Citation

Roussy S, Toupin J. Aggressive Behav. 2000; 26(6): 413-424.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, International Society for Research on Aggression, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/1098-2337(200011)26:6<413::AID-AB1>3.0.CO;2-Q

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Although many studies have shown that delinquents are impaired on certain executive function tasks related to frontal lobe functioning, whether psychopaths present with such impairments is still controversial. Lapierre et al. [1995. Neuropsychologia 33:139–151] have investigated a more specific hypothesis of orbitofrontal deficits in psychopaths and found that psychopathic criminals are impaired on tasks involving behavioral inhibition and olfactory discrimination. The present study sought to replicate these results with juvenile psychopaths 14 to 18 years of age. As expected, psychopaths were found to be significantly impaired on behavioral inhibition tasks. However, psychopathic and nonpsychopathic inmates performed similarly on measures related to the dorsolateral area of the frontal lobe. Also, no significant intergroup difference was noted on the olfactory discrimination task. Although an orbitofrontal deficit in psychopathy remains possible, it is suggested to explain results through a functional inhibition deficit that is not specifically related to orbitofrontal processing. Aggr. Behav. 26:413–424, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.