title: Unmasking feigned sanity: a neurobiological model of emotion processing in primary psychopathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The neurobiological basis of primary psychopathy, an emotional disorder characterised by a lack of fear and empathy, on the one hand, and extremely violent, antisocial tendencies, on the other, is relatively unknown. Nevertheless, theoretical models that emphasise the role of fearlessness, imbalanced motivation, defective somatic markers, and dysfunctional violence inhibition mechanisms have complementary proposals regarding motivations and brain mechanisms involved.
  
  
  METHODS
  Presently, incorporating the heuristic value of these models and further theorising on the basis of recent data from neuropsychology, neuroendocrinology, neuroimaging, and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), an attempt is made to construct a neurobiological framework of emotion processing in primary psychopathy with clinical applicability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  According to this framework, defective emotional processing in primary psychopathy results from bottom-up hormone-mediated imbalances at: (1) the subcortical level; (2) in subcortico-cortical "cross-talk"; that end up in an instrumental stance at the cortical level (3). An endocrine dual-system approach for the fine-tuned restoration of these hormone-mediated imbalances is proposed as a possible clinical application.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This application may be capable of laying a neurobiological foundation for more successful sociotherapeutic interventions in primary psychopathy.
authors.affiliation: Utrecht University, The Netherlands. J.vanHonk@fss.uu.nl
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Honk
authors.forename: Dennis J L G
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Schutter
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D000679:Amygdala / Q000503:physiopathology; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005239:Fear; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000502:physiology; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D009042:Motivation; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D012938:Social Perception; D013739:Testosterone / Q000502:physiology; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone; D006854:Hydrocortisone