Etiology
Which specific structure is impaired in individuals with psychopathy?
Limbic system- amygdala, ventral striatum, and other regions less activated with high psychopathic tendencies vs non-psychopaths
Individuals with psychopathy typically exhibit reduced size in this brain structure.
Amygdala
What is the name of the novel treatment that has achieved moderate success in reducing psychopathy?
Decompression therapy
Explain why the underactivation of the amygdala might explain psychopathy?
The amygdala's involvement in empathy and fear responses might explain why psychopaths exhibit fearlessness and are less socially responsive.
Changes to this brain region are thought to result in unresponsiveness to reinforcement learning.
Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex
True or False: Preliminary research suggests that severe psychopathy can be significantly reduced through treatment.
False
Neurobiological research has implicated ___ ______ with increased _______ in psychopathy.
a. high serotonin; euphoria
b. low serotonin; impulsivity
c. high dopamine; aggression
d. low dopamine; depression
b. low serotonin; impulsivity
serotonin deficiencies may influence impulse control issues that may lead to abnormal antisocial behavior of psychopaths
This specific structure found within the basal ganglia experiences less activation during positive reward outcome scenarios in psychopathic individuals
Corpus Striatum
Explain the mechanism by which decompression therapy works.
Decompression therapy focuses on rewarding any and all prosocial behaviors demonstrated by a psychopathic individual, thereby positively reinforcing such conduct.
From a developmental perspective, describe the environmental factors that may underlie psychopathy. Include what the environmental factor is/are and how they may predispose an individual to develop psychopathic traits.
Porter (1996) found that adverse childhood experiences including abuse, neglect, or chronic stress, might play a role.
Individuals who experienced childhood trauma may resort to aggression and manipulation tactics to cope with trauma. Children are unable to develop secure attachment styles and affective bonds with caretakers, and thus they do not learn self-reflection and emotional regulation,
Genetic changes result in receptor downregulation in this system.
Endogenous Opioid System
In many studies that assess the efficacy of psychopathy treatments, reduction in psychopathic behavior is operationally defined as _________.
(Hint: most of these studies take place in prisons, where there's an accessible population of psychopaths)
Reduction in recidivism; i.e., how likely a psychopathic individual is likely to reoffend
Psychopaths show impairment in the ____ ______ cortex of the _____, as it is involved in cognitive processes, decision making, and planning behavior. What type of lesions in this area may produce symptoms of psychopathy?
The orbitofrontal; PFC
Orbitofrontal cortex impairment and specifically orbitofrontal-ventromedial lesions as also as this area may be greatly connected to the limbic system.
These two genes have been shown to be downregulated in the neurons of individuals with psychopathy.
CDH5 & OPRD1
In some cases, traditional forms of therapy have been found to actually increase the likelihood that psychopaths will commit violent crimes post-treatment. Explain why this is the case.
It's been hypothesized that psychopaths may use the tools they gain from therapy to facilitate the manipulation and exploitation of others, thereby leading them to find novel ways to commit violent crimes.