Weakened Functional Connectivity Between the Amygdala and the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Is Longitudinally Related to Psychopathic Traits in Low-Income Males During Early Adulthood

Rebecca Waller; Arianna M Gard; Daniel S Shaw; Erika E Forbes; Craig S Neumann; Luke W Hyde

doi:10.1177/2167702618810231

Weakened Functional Connectivity Between the Amygdala and the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Is Longitudinally Related to Psychopathic Traits in Low-Income Males During Early Adulthood

Clin Psychol Sci. 2019 May;7(3):628-635. doi: 10.1177/2167702618810231. Epub 2018 Nov 29.

Authors

Rebecca Waller^{1

2}, Arianna M Gard², Daniel S Shaw^{3

4

5}, Erika E Forbes^{3

4

5

6}, Craig S Neumann⁷, Luke W Hyde^{2

8

9}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
² Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
³ Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, USA.
⁵ Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, USA.
⁶ Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh, USA.
⁷ Department of Psychology, University of North Texas, TX, USA.
⁸ Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
⁹ Survey Research Center of the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.

Abstract

Psychopathy is a complex disorder comprised of harmful personality traits and impulsive-lifestyle and antisocial behaviors. Weakened functional connectivity between limbic and prefrontal brain regions is thought to underlie impaired sensitivity to others' emotions that contribute to the interpersonal and affective personality traits associated with psychopathy. We tested whether weakened functional connectivity between the amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) during the processing of fearful, angry, and neutral facial expressions, was prospectively related to psychopathic traits in early adulthood. The sample included 167 low-income, racially diverse, urban males who completed an fMRI scan at age 20 and questionnaire measures at ages 20 and 22. Weakened amygdala-vmPFC functional connectivity to fearful, but not neutral or angry, faces at age 20 was related to higher psychopathic traits at age 22.

Keywords: amygdala; fMRI; functional connectivity; psychopathy; ventromedial prefrontal cortex.

Abstract

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