Gray Matter Density of the Dorsomedial Prefrontal Cortex Mediates the Relationship Between Catastrophizing and Anxiety in Somatic Symptom Disorder

Abstract Psychopathic traits predispose individuals toward antisocial behavior. Such antagonistic acts often result in “unsuccessful” outcomes such as incarceration. What mechanisms allow some people with relatively high levels of psychopathic traits to live “successful”, unincarcerated lives, in spite of their antisocial tendencies? Using neuroimaging, we investigated the possibility that “successful” psychopathic individuals exhibited greater development of neural structures that promote “successful” self-regulation, focusing on the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC). Across two structural magnetic resonance imaging studies of “successful” participants (Study 1: N = 80 individuals in long-term romantic relationships; Study 2: N = 64 undergraduates), we observed that gray matter density in the left and right VLPFC was positively associated with psychopathic traits. These preliminary results support a compensatory model of psychopathy, in which “successful” psychopathic individuals develop inhibitory mechanisms to compensate for their antisocial tendencies. Traditional models of psychopathy that emphasize deficits may be aided by such compensatory models that identify surfeits in neural and psychological processes.

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An Investigation of the Relationship Between Psychopathy and Greater Gray Matter Density in Lateral Prefrontal Cortex

10.31234/osf.io/3rcyz ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Emily Lasko ◽

David Skylan Chester ◽

Alexandra Martelli ◽

Samuel James West ◽

C. Nathan DeWall

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Self Regulation ◽

Structural Mri ◽

Psychopathic Traits ◽

Matter Density ◽

Gray Matter Density ◽

Inhibitory Mechanisms ◽

Antisocial Tendencies

Psychopathic traits predispose individuals toward antisocial behavior. Such antagonistic acts often result in 'unsuccessful’ outcomes such as incarceration. What mechanisms allow some people with relatively high levels of psychopathic traits to live ‘successful’, un-incarcerated lives, in spite of their antisocial tendencies? Using neuroimaging, we investigated the possibility that ‘successful’ psychopathic individuals exhibited greater development of neural structures that promote ‘successful’ self-regulation, focusing on the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC). Across two structural MRI studies of ‘successful’ participants (Study 1: N = 80 individuals in long-term romantic relationships; Study 2: N = 64 undergraduates), we observed that gray matter density in the left and right VLPFC was positively associated with psychopathic traits. These preliminary results support a compensatory model of psychopathy, in which ‘successful’ psychopathic individuals develop inhibitory mechanisms to compensate for their antisocial tendencies. Traditional models of psychopathy that emphasize deficits may be aided by such compensatory models that identify surfeits in neural and psychological processes.

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An Investigation of the Relationship Between Psychopathy and Greater Gray Matter Density in Lateral Prefrontal Cortex

10.31234/osf.io/j2pwy ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Emily Lasko ◽

David Skylan Chester ◽

Alexandra Martelli ◽

Samuel James West ◽

C. Nathan DeWall

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Self Regulation ◽

Structural Mri ◽

Psychopathic Traits ◽

Matter Density ◽

Gray Matter Density ◽

Inhibitory Mechanisms ◽

Antisocial Tendencies

Psychopathic traits predispose individuals toward antisocial behavior. Such antagonistic acts often result in ‘unsuccessful’ outcomes such as incarceration. What mechanisms allow some people with relatively high levels of psychopathic traits to live ‘successful’, un-incarcerated lives, in spite of their antisocial tendencies? Using neuroimaging, we investigated the possibility that ‘successful’ psychopathic individuals exhibited greater development of neural structures that promote ‘successful’ self-regulation, focusing on the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC). Across two structural MRI studies of ‘successful’ participants (Study 1: N = 80 individuals in long-term romantic relationships; Study 2: N = 64 undergraduates), we observed that gray matter density in the left and right VLPFC was positively associated with psychopathic traits. These preliminary results support a compensatory model of psychopathy, in which ‘successful’ psychopathic individuals develop inhibitory mechanisms to compensate for their antisocial tendencies. Traditional models of psychopathy that emphasize deficits may be aided by such compensatory models that identify surfeits in neural and psychological processes.

