Reduced prefrontal connectivity in psychopathy
Abstract
Linking psychopathy to a specific brain abnormality could have significant clinical, legal, and scientific implications. Theories on the
neurobiological basis of the disorder typically propose dysfunction in a circuit involving ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC).
However, to date there is limited brain imaging data to directly test whether psychopathy may indeed be associated with any structural or
functional abnormality within this brain area. In this study, we employ two complementary imaging techniques to assess the structural
and functional connectivity of vmPFC in psychopathic and non-psychopathic criminals. Using diffusion tensor imaging, we show that
psychopathy is associated with reduced structural integrity in the right uncinate fasciculus, the primary white matter connection between
vmPFC and anterior temporal lobe. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we show that psychopathy is associated with reduced
functional connectivity between vmPFC and amygdala as well as between vmPFC and medial parietal cortex. Together, these data
converge to implicate diminished vmPFC connectivity as a characteristic neurobiological feature of psychopathy.