Lecture 2 - CD and Psychopathy Flashcards
What are the main ideas in the Lecture 2 video Psychopaths: Can Their Brains Be Fixed?
The video, titled “Psychopaths: Can Their Brains Be Fixed?”, explores the neurological differences in the brains of psychopaths and how these differences may impact their behaviour.
- Brain Structure: The brains of psychopaths are structurally different from those of non-psychopaths. Specifically, areas of the brain associated with behaviour and emotion are smaller in psychopaths.
- Behavioural Characteristics: This difference in brain structure may explain why psychopaths are often described as callous, unemotional, interpersonally manipulative, and prone to using instrumental aggression. This type of aggression is characterised by a cold, premeditated, and planned use of aggression to get what they want.
- Reward and Punishment: Researchers conducted a study where psychopathic violent offenders, non-psychopathic violent offenders, and a control group participated in a reward and punishment game while in an MRI machine. The participants had to choose one of two images; choosing the correct image resulted in reward points, while choosing the incorrect image resulted in loss of points.
- Brain Activity: During the game, the scans showed that the psychopathic brain processed punishment differently than the other groups. This suggests they are not simply insensitive to punishment, but that there is a different organisation of their reinforcement learning system that shapes behaviour.
- Rehabilitation Challenges: Psychopaths typically do not benefit from rehabilitation in the same way as other violent offenders, which has led criminal psychologists to question whether they can be reformed.
- Potential Interventions: The research suggests that early interventions, perhaps at a youth level, may be beneficial by working with individuals to find ways to motivate them to modify their behaviour.
- Neurological Complexity: This new research adds to the growing evidence that psychopathy is not simply a behavioural problem but a complex neurological issue.
In summary, the video presents research suggesting that psychopathy is rooted in neurological differences, impacting how psychopaths process reward and punishment. This may explain their lack of response to traditional rehabilitation and point to the potential for early interventions.
Is there an antisocial brain?
You could say there is an antisocial brain, but it is difficult to treat, to change, to alter, it seems kind of not evolved yet.
But we also know that there is a large group of antisocial people who tend to become normalized at the behavioral level, they might still have psychopathic tendencies but the behavior becomes normalized. There is such a thing as an antisocial brain, because we also have a depressed brain, an autistic brain, an anxious brain, etc.
But there are ethical issues regarding labeling an individual as having an antisocial brain. Ethics should be respected. Heavy injuries can also alter someone’s brain, often towards a more antisocial brain. It could be acquired and it could be a neurodevelopmental thing.
What are Neurodevelopmental Disorders?
● Abnormal neurodevelopment
● Brain structure, function, connectivity
● Ensuing deficits in behavior/cognition/emotion
Neurodevelopmental disorders can occur when the development of the nervous system doesn’t follow the usual pattern (abnormal neurodevelopment), affecting the brain’s structure, function, and connectivity. These deviations lead to problems in behavior, cognition, and emotion. Neurodevelopmental disorders are driven by genetic and environmental interactions, with specific interactions per developmental stage. Environment typically ignites genetic risk.
What causes Neurodevelopmental Disorders?
● Driven by genetic x environmental interactions
● Specific interactions per developmental stage
● Environment typically ignites genetic risk
What is Conduct Disorder CD
● Conduct Disorder (CD):
○ Primarily manifests during childhood and adolescence (5 to 20 years).
○ Generally has a better prognosis if lacking psychopathic tendencies.
○ Many individuals with CD symptoms during adolescence and early adulthood often outgrow these behaviors.
What is Psychopathy?
● Psychopathy:
○ Extends beyond childhood and adolescence, presenting in various life stages.
○ Notoriously challenging to treat effectively.
What is Neurodevelopmental Nature of CD and Psychopathy
● Neurodevelopmental Nature:
○ Disorders can arise at different developmental stages, including prenatal, birth, childhood, and adolescence.
○ Interplay between innate genetic factors and environmental influences.
○ Environmental factors include maternal smoking, stress, substance abuse during pregnancy, birth complications, parental psychopathology, and environmental stressors during childhood and adolescence.
What is the structural and functional impact of disorders like CD and Psychopathy?
● Structural and Functional Impact:
○ Disorders affect both the structure and function of the brain.
○ Disruptions in structural connections hinder effective communication between different brain regions.
○ Impaired neurocognitive functions influence behavior, cognition, emotions, and actions.
What are the 3 types of Bio-Psycho-Social Risk in Gene x Environment Interactions in CD and Psychopathy in Youth (Fairchild)
The interaction between the genes and environment is critical for triggering the pattern of antisociality
(A) Passive gene-environment correlation; this occurs when children inherit genetic variables that also contribute to the environment that the parents create, this occurs passively. Example: you have genes that increase the risk for psychopathology whilst also increasing the possibility that parents will maltreat the children, thus providing an abusive parenting environment. The child is not really actively involved in the setting, the genetic predispositions of the parents which are inherited create an environment where negative behaviors are facilitated. both form a contextual point of view but also from a biological point of view, hence the passive gene-environment interaction.
(B) Active gene-environment correlation; the child has an active role, and occurs when the child genes predisposes them to seek out a certain environment. Example: they choose to associate with antisocial or delinquent peers or seek out highly stimulating/dangerous situations. The youngster has an active role in this gene-environment interaction. They inherited some genetic predispositions but are actively involved in triggering those genetic predispositions.
(C) Evocative gene-environment correlation; The risk for developing antisocial behavior is increased. The child has inherited genetic predispositions, those are active, which leads to a child behaving in a certain manner (such as being loud, insensitive to punishment or authority) which evokes negative responses from the environment (from the parents, teachers, neighbors, family members, etc.) those negative behavioral characteristics that the child is showcasing because of genetic predispositions evokes a response from the environment, which makes the situation even worse.
What are the 3 Gene x Environment Interactions shaping Bio-Psycho-Social Risk CD/Psychopathy in Youth
Passive Gene-Environment Correlation:
● Occurs when children inherit genetic factors from parents that shape their environment.
● Example: Inherited genes may increase the risk of psychopathology and also contribute to parents creating an environment conducive to negative behaviors.
Active Gene-Environment Correlation:
● Involves children actively influencing or seeking out specific environments based on their genetic predispositions.
● Example: A child with genetic tendencies for delinquency might actively choose to associate with antisocial peers or engage in stimulating/dangerous situations.
Evocative Gene-Environment Correlation:
● Arises when a child’s inherited genetic traits lead to specific behaviors that evoke negative responses from their environment.
● Example: Genetic predispositions, such as insensitivity to authority, may provoke negative reactions from parents, teachers, and others, worsening the overall situation.
How do genes to brain to behaviour work?
Genes to Brain to Behavior
● Genetic Influence on Neuronal Formation:
○ Genes, through protein coding, actively contribute to the intricate process of forming neurons.
● Neuronal Organization and Behavioral Impact:
○ The complex structure of the brain involves single neurons organizing into populations, ultimately forming tightly coupled systems.
○ In instances of normal genetics, optimal behavioral patterns emerge. However, disruptions in this process can lead to system dysfunctions, significantly impacting behavior.
● Specifics of Genes in Neuron Formation:
○ Specific genes are dedicated to coding the intricate details necessary for the formation of neurons, a fundamental building block of the brain.
● Formation Principle and System Characteristics:
○ The formation principle of “neurons that fire together, wire together” highlights the interconnected nature of neuronal populations.
○ Systems within the brain exhibit characteristics of being tightly coupled, with connections established both structurally and functionally.
● Behavioral Drive and Dysregulations:
○ Systems, including prominent ones like the reward system, actively propel and influence behavioral responses.
○ Dysregulations within these intricate systems can result in clinical situations, manifesting as psychopathology or conduct disorders.
