Prefrontal Cortex in Moral Judgment and Psychopathic Traits in Community-Recruited Adolescents

• In Event: The Neurobiology of Psychopathic Traits in Youths and College Students

Abstract

Psychopathy is a psychological condition that has been associated with behavioral and neurological deficits. Sixteen healthy adolescents (11-17 years) were recruited from the community. Using fMRI, the neural correlates of moral judgment were investigated in relation to psychopathic traits. In the MRI scanner, participants rated a series of pictures on the severity of moral violation on a scale of 1-4. Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI) total scores were regressed onto brain functioning when comparing morally laden pictures to non-morally laden pictures. Unlike findings from adult samples, youth with higher psychopathic traits demonstrated increased brain activity in orbitofrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex, areas considered important for social and affective decision-making and behavior regulation. Follow-up analyses were also performed on several YPI subscales, revealing positive associations between the Callousness subscale and brain activity in the precuneus and the frontal pole. Data suggest specific deficits frequently seen in adults with psychopathic traits may not be present in young adolescents, which may indicate interventions targeted at this age group have potential for higher effectiveness than in adults.

Authors

• Rheanna J. Remmel, University of Alabama

• Andrea Glenn, University of Alabama

• Randall T. Salekin, University of Alabama

• Thomas DeRamus, University of Alabama at Birmingham

• Omar Maximo, University of Alabama at Birmingham

• Rajesh K. Kana, University of Alabama at Birmingham