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. 2015 Oct;36(10):4202-9.
doi: 10.1002/hbm.22911. Epub 2015 Jul 28.

Interpersonal traits of psychopathy linked to reduced integrity of the uncinate fasciculus

Richard C Wolf  1   2 , Maia S Pujara  1   2 , Julian C Motzkin  1   2 , Joseph P Newman  3 , Kent A Kiehl  4   5 , Jean Decety  6 , David S Kosson  7 , Michael Koenigs  1
Affiliations

Interpersonal traits of psychopathy linked to reduced integrity of the uncinate fasciculus

Richard C Wolf et al. Hum Brain Mapp. 2015 Oct.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: amygdala; antisocial personality disorder; crime; diffusion tensor imaging; prefrontal cortex; psychopathy; uncinate fasciculus.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Inverse relationships between right UF FA and (A) PCL‐R Total scores (P = 0.047), (B) Factor 1 scores (P = 0.040), and (C) Facet 1 scores (P = 0.021). Scatter plot points are raw data. Gray lines indicate ±1 standard error. [Color figure can be viewed in the online issue, which is available at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com.]
Figure 2
Figure 2
Right UF FA by psychopathy category. Error bars indicate ±1 standard error. * Psychopathic participants had lower right UF FA than nonpsychopathic participants (P = 0.013).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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