title: Lower amygdala volume in men is associated with childhood aggression, early psychopathic traits, and future violence.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Reduced amygdala volume has been implicated in the development of severe and persistent aggression and the development of psychopathic personality. With longitudinal data, the current study examined whether male subjects with lower amygdala volume have a history of aggression and psychopathic features dating back to childhood and are at increased risk for engaging in future aggression/violence.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were selected from a longitudinal study of 503 male subjects initially recruited when they were in the first grade in 1986-1987. At age 26, a subsample of 56 men with varying histories of violence was recruited for a neuroimaging substudy. Automated segmentation was used to index individual differences in amygdala volume. Analyses examined the association between amygdala volume and levels of aggression and psychopathic features of participants measured in childhood and adolescence. Analyses also examined whether amygdala volume was associated with violence and psychopathic traits assessed at a 3-year follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Men with lower amygdala volume exhibited higher levels of aggression and psychopathic features from childhood to adulthood. Lower amygdala volume was also associated with aggression, violence, and psychopathic traits at a 3-year follow-up, even after controlling for earlier levels of these features. All effects remained after accounting for several potential confounds.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This represents the first prospective study to demonstrate that men with lower amygdala volume have a longstanding history of aggression and psychopathic features and are at increased risk for committing future violence. Studies should further examine whether specific amygdala abnormalities might be a useful biomarker for severe and persistent aggression.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Electronic address: dap38@pitt.edu.
authors: Dustin A
authors: DA
authors: Pardini
authors: Adrian
authors: A
authors: Raine
authors: Kirk
authors: K
authors: Erickson
authors: Rolf
authors: R
authors: Loeber
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000374:Aggression; D000679:Amygdala / Q000473:pathology*; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Aggression; amygdala; longitudinal; psychopathy; violence; volume
references: Neuroimage. 2007 Aug 1;37(1):335-42
references: 17553706
references: Biol Psychiatry. 2007 Jul 15;62(2):168-78
references: 17210136
references: World J Biol Psychiatry. 2012 Jan;13(1):75-81
references: 22256828
references: J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2005 Aug;33(4):431-43
references: 16118990
references: Neuron. 2005 Oct 20;48(2):175-87
references: 16242399
references: Behav Brain Res. 2006 May 15;169(2):239-47
references: 16466814
references: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2012 Sep;69(9):962-72
references: 22566562
references: J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2007 Jul-Sep;36(3):276-92
references: 17658974
references: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2009 Sep;66(9):986-94
references: 19736355
references: Epidemiology. 1990 Jan;1(1):43-6
references: 2081237
references: Annu Rev Clin Psychol. 2008;4:217-46
references: 18370617
references: Soc Neurosci. 2013;8(2):122-35
references: 22775289
references: Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2010 Feb;12(1):76-82
references: 20425314
references: J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2010 Nov;35(6):390-8
references: 20964961
references: J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2012 Apr;53(4):371-80
references: 22176342
references: Stat Med. 2002 Aug 30;21(16):2409-19
references: 12210625
references: Psychol Med. 2005 Feb;35(2):245-56
references: 15841682
references: Assessment. 1999 Sep;6(3):285-92
references: 10445965
references: Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2014 Jan;9(1):3-11
references: 22956667
references: J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2006 Feb;35(1):46-59
references: 16390302
references: BMJ. 1998 Apr 18;316(7139):1236-8
references: 9553006
references: Neuroimage. 2008 Apr 15;40(3):1202-13
references: 18289882
references: J Abnorm Psychol. 2007 Feb;116(1):155-65
references: 17324026
references: Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 1991 Jun;18(6):379-92
references: 1914240
references: Psychiatry Res. 2008 Aug 30;163(3):201-12
references: 18662866
references: J Pers Disord. 2014 Jun;28(3):419-33
references: 22984856
references: Child Dev. 2002 May-Jun;73(3):916-34
references: 12038560
references: Assessment. 2003 Jun;10(2):183-90
references: 12801190
references: J Abnorm Psychol. 2010 Aug;119(3):546-54
references: 20677843
references: Am J Psychiatry. 2010 Jan;167(1):56-60
references: 19917592
references: J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2009 Jan;50(1-2):133-42
references: 19220596
references: J Abnorm Psychol. 2012 Aug;121(3):649-58
references: 22149911
references: Trends Cogn Sci. 2012 Jan;16(1):52-60
references: 22177031
references: Am J Psychiatry. 2010 Jan;167(1):1-3
references: 20068118
references: Neuropsychologia. 1971 Mar;9(1):97-113
references: 5146491
references: Neuroimage. 2011 Jun 1;56(3):907-22
references: 21352927
references: Crim Justice Behav. 2008 Feb 1;35(2):173-196
references: 21394215
references: Am J Psychiatry. 1994 Aug;151(8):1132-6
references: 8037246
references: Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2013 Dec;8(8):928-36
references: 22956672
references: J Abnorm Psychol. 2005 Feb;114(1):38-49
references: 15709810
references: Am J Psychiatry. 2011 Jun;168(6):624-33
references: 21454920
references: Aggress Behav. 2006 Apr 1;32(2):159-171
references: 20798781
references: Behav Brain Res. 2009 Sep 14;202(2):179-83
references: 19463699
references: Am J Psychiatry. 2008 Jun;165(6):712-20
references: 18281412