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Linking planning performance and gray matter density in mid-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex: Moderating effects of age and sex

NeuroImage ◽

10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.08.032 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 63 (3) ◽

pp. 1454-1463 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Christoph P. Kaller ◽

Katharina Heinze ◽

Irina Mader ◽

Josef M. Unterrainer ◽

Benjamin Rahm ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Matter Density ◽

Moderating Effects ◽

Gray Matter Density ◽

Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽

Age And Sex

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Prefrontal Cortex Dopamine Transporter Gene Network Moderates the Effect of Perinatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Conditions on Cognitive Flexibility and Brain Gray Matter Density in Children

Biological Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.03.983 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 86 (8) ◽

pp. 621-630 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Patrícia Maidana Miguel ◽

Lenir Orlandi Pereira ◽

Barbara Barth ◽

Euclides José de Mendonça Filho ◽

Irina Pokhvisneva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Dopamine Transporter ◽

Cognitive Flexibility ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Gene Network ◽

Matter Density ◽

Transporter Gene ◽

Gray Matter Density ◽

Dopamine Transporter Gene

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Cognitive Development and Brain Gray Matter Susceptibility to Prenatal Adversities: Moderation by the Prefrontal Cortex Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Gene Co-expression Network

Frontiers in Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnins.2021.744743 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Euclides José de Mendonça Filho ◽

Barbara Barth ◽

Denise Ruschel Bandeira ◽

Randriely Merscher Sobreira de Lima ◽

Danusa Mar Arcego ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Cognitive Development ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Neurotrophic Factor ◽

Gene Network ◽

Matter Density ◽

Gray Matter Density ◽

Factor Gene ◽

Development Trajectories ◽

The Brain

Background: Previous studies focused on the relationship between prenatal conditions and neurodevelopmental outcomes later in life, but few have explored the interplay between gene co-expression networks and prenatal adversity conditions on cognitive development trajectories and gray matter density.Methods: We analyzed the moderation effects of an expression polygenic score (ePRS) for the Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor gene network (BDNF ePRS) on the association between prenatal adversity and child cognitive development. A score based on genes co-expressed with the prefrontal cortex (PFC) BDNF was created, using the effect size of the association between the individual single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and the BDNF expression in the PFC. Cognitive development trajectories of 157 young children from the Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment (MAVAN) cohort were assessed longitudinally in 4-time points (6, 12, 18, and 36 months) using the Bayley-II mental scales.Results: Linear mixed-effects modeling indicated that BDNF ePRS moderates the effects of prenatal adversity on cognitive growth. In children with high BDNF ePRS, higher prenatal adversity was associated with slower cognitive development in comparison with those exposed to lower prenatal adversity. Parallel-Independent Component Analysis (pICA) suggested that associations of expression-based SNPs and gray matter density significantly differed between low and high prenatal adversity groups. The brain IC included areas involved in visual association processes (Brodmann area 19 and 18), reallocation of attention, and integration of information across the supramodal cortex (Brodmann area 10).Conclusion: Cognitive development trajectories and brain gray matter seem to be influenced by the interplay of prenatal environmental conditions and the expression of an important BDNF gene network that guides the growth and plasticity of neurons and synapses.

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Physical Aggressiveness and Gray Matter Deficits in Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex

10.31234/osf.io/tzvrx ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

David Skylan Chester ◽

Donald Lynam ◽

Richard Milich ◽

C. Nathan DeWall

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Physical Aggression ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Verbal Aggression ◽

Matter Density ◽

Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Normal Female ◽

Gray Matter Density ◽

Normal Individuals

What causes individuals to hurt others? Since the famous case of Phineas Gage, lesions of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) have been reliably linked to physically aggressive behavior. However, it is unclear whether naturally-occurring deficits in VMPFC, among normal individuals, might have widespread consequences for aggression. Using voxel based morphometry, we regressed gray matter density from the brains of 138 normal female and male adults onto their dispositional levels of physical aggression, verbal aggression, and sex, simultaneously. Physical, but not verbal, aggression was associated with reduced gray matter volume in the VMPFC and to a lesser extent, frontopolar cortex. Participants with less gray matter density in this VMPFC cluster were much more likely to engage in real-world violence. These findings suggest that even granular deficits in normal individuals’ VMPFC gray matter can promote physical aggression.

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