Abnormal interhemispheric connectivity in male psychopathic offenders
Publication year
2014Author(s)
Number of pages
9 p.
Source
Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience, 39, 1, (2014), pp. 22-30ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor

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Organization
SW OZ DCC CO
Journal title
Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience
Volume
vol. 39
Issue
iss. 1
Languages used
English (eng)
Page start
p. 22
Page end
p. 30
Subject
Action, intention, and motor control; DI-BCB_DCC_Theme 2: Perception, Action and ControlAbstract
Background: Psychopathic offenders inevitably violate interpersonal norms and frequently resort to aggressive and criminal behaviour. The affective and cognitive deficits underlying these behaviours have been linked to abnormalities in functional interhemispheric connectivity. However, direct neurophysiological evidence for dysfunctional connectivity in psychopathic offenders is lacking. Methods: We used transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with electroencephalography to examine interhemispheric connectivity in the dorsolateral and motor cortex in a sample of psychopathic offenders and healthy controls. We also measured intracortical inhibition and facilitation over the left and right motor cortex to investigate the effects of local cortical processes on interhemispheric connectivity. Results: We enrolled 17 psychopathic offenders and 14 controls in our study. Global abnormalities in right to left functional connectivity were observed in psychopathic offenders compared with controls. Furthermore, in contrast to controls, psychopathic offenders showed increased intracortical inhibition in the right, but not the left, hemisphere. Limitations: The relatively small sample size limited the sensitivity to show that the abnormalities in interhemispheric connectivity were specifically related to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in psychopathic offenders. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this study provides the first neurophysiological evidence for abnormal interhemispheric connectivity in psychopathic offenders and may further our understanding of the disruptive antisocial behaviour of these offenders.
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- Academic publications [227436]
- Electronic publications [107268]
- Faculty of Social Sciences [28417]
- Open Access publications [76396]
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