Neurocognitive impairments in boys on the life-course persistent antisocial path.
This study addresses 5 unresolved issues in the neuropsychology of antisocial behavior using a community sample of 325 school boys in whom neurocognitive measures were assessed at age 16-17 years. Antisocial behavior measures collected from age 7-17 years were cluster analyzed and produced 4 groups: control, childhood-limited, adolescent-limited, and life-course persistent. Those on the lifecourse persistent path and also on the childhood-limited path were particularly impaired on spatial and memory functions. Impairments were independent of abuse, psychosocial adversity, head injury, and hyperactivity. Findings provide some support for the life-course persistent versus adolescent-limited theory of antisocial behavior and suggest that (a) neurocognitive impairments are profound and not artifactual and (b) childhood-limited antisocials may not be free of long-lasting functional impairment.
Raine
Adrian
A
Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-1061, USA. raine@usc.edu
Moffitt
Terrie E
TE
Caspi
Avshalom
A
Loeber
Rolf
R
Stouthamer-Loeber
Magda
M
Lynam
Don
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology