TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2023//
TI  - Aberrant brain activity in pedophilia links to receptor distribution, gene expression, and behavior
JO  - Nature mental health
A1  - Schnellbächer, Gereon J.
A1  - Dukart, Juergen
A1  - Hansen, Justine Y.
A1  - Markello, Ross D.
A1  - Mokros, Andreas
A1  - Pietsch, Viktoria
A1  - Ristow, Inka
A1  - Sakreida, Katrin
A1  - Walter, Martin
A1  - Eickhoff, Simon B.
A1  - Poeppl, Timm B.
SP  - 615
EP  - 622
VL  - 1
IS  - 9
N2  - Despite an estimated lifetime prevalence of 0.5-1.0% in men and high public concern, no effective treatment is known for pedophilic disorder. Here, we provide robust meta-analytic evidence that brain activity is not generally altered in pedophilia but deviates specifically in response to sexual stimuli. We show how this meta-analysis-derived functional brain alteration pattern in pedophiles maps onto underlying neurophysiology in terms of specific neurotransmitter systems and their corresponding gene expression as well as to behavioral aspects. We report robust and specific associations between functional brain alterations in pedophiles and the distribution of the serotonergic 5-HT1B receptor as derived from in vivo positron emission tomography data as well as gene expression analyses. At the functional level, the alterations related to cognitive processes including self-regulation and goal-directed behavior. These findings warrant further investigation into the molecular mechanisms underlying pedophilia and point toward the development of specific pharmacological interventions.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 2731-6076
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s44220-023-00105-0
ID  - ref1
ER  -