Scientists have found a distinctive feature of psychopaths — smaller brains than normal people

A group of European and American researchers has identified specific structures in the brains of people diagnosed with psychopathy associated with the characteristic antisocial behavior.

It is noted, that scientists from Researchers from the Julich Research Center, RWTH Aachen, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Georg-August-University (Germany), and the University of Pennsylvania (USA) used advanced neuroimaging systems and the Julich Brain Atlas to identify characteristic neural networks that provoke structural changes in people with psychopathic disorders. The researchers analyzed MRI scans of 39 adult men diagnosed with psychopathy and compared them with participants from the control group. 

Psychopathic traits were assessed using the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), which distinguishes between two main markers — interpersonal affective traits and lifestyle and antisocial behavior. The results demonstrated that people with higher rates of antisocial behavior and lifestyle had volume reduction of several brain regions at once. 

Among these areas are subcortical structures, in particular, the basal ganglia, thalamus, and basal forebrain, as well as brainstem regions (varices), cerebellum, and cortical areas such as the orbitofrontal and insular cortex. These brain regions are directly related to the regulation of emotional states, decision-making, impulse control, and social behavior. 

At the same time, such markers as pathological deceitfulness and lack of empathy were weaker and more variable. Some differences in the volume of the orbitofrontal, dorsolateral frontal, and left hippocampal areas were noted, but these patterns were less consistent across individuals.

Among psychopaths, there was also a significant decrease in the total volume of brain matter in the right posterior part — the part of the hippocampus responsible for memory. The authors of the study emphasize that the findings indicate a particularly strong neurobiological link between antisocial behavior and a decrease in brain volume in various parts of the brain.

Results of the study published у European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience

Source: SciTechDaily