title: Impulsive-antisocial dimension of psychopathy linked to enlargement and abnormal functional connectivity of the striatum.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Psychopathy is a mental health disorder characterized by callous and impulsive antisocial behavior, and is associated with a high incidence of violent crime, substance abuse, and recidivism. Recent studies suggest that the striatum may be a key component of the neurobiological basis for the disorder, though structural findings have been mixed and functional connectivity of the striatum in psychopathy has yet to be fully examined.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a multimodal neuroimaging study of striatum volume and functional connectivity in psychopathy, using a large sample of adult male prison inmates (N=124). We conducted volumetric analyses in striatal subnuclei, and subsequently assessed resting-state functional connectivity in areas where volume was related to psychopathy severity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total PCL-R and Factor 2 scores (which index the impulsive/antisocial traits of psychopathy) were associated with larger striatal subnuclei volumes and increased volume in focal areas throughout the striatum, particularly in the nucleus accumbens and putamen bilaterally. Furthermore, at many of the striatal areas where volume was positively associated with Factor 2 scores, psychopathy severity was also associated with abnormal functional connectivity with other brain regions, including dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, ventral midbrain and other areas of the striatum. The results were not attributable to age, race, IQ, substance use history, or intracranial volume.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings associate the impulsive/antisocial dimension of psychopathy with enlarged striatal subnuclei and aberrant functional connectivity between the striatum and other brain regions. Furthermore, the co-localization of volumetric and functional connectivity findings suggests that these neural abnormalities may be pathophysiologically linked.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 6001 Research Park Boulevard, Madison, Wisconsin, 53719, USA; Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1111 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI, 53705, USA.
authors.forename: Cole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Korponay
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 6001 Research Park Boulevard, Madison, Wisconsin, 53719, USA; Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1111 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI, 53705, USA.
authors.forename: Maia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pujara
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 6001 Research Park Boulevard, Madison, Wisconsin, 53719, USA.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Deming
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 6001 Research Park Boulevard, Madison, Wisconsin, 53719, USA; Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri-St. Louis, 1 University Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri, 63121, USA.
authors.forename: Carissa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Philippi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, 5848 South University Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Decety
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, Illinois, 60064, USA.
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Kosson
authors.affiliation: The non-profit MIND Research Network, an affiliate of Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute, 1101 Yale C NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87131, USA; Departments of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Law, University of New Mexico, 1 University of New Mexico MSC03 2220, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87131, USA.
authors.forename: Kent A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Kiehl
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 6001 Research Park Boulevard, Madison, Wisconsin, 53719, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koenigs
keywords: Functional Connectivity; Nucleus Accumbens; Psychopathy; Putamen; Reward; Striatum