Citation

Kneer J, Borchardt V, Kärgel C, Sinke C, Massau C, Tenbergen G, Ponseti J, Walter H, Beier KM, Schiffer B, Schiltz K, Walter M, Kruger THC. J. Psychiatr. Res. 2019; 108: 48-56.

Affiliation

Division of Clinical Psychology and Sexual Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg Strasse 1, D-30625 Hannover, Germany.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.01.012

PMID

29530321

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Child sexual abuse and neglect have been related to an increased risk for the development of a wide range of behavioral, psychological, and sexual problems and increased rates of suicidal behavior. Contrary to the large amount of research focusing on the negative mental health consequences of child sexual abuse, very little is known about the characteristics of child sexual offenders and the neuronal underpinnings contributing to child sexual offending.

METHODS AND SAMPLE: This study investigates differences in resting state functional connectivity (rs-FC) between non-pedophilic child sexual offenders (N = 20; CSO-P) and matched healthy controls (N = 20; HC) using a seed-based approach. The focus of this investigation of rs-FC in CSO-P was put on prefrontal and limbic regions highly relevant for emotional and behavioral processing.

RESULTS: Results revealed a significant reduction of rs-FC between the right centromedial amygdala and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in child sexual offenders compared to controls.

CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS: Given that, in the healthy brain, there is a strong top-down inhibitory control of prefrontal over limbic structures, these results suggest that diminished rs-FC between the amygdala and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and may foster sexual deviance and sexual offending. A profound understanding of these concepts should contribute to a better understanding of the occurrence of child sexual offending, as well as further development of more differentiated and effective interventions.

Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Child sexual abuse; Child sexual offending; Functional connectivity; Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI); Resting state