The psychopath magnetized: insights from brain imaging

Psychopaths commit a disproportionate amount of violent crime, and this places a substantial economic and emotional burden on society. Elucidation of the neural correlates of psychopathy may lead to improved management and treatment of the condition. Although some methodological issues remain, the n...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inTrends in cognitive sciences Vol. 16; no. 1; pp. 52 - 60
Main Authors Anderson, Nathaniel E, Kiehl, Kent A
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2012
Subjects
Amygdala - physiopathology
Antisocial Personality Disorder - physiopathology
Brain Mapping
Criminal Psychology
Humans
Limbic System - physiopathology
Models, Neurological
Neural Pathways
Neuroimaging
Neurology
Prefrontal Cortex - physiopathology
Psychiatry
Psychopathology
Violence
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Psychopaths commit a disproportionate amount of violent crime, and this places a substantial economic and emotional burden on society. Elucidation of the neural correlates of psychopathy may lead to improved management and treatment of the condition. Although some methodological issues remain, the neuroimaging literature is generally converging on a set of brain regions and circuits that are consistently implicated in the condition: the orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala, and the anterior and posterior cingulate and adjacent (para)limbic structures. We discuss these findings in the context of extant theories of psychopathy and highlight the potential legal and policy implications of this body of work.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-3
content type line 23
ObjectType-Review-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
ISSN:1364-6613
1879-307X
DOI:10.1016/j.tics.2011.11.008