Open AccessInterpersonal traits of psychopathy linked to reduced integrity of the uncinate fasciculus
Author(s) -
Wolf Richard C.,
Pujara Maia S.,
Motzkin Julian C.,
Newman Joseph P.,
Kiehl Kent A.,
Decety Jean,
Kosson David S.,
Koenigs Michael
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
human brain mapping
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.005
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1097-0193
pISSN - 1065-9471
DOI - 10.1002/hbm.22911
Subject(s) - psychopathy , uncinate fasciculus , psychology , fractional anisotropy , white matter , empathy , antisocial personality disorder , fasciculus , diffusion mri , tractography , polymicrogyria , neuroscience , personality , poison control , psychiatry , injury prevention , medicine , magnetic resonance imaging , social psychology , epilepsy , environmental health , radiology
Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by callous lack of empathy, impulsive antisocial behavior, and criminal recidivism. Here, we performed the largest diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) study of incarcerated criminal offenders to date ( N = 147) to determine whether psychopathy severity is linked to the microstructural integrity of major white matter tracts in the brain. Consistent with the results of previous studies in smaller samples, we found that psychopathy was associated with reduced fractional anisotropy in the right uncinate fasciculus (UF; the major white matter tract connecting ventral frontal and anterior temporal cortices). We found no such association in the left UF or in adjacent frontal or temporal white matter tracts. Moreover, the right UF finding was specifically related to the interpersonal features of psychopathy (glib superficial charm, grandiose sense of self‐worth, pathological lying, manipulativeness), rather than the affective, antisocial, or lifestyle features. These results indicate a neural marker for this key dimension of psychopathic symptomatology. Hum Brain Mapp 36:4202–4209, 2015 . © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.