What is the Neurocognitive Model Antisociality: Amygdala-Centered Model. IES Integrated Emotion System
The amygdala takes in a central position, the amygdala (salience detector) is one of the first brain regions to light up, which makes the amygdala quite relevant. This model is able to explain the majority of behavior we see in youngsters. In the case of a severely antisocial individual:
1. Amygdala hyporesponsive (below average) to negative stimuli (for example not being able to decode someone’s fearful expression and therefore not being able to maybe have the realization you are doing something wrong/should not go through with your plans)
2. Suboptimal Amygdala-Frontostriatal (frontal cortex, striatal regions which are mainly involved in behavior and reward systems) coupling → it is not communicating well, which leads to;
3. Deficient affective processing
4. Biased attention/poor associative learning (they are not fully insensitive, but processing punishment differently, which does lead to some insensitivity to punishment. But punishment should happen immediately after the bad behavior, but often in practicality with for example court cases the time between the offense and punishment is too long)
5. Precludes learning from mistakes/negative outcomes
6. Promotes persistent antisocial/maladaptive behavior
In simple terms:
● The Brain’s Detective: Imagine the amygdala as a super-smart detective in your brain. It’s like a detector that spots important things.
● The Detective’s Job: When you do something wrong or see something scary, the amygdala is the first to notice. It helps you understand and react to situations.
● Problem in Troublemakers: In some people who behave really badly (antisocial individuals), their amygdala doesn’t work as well when dealing with bad or negative things.
● Missing Signals: It’s like the detective doesn’t notice when someone is scared or upset. So, the person might not realize they’re doing something wrong.
● Brain Miscommunication: The detective (amygdala) doesn’t talk well with other parts of the brain that control behavior and reward systems.
● Consequences of Bad Communication:
○ They have trouble understanding feelings.
○ They pay attention to the wrong things and don’t learn from punishments.
○ They keep doing bad things because they don’t learn from mistakes.
What is the Neurocognitive Model Antisociality: Paralimbic System Dysfunction Model (Dr. Kent Kiehl)
- Extends the IES model
- Goes beyond just Amygdala
- More distributed neural anomalies
- Reminiscent of alternative neural operations
- Compensate for intrinsic/innate affective deficits
Neurocognitive Model Antisociality: Paralimbic System Dysfunction Model (Dr. Kent Kiehl) in Simple Terms:
● New Detective Team: Dr. Kent Kiehl has a different way of looking at why some people behave really badly. He uses a model called the “Paralimbic System Dysfunction.”
● Beyond Amygdala: This model doesn’t just focus on the amygdala (our brain’s detective). It looks at more parts of the brain and how they work together.
● Brain’s Special Operations: Dr. Kiehl thinks that the brains of these people have a few areas that work a bit differently. It’s like having alternative operations in their brain.
● Making Up for Missing Skills: Imagine these people are missing some natural abilities, like understanding when someone is sad by looking at their face. Because they lack these skills, their brains use other parts to make up for it.
What is the role of Amygdala in Antisociality?
The amygdala is involved in all sorts of disorders, symptoms, and abnormal behaviors.
Current understanding
● Smaller in size
● Hyporesponsive to negative affective stimuli
● Deprived of regulatory corticolimbic interactions
Why should a relatively small structure (0,3% of total brain) like the amygdala play such a crucial role in a complex psychological phenomenon like CD or psychopathy?
Connections, location, general salience detector, several neuronal populations, amygdala part of the primitive brain.
● Connections; the amygdala is an integrative neural hub (view the amygdala is ‘schiphol’, receiving tons of information from different regions and sends a huge amount of data to higher order brain regions, such as the frontal cortex, it is heavily involved in all sorts of communications. The amygdala on its own is not really special but the connections it has)
● General salience detector; the connections are the foundation of why the amygdala is the general salience detector, receiving first hand information from sensory regions.
What is the Conduct DIsorder and Psychopathy: Neuro-Bio-Psychosocial Jigsaw
What is the problem with group examination?
The Problem with Groups
● Classic Approach Oversimplifies (Fig A): Comparing big groups with and without a condition overlooks variations.
● Complex Clinical Reality (Fig B): Clinical settings reveal diverse subgroups within cases, making it more intricate.
● Spectrum, Not Separation (Fig C): Conditions exist on a scale; it’s not a clear-cut distinction between having it or not.
● Diverse and Varied Cases (Fig D): Cases differ significantly, like pieces of a puzzle that don’t perfectly fit.
● Issues and Challenges:
○ Test Accuracy Challenges: Tests may struggle to reliably identify or rule out the condition.
○ Small Effect Size: Effects observed may be subtle, and replicating results can be challenging.
● Predictive Limitations: This method may fall short in predicting diagnosis, progression, and treatment response accurately.
