Introduction:

Biological medical factors underlying certain psychiatric illnesses and personality disorders contribute to the increased risk of certain types of violent behavior and affect the intensity of their expression and recurrence. The presence of brain dysfunction in violent offenders has been frequently examined from neuro-psycho-biological perspectives, the main goals of the present study were to identify alterations in brain function and anatomy in violent prisoners, especially those diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder and Psychopathy.

Methods:

The study evaluated the quantitative EEG, current density source and synchronization likelihood analysis during the rest condition and structural MRI images to compare volumetric and cortical thickness, in inmates recruited from two prisons located in Havana City. The Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R) was used as a quantitative measure of psychopathy.

Results:

This study showed most beta energy and less alpha activity in male psychopath offenders. LORETA signified an increase of beta activity in psychopath offender groups within paralimbic regions. There were no significant differences in brain volumes when comparing male inmates with and without psychopathy. Cortical thickness in the left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and the temporal pole was negatively associated with PCL-R total score. Conclusions: Our findings support the hypothesis that paralimbic areas play an important role in genesis of violent behavior.

        · resumen en Español     · texto en Español     · Español ( pdf )