Emotion regulation in self-reported disinhibition, boldness and meanness
Introduction: In the triarchic model, psychopathy is viewed as a combination of three traits: disinhibition, boldness, and meanness; that can be assessed through the triarchic psychopathy measure (TriPM). The ability to regulate emotion has been proposed as one process that differs in people with higher psychopathic traits. Emotion regulation can be assessed trough functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) during downregulation of negative emotional stimuli. It is not known how emotion regulation relates to the TriPM subscales. Aim: We aimed to assess whether activity in the dlPFC during emotion regulation correlated with the scores in the three subscales of the TriPM in healthy males. Material and methods: Inclusion criteria: Ages 18-30, Male, Psychopathy Checklist – Revised-score <10. Exclusion criteria: Criminal history, standard contraindications for fMRI. Participants (n=7) performed an emotion regulation paradigm with negative picture stimuli during fMRI and filled out the TriPM. We correlated the activity in the dlPFC to scores in disinhibition, boldness, and meanness. Results: TriPM-subscale correlation to dlPFC-activity during emotion regulation was, for disinhibition: ρ=0.29, p=0.56, for meanness: ρ=0.29, p=0.59, for boldness: ρ=-0.43, p=0.35. Conclusion: We saw no significant correlation between activity in the dlPFC and TriPM-scores within normal range in any of the subscales. The relationship between emotion regulation and the subscales of the TriPM in normal subjects remains unknown. For future research on psychopathic traits in healthy males, a larger sample will be needed.