The Structural Brain Correlates of Psychopathy and Violent Crime
2023 (Engelska)Självständigt arbete på grundnivå (kandidatexamen), 15 poäng / 22,5 hp
Studentuppsats (Examensarbete)
Abstract [en]
Psychopathy is a frequently reported personality trait among violent offenders, and psychopaths have a higher rate of recidivism than inmates without psychopathic features. This systematic review aimed to investigate whether structural brain differences, measured with magnetic resonance imaging, are observed in violent offenders with psychopathy compared to violent offenders without psychopathy or healthy non-violent controls. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The search utilised the academic databases Web of Science and Medline EBSCO and included original peer-reviewed articles written in English and published between 2013 and 2023. Seven articles fulfilling the inclusion criteria were selected for the review. The findings indicated that there are structural differences between violent psychopaths compared to non-violent psychopaths and healthy controls, such as reduced grey matter volume in the prefrontal cortical areas, posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus, and striatal and limbic regions. Further, the degree of structural brain differences in psychopaths correlated with the degree of psychopathic traits. The structural differences found in the brains of violent psychopaths can provide insight into the neurobiological basis and neural mechanisms of psychopathy and elucidate how changes in brain morphology relate to antisocial behaviour and psychopathic personality traits. In addition, the evidence of structural abnormalities in the brain of psychopaths may help develop targeted treatments that could reduce the risk of psychopathic individuals turning to crime and violence or committing repeated violent crimes.
Ort, förlag, år, upplaga, sidor
2023. , s. 33
Nyckelord [en]
Psychopathy, Antisocial personality disorder, Violent crime, Magnetic resonance imaging
Nationell ämneskategori
Neurovetenskaper
Identifikatorer
URN: urn:nbn:se:his:diva-22728OAI: oai:DiVA.org:his-22728DiVA, id: diva2:1769358
Ämne / kurs
Kognitiv neurovetenskap
Utbildningsprogram
Kognitiv neurovetenskap - neuropsykologi och medvetandestudier, 180 hp
Handledare
Examinatorer
2023-06-162023-06-162023-06-16Bibliografiskt granskad