A structural neural deficit in adolescents with conduct disorder and its association with lack of empathy.
The goal of this study was to determine whether brain regions implicated in emotion processing show structural alterations in adolescents with conduct disorder (CD). Using an optimized voxel-based morphometry protocol, we compared grey matter volume in 12 patients with CD and 12 age-, sex-, and intelligence-matched control subjects. Grey matter volume in bilateral anterior insular cortex and the left amygdala was significantly reduced in CD patients compared to healthy control subjects. The insular grey matter abnormalities could be attributed to aggressive behaviour. Moreover, bilateral anterior insular grey matter volume in CD patients correlated significantly with empathy scores. These novel findings point at a joint neuroanatomical substrate underpinning aggressive behaviour and impaired capacity of empathy and suggest a critical role for the anterior insula in regulating social behaviour.
Sterzer
Philipp
P
Department of Neurology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. philipp.sterzer@charite.de
Stadler
Christina
C
Poustka
Fritz
F
Kleinschmidt
Andreas
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology; D000679:Amygdala / Q000473:pathology*; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D004645:Empathy; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010552:Personality Assessment; D012016:Reference Values; D012919:Social Behavior; D013223:Statistics as Topic