The existence of a biological difference between psychopaths and non-psychopaths has been established by scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
They found that a region of the forebrain known as the striatum was larger in psychopathic individuals than in a control group.
Psychopaths are defined as individuals that have an egocentric personality. This is usually marked by a lack of remorse for their actions, a lack of empathy for others, and criminal tendencies.
The forebrain, the subcortical region of the brain that contains the entire cerebrum, coordinates multiple aspects of cognitive function, including motor and action planning, decision-making, motivation, reinforcement, and reward perception.
The impact of the striatum's size on behaviours has not been determined by previous studies. A new study shows that there is a biological difference between people with and without psychopathic tendencies.
There is a correlation between the number of individuals with psychopathic tendencies breaking the law and the number of criminals who meet the criteria for psychopathy. Psychopathy is linked to more violent behavior.
The understanding of biology's role in criminal behavior may help improve theories of behavior, as well as inform policy and treatment options.
To conduct their study, the neuroscientists scanned the brains of 120 participants in the United States and interviewed them using a psychological assessment tool.
The results of the study help advance our knowledge about what underlies psychopathy, according to the assistant professor who co-authored the study. In addition to social environmental influences, it is important to consider that there can be differences in the size of the brain of people who are not anti-social.
Professor Adrian Raine from the Departments of Criminology, Psychiatry, and Psychology at University of Pennsylvania co-authored the study.
Professor Robert Schug from the School of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Emergency Management at California State University, Long Beach, who co-authored the study, said that the Psychopathy Checklist is a novel scientific approach that helps us understand psychopaths.
Associate Professor Glenn from the Department of Psychology of The University of Alabama, who is not involved in the research, said that by replicating and extending prior work, this study increases our confidence that psychopathy is associated. Future studies will need to understand the factors that may contribute to these structural differences.
The results of the study were published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.
Bigger appetite for stimulation.
The researchers used the results from the interviews to screen for psychopathy and found that having a larger striatum was linked to an increased need for stimulation, as well as a higher likelihood of impulsive behaviours.
The striatum is located in the centre of the brain. The cerebral cortex controls cognitive, social, and sensory activity.
In the past two decades, the understanding of the striatum has expanded, yielding hints that the region is linked to difficulties in social behavior.
Studies have not addressed whether striatal enlargement is observed in adult females with psychopathic tendencies.
According to the neuroscientists, psychopathy was linked to an enlarged striatum in females, for the first time, in their study of 120 individuals. As a child matures, the striatum shrinks, suggesting that psychopathy is related to differences in how the brain develops.
A better understanding of the striatum's development is still needed. There are a lot of factors involved in why one person is more likely to have psychopathic tendencies than another. Psychopathy can be linked to a structural abnormality in the brain. The structure of the striatum can be affected by the environment.
Prof Raine said that psychopaths go to extreme lengths to seek out rewards, including criminal activities that involve property, sex, and drugs. This impulsive and stimulating behavior is underpinned by a key brain area involved in rewards.
The scientists want to find out the causes of the striatum's enlargement in people with psychopathic tendencies.
The story was told
The materials are provided by Nanyang Technological University. Content can be edited for style and length.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
