Pedophilia is linked to reduced activation in hypothalamus and lateral prefrontal cortex during visual erotic stimulation.
BACKGROUND
Although pedophilia is of high public concern, little is known about underlying neural mechanisms. Although pedophilic patients are sexually attracted to prepubescent children, they show no sexual interest toward adults. This study aimed to investigate the neural correlates of deficits of sexual and emotional arousal in pedophiles.


METHODS
Thirteen pedophilic patients and 14 healthy control subjects were tested for differential neural activity during visual stimulation with emotional and erotic pictures with functional magnetic resonance imaging.


RESULTS
Regions showing differential activations during the erotic condition comprised the hypothalamus, the periaqueductal gray, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the latter correlating with a clinical measure. Alterations of emotional processing concerned the amygdala-hippocampus and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex.


CONCLUSIONS
Hypothesized regions relevant for processing of erotic stimuli in healthy individuals showed reduced activations during visual erotic stimulation in pedophilic patients. This suggests an impaired recruitment of key structures that might contribute to an altered sexual interest of these patients toward adults.
Walter
Martin
M
Department of Psychiatry, Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg, Leipziger Strasse 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany.
Witzel
Joachim
J
Wiebking
Christine
C
Gubka
Udo
U
Rotte
Michael
M
Schiltz
Kolja
K
Bermpohl
Felix
F
Tempelmann
Claus
C
Bogerts
Bernhard
B
Heinze
Hans Jochen
HJ
Northoff
Georg
G
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D035061:Control Groups; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D004882:Erotica / Q000523:psychology*; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007989:Libido / Q000502:physiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008959:Models, Neurological; D010378:Pedophilia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D011999:Recruitment, Neurophysiological / Q000502:physiology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*