Youth with elevated psychopathic traits exhibit structural integrity deficits in the uncinate fasciculus
Youth with elevated psychopathic traits represent a particularly severe subgroup of adolescents characterized by extreme behavioral problems and exhibit comparable neurocognitive deficits as adult offenders with psychopathic traits. A consistent finding among adults with elevated psychopathic traits...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2020-01-01
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| Series: | NeuroImage: Clinical |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213158220300735 |
| _version_ | 1819151427133505536 |
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| author | J. Michael Maurer Subhadip Paul Nathaniel E. Anderson Prashanth K. Nyalakanti Kent A. Kiehl |
| author_facet | J. Michael Maurer Subhadip Paul Nathaniel E. Anderson Prashanth K. Nyalakanti Kent A. Kiehl |
| author_sort | J. Michael Maurer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Youth with elevated psychopathic traits represent a particularly severe subgroup of adolescents characterized by extreme behavioral problems and exhibit comparable neurocognitive deficits as adult offenders with psychopathic traits. A consistent finding among adults with elevated psychopathic traits is reduced white matter structural integrity of the right uncinate fasciculus (UF). The UF is a major white matter tract that connects regions of the anterior temporal lobe (i.e., the amygdala) to higher-order executive control regions, including the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. However, the relationship between youth psychopathic traits and structural integrity of the UF has been mixed, with some studies identifying a negative relationship between adolescent psychopathy scores and FA in the UF, and others identifying a positive relationship. Here, we investigated structural integrity of the left and right UF using fractional anisotropy (FA) in a large sample of n = 254 male adolescent offenders recruited from maximum-security juvenile correctional facilities. Psychopathic traits were assessed using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV). Consistent with hypotheses, interpersonal and affective traits (i.e., PCL:YV Factor 1 and Facet 1 scores) were associated with reduced FA in the right UF. Additionally, lifestyle traits (i.e., PCL:YV Facet 3 scores) were associated with increased FA in the left UF. Results are consistent with previously published studies reporting reduced FA in the right UF in adult psychopathic offenders and increased left UF FA in youth meeting criteria for certain externalizing disorders. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T14:33:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e4383d7983b743dfa81df73127e85baa |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2213-1582 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T14:33:13Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | NeuroImage: Clinical |
| spelling | doaj.art-e4383d7983b743dfa81df73127e85baa2022-12-21T18:22:42ZengElsevierNeuroImage: Clinical2213-15822020-01-0126Youth with elevated psychopathic traits exhibit structural integrity deficits in the uncinate fasciculusJ. Michael Maurer0Subhadip Paul1Nathaniel E. Anderson2Prashanth K. Nyalakanti3Kent A. Kiehl4Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA; The Mind Research Network (MRN) & Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute (LBERI), Albuquerque, NM, USA; Corresponding author at: 1101 Yale Boulevard NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108, USA.The Mind Research Network (MRN) & Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute (LBERI), Albuquerque, NM, USAThe Mind Research Network (MRN) & Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute (LBERI), Albuquerque, NM, USAThe Mind Research Network (MRN) & Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute (LBERI), Albuquerque, NM, USADepartment of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA; The Mind Research Network (MRN) & Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute (LBERI), Albuquerque, NM, USA; Corresponding author at: 1101 Yale Boulevard NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108, USA.Youth with elevated psychopathic traits represent a particularly severe subgroup of adolescents characterized by extreme behavioral problems and exhibit comparable neurocognitive deficits as adult offenders with psychopathic traits. A consistent finding among adults with elevated psychopathic traits is reduced white matter structural integrity of the right uncinate fasciculus (UF). The UF is a major white matter tract that connects regions of the anterior temporal lobe (i.e., the amygdala) to higher-order executive control regions, including the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. However, the relationship between youth psychopathic traits and structural integrity of the UF has been mixed, with some studies identifying a negative relationship between adolescent psychopathy scores and FA in the UF, and others identifying a positive relationship. Here, we investigated structural integrity of the left and right UF using fractional anisotropy (FA) in a large sample of n = 254 male adolescent offenders recruited from maximum-security juvenile correctional facilities. Psychopathic traits were assessed using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV). Consistent with hypotheses, interpersonal and affective traits (i.e., PCL:YV Factor 1 and Facet 1 scores) were associated with reduced FA in the right UF. Additionally, lifestyle traits (i.e., PCL:YV Facet 3 scores) were associated with increased FA in the left UF. Results are consistent with previously published studies reporting reduced FA in the right UF in adult psychopathic offenders and increased left UF FA in youth meeting criteria for certain externalizing disorders.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213158220300735Juvenile delinquencyCallous-unemotional traitsDiffusion tensor imagingFractional anisotropyUncinate fasciculus |
| spellingShingle | J. Michael Maurer Subhadip Paul Nathaniel E. Anderson Prashanth K. Nyalakanti Kent A. Kiehl Youth with elevated psychopathic traits exhibit structural integrity deficits in the uncinate fasciculus NeuroImage: Clinical Juvenile delinquency Callous-unemotional traits Diffusion tensor imaging Fractional anisotropy Uncinate fasciculus |
| title | Youth with elevated psychopathic traits exhibit structural integrity deficits in the uncinate fasciculus |
| title_full | Youth with elevated psychopathic traits exhibit structural integrity deficits in the uncinate fasciculus |
| title_fullStr | Youth with elevated psychopathic traits exhibit structural integrity deficits in the uncinate fasciculus |
| title_full_unstemmed | Youth with elevated psychopathic traits exhibit structural integrity deficits in the uncinate fasciculus |
| title_short | Youth with elevated psychopathic traits exhibit structural integrity deficits in the uncinate fasciculus |
| title_sort | youth with elevated psychopathic traits exhibit structural integrity deficits in the uncinate fasciculus |
| topic | Juvenile delinquency Callous-unemotional traits Diffusion tensor imaging Fractional anisotropy Uncinate fasciculus |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213158220300735 |
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