition to Disease , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Parent-Child Relations , Pedigree , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
Previous studies have repeatedly shown verbal intelligence deficits in adolescent antisocial individuals, but it is not known whether these deficits are in place prior to kindergarten or, alternatively, whether they are acquired throughout childhood. This study assesses whether cognitive deficits occur as early as age 3 years and whether they are specific to persistently antisocial individuals. Verbal and spatial abilities were assessed at ages 3 and 11 years in 330 male and female children, while antisocial behavior was assessed at ages 8 and 17 years. Persistently antisocial individuals (N = 47) had spatial deficits in the absence of verbal deficits at age 3 years compared to comparisons (N = 133), and also spatial and verbal deficits at age 11 years. Age 3 spatial deficits were independent of social adversity, early hyperactivity, poor test motivation, poor test comprehension, and social discomfort during testing, and they were found in females as well as males. Findings suggest that early spatial deficits contribute to persistent antisocial behavior whereas verbal deficits are developmentally acquired. An early-starter model is proposed whereby early spatial impairments interfere with early bonding and attachment, reflect disrupted right hemisphere affect regulation and expression, and predispose to later persistent antisocial behavior.
Subject(s)
Antisocial Personality Disorder/psychology , Cognition Disorders/psychology , Language Development Disorders/psychology , Space Perception , Verbal Behavior , Adolescent , Antisocial Personality Disorder/diagnosis , Child , Child, Preschool , Cognition Disorders/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Intelligence , Language Development Disorders/diagnosis , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Mauritius , Personality Assessment , Psychosocial Deprivation , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
Structural prefrontal deficits have been reported in patients with schizophrenia, but it is unclear if they are also found in patients with schizophrenia spectrum personality disorders. The hypothesis that a spectrum group will be characterized by prefrontal structural deficits was tested by assessing prefrontal gray and white volumes using magnetic resonance imaging in a community sample of 16 individuals with schizotypal/paranoid personality disorder, 27 comparisons, and 26 psychiatric controls. Frontal neurocognitive functioning was also assessed using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and the Continuous Performance Test. The spectrum group showed reduced prefrontal gray volumes and poorer frontal functioning compared to both other groups. Structural deficits were independent of functional deficits and together correctly classified 84.2 percent of subjects. Structural but not functional deficits were abolished after a strict control for antisocial personality was made. Results support the notion that frontal deficits may be centrally involved in the etiology of schizophrenia but also suggest that comorbid antisocial behavior may be one factor accounting for differences in prefrontal structural findings across studies.
