Balancing the brain of offenders with psychopathy? Resting state EEG and electrodermal activity after a pilot study of brain self-regulation training

Abstract

Although investigation of the brains of criminals began quite early in the history of psychophysiological research, little is known about brain plasticity of offenders with psychopathy. Building on our preliminary study reporting successful brain self-regulation using slow cortical potential (SCP) neurofeedback in offenders with psychopathy, we investigated the central nervous and autonomic peripheral changes occurring after brain self-regulation in a group of severe male offenders with psychopathy. Regarding the central nervous system, an overall suppression of the psychopathic overrepresentation of slow frequency bands was found, such as delta and theta band activity, after EEG neurofeedback. In addition, an increase in alpha band activity could be observed after the SCP self-regulation training. Electrodermal activity adaptively changed according to the regulation task, and this flexibility improved over training time. The results of this study point towards a constructive learning process and plasticity in neural and peripheral measures of offenders with psychopathy.

Fig 1. SCP neurofeedback procedure.

Fig 2. Study overview.

Initial clinical assessment: psychopathy (blue); Pre-/Post-measures: resting state EEG (green); Intervention: SCP-neurofeedback training; Measures during intervention: (a) Cortical measure: SCP activation (white), (b) Peripheral-physiological measures: Electrodermal activity (grey). SCP training consisted of 25 training sessions, each split into three training blocks with different conditions (feedback–transfer–feedback) and tasks (negativity–positivity) of 8 minutes per block.

Fig 3

a. Correlation between the Interpersonal Facet (PCL-R) and resting state EEG in the delta band: The higher the interpersonal deficits, the higher the activity of delta frequency band at baseline (before the brain self-regulation training). Each dot represents one participant. b. Correlation between Psychopathic Lifestyle Facet (PCL-R) and resting state EEG in the alpha band. The more sensation seeking and impulsive the subject is, the lower the activity of alpha power at baseline (before the brain self-regulation training). Each dot represents one participant; bigger/bold dots represent multiple participants.

Fig 4

Fig 5

ab. Changes in resting state EEG before and after SCP neurofeedback at midline regions (5a: left) and parietotemporal regions (5b: right) during the eyes-closed condition. The y-axis values are the fraction of the total EEG power. Red line: Increase in alpha frequency band power from before to after SCP neurofeedback training. Decreases from before to after SCP neurofeedback training in delta frequency band (blue line) and theta frequency band power (green line). Vertical lines represent the standard error.

Fig 6

(a) Correlation between the increase of alpha band activity and the increase of the volitional production of electrical positive SCP shifts in neurofeedback training. Each dot represents one participant. [X-axis: The higher the positive number, the higher the increase in SCP feedback coefficient in positivity task over time; Y-axis: The higher the positive number, the more increase in alpha band from before to after SCP neurofeedback training]. (b) Correlation between the decrease of delta band activity and the increase of the volitional production of electrical negative SCP shifts in neurofeedback training. Each dot represents one participant. [X-axis: The higher the negative number, the higher the increase in SCP feedback coefficient in negativity task over time; Y-axis: The higher the negative number, the more reduction in delta band from before to after SCP neurofeedback training, i.e. negative values toward right].

Fig 7

a. Time-Task-Interaction: Average electrodermal response e.g. electrodermal activity (EDA) over the first and the last six SCP-training sessions in the positivity task (red) and the negativity task (blue). b. Average electrodermal response e.g. electrodermal activity (EDA): EDA discrimination over the first and the last six SCP-training sessions. The figure shows the strength of the effect in the two different conditions (feedback vs. transfer).