Abstract |
Violent offending is elevated among individuals with antisocial personality disorder ( ASPD) and high psychopathic traits (PP). Morphological abnormalities of the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) are present in violent offenders, which may relate to the violence enacted by ASPD + PP. Among healthy males, monoamine oxidase-A ( MAO-A) genetic variants linked to low in vitro transcription (MAOA-L) are associated with structural abnormalities of the amygdala and OFC. However, it is currently unknown whether amygdala and OFC morphology in ASPD relate to MAO-A genetic polymorphisms. We studied 18 ASPD males with a history of violent offending and 20 healthy male controls. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral leukocytes to determine MAO-A genetic polymorphisms. Subjects underwent a T1-weighted MRI anatomical brain scan that provided vertex-wise measures of amygdala shape and surface area and OFC cortical thickness. We found that ASPD + PP subjects with MAOA-L exhibited decreased surface area in the right basolateral amygdala nucleus and increased surface area in the right anterior cortical amygdaloid nucleus versus healthy MAOA-L carriers. This study is the first to describe genotype-related morphological differences of the amygdala in a population marked by high aggression. Deficits in emotional regulation that contribute to the violence of ASPD + PP may relate to morphological changes of the amygdala under genetic control.
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Authors | Nathan J Kolla, Raihaan Patel, Jeffrey H Meyer, M Mallar Chakravarty |
Journal | Scientific reports
(Sci Rep)
Vol. 7
Issue 1
Pg. 9607
(08 29 2017)
ISSN: 2045-2322 [Electronic] England |
PMID | 28851912
(Publication Type: Journal Article)
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Chemical References |
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Topics |
- Adolescent
- Adult
- Amygdala
(metabolism, pathology)
- Antisocial Personality Disorder
(diagnosis, etiology, pathology, psychology)
- Criminals
- Genetic Association Studies
- Genetic Predisposition to Disease
- Genetic Variation
- Humans
- Middle Aged
- Monoamine Oxidase
(genetics)
- Organ Size
- Quantitative Trait, Heritable
- Young Adult
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