Citation

Fahim C, He Y, Yoon U, Chen J, Evans A, Perusse D. Aggressive Behav. 2011; 37(4): 326-337.

Affiliation

Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Politics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal Neurological Institute, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Sainte Justine Hospital Research Centre, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada. cherine.fahim@unil.ch.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, International Society for Research on Aggression, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/ab.20396

PMID

21538379

Abstract

Our aims were to (1) examine possible neuroanatomical abnormalities associated with the Disruptive Behavior Disorders (DBDs) as a group and (2) assess neuroanatomical anomalies specific to each DBD (i.e., conduct disorder [CD] and oppositional defiant disorder). Cortical thickness analysis and voxel-based morphometry were analyzed in 47 8-year-old boys (22 DBDs with and without CD and/or ODD and 25 healthy controls) from Magnetic Resonance Imaging brain scans. DBD symptoms were assessed using the Dominic-R. In DBD subjects relative to controls, we found (1) a decreased overall mean cortical thickness; (2) thinning of the cingulate, prefrontal and insular cortices; and (3) decreased gray matter density (GMd) in the same brain regions. We also found that scores on the Dominic-R were negatively correlated with GMd in the prefrontal and precuneus/superior temporal regions. There was a subdiagnostic main effect for CD, related to thinning of the middle/medial frontal, and for ODD in the left rectal/orbitofrontal. Findings suggest that thinning and decreased GMd of the insula disorganizes prefrontal circuits, diminishing the inhibitory influence of the prefrontal cortex on anger, aggression, cruelty, and impulsivity, and increasing a person's likelihood of aggressive behavior. These findings have implications for pathophysiologic models of the DBDs, their diagnostic classification system, and for designing more effective intervention programs. Aggr. Behav. 37:1-12, 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Language: en