Cortical and subcortical grey matter correlates of psychopathic traits in a Japanese community sample of young adults: sex and configurations of factors' level matter!

Abstract

While neuroimaging research has examined the structural brain correlates of psychopathy predominantly in clinical/forensic male samples from western countries, much less is known about those correlates in non-western community samples. Here, structural magnetic resonance imaging data were analyzed using voxel- and surface-based morphometry to investigate the neuroanatomical correlates of psychopathic traits in a mixed-sex sample of 97 well-functioning Japanese adults (45 males, 21-39 years; M = 27, SD = 5.3). Psychopathic traits were assessed using the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (SRP-SF; 4th Edition). Multiple regression analysis showed greater Factor 1 scores were associated with higher gyrification in the lingual gyrus, and gray matter volume in the anterior cingulate cortex and amygdala/hippocampus border. Total psychopathy and Factor 1 scores interacted with sex to, respectively, predict cortical thickness in the precuneus and gyrification in the superior temporal gyrus. Finally, Factor 1 and Factor 2 traits interacted to predict gyrification in the posterior cingulate cortex. These preliminary data suggest that, while there may be commonalities in the loci of structural brain correlates of psychopathic traits in clinical/forensic and community samples, the nature of that association might be different (i.e. positive) and may vary according to sex and configurations of factors' level.

Keywords: gray matter volume; psychopathy; sex differences; surface-based morphometry; voxel-based morphometry.

Fig. 1

Cortical region and correlation depicting clusters in (a) the left lingual gyrus (xyz = −20 −93 −13) in which gyrification positively associated with Factor 1 scores (P = 0.03 FWE corrected, k = 66), after controlling for age, sex, and TIV and sex by psychopathy interaction effects in (b) the right precuneus (xyz = 7–66 46), in which overall psychopathy scores interacted with sex to predict cortical thickness (P = 0.036 FWE, k = 37) and (c) in the right superior temporal gyrus (xyz = 38, −23, 13) in which Factor 1 scores interacted with sex to predict gyrification (P = 0.008 FWE, k = 119) after controlling for age and TIV. Color bar represents t-values. Shaded ribbon represents 95% confidence interval. Results shown at P < 0.001, uncorrected for display purposes.

Fig. 2

Brain region and correlation depicting clusters in the a) right anterior cingulate (xyz = 9 40 9) (Results shown at P < 0.001, uncorrected for display purposes) and b) the left amygdala/hippocampus (xyz = −27 −9 −12) (results shown are whole brain at P < 0.001, uncorrected for display purposes only) in which Factor 1 scores were positively associated with GMV (P = 0.014 FWE, cluster size = 306 and P = 0.034 FWE, cluster size = 1, respectively) after controlling for age, sex and TIV. Color bar represents t-values. Shaded ribbon represents 95% confidence interval.

Fig. 3

Cortical region and interaction effect depicting ROI, in which, Factor 2 scores were positively associated with gyrification in the right posterior cingulate cortex at low levels of Factor 1, but negatively associated with gyrification in the right posterior cingulate cortex at high levels of Factor 1.