open access publication

Article, 2024

Impaired striatal glutamate/GABA regulation in violent offenders with antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy

Molecular Psychiatry, ISSN 1359-4184, 1476-5578, Pages 1-9, 10.1038/s41380-024-02437-4

Contributors

Tully, John 0000-0002-5858-3419 (Corresponding author) [1] [2] Pereira, Andreia Carvalho 0000-0003-4418-2638 [2] Sethi, Arjun 0000-0001-5352-4164 [2] Griem, Julia 0000-0002-1779-5255 [2] Cross, Ben [2] Williams, Steve Cr [2] Blair, Robert James Richard 0000-0002-6377-2361 [3] Murphy, Declan G M 0000-0002-6664-7451 [2] Blackwood, Nigel James 0000-0002-5909-203X [2]

Affiliations

  1. [1] University of Nottingham
    2. [NORA names: United Kingdom; Europe, Non-EU; OECD];
  2. [2] King's College London
    3. [NORA names: United Kingdom; Europe, Non-EU; OECD];
  3. [3] Mental Health Services
    4. [NORA names: Capital Region of Denmark; Hospital; Denmark; Europe, EU; Nordic; OECD]

Abstract

Men with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) with or without psychopathy (+/−P) are responsible for most violent crime in society. Development of effective treatments is hindered by poor understanding of the neurochemical underpinnings of the condition. Men with ASPD with and without psychopathy demonstrate impulsive decision-making, associated with striatal abnormalities in functional neuroimaging studies. However, to date, no study has directly examined the potential neurochemical underpinnings of such abnormalities. We therefore investigated striatal glutamate: GABA ratio using Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in 30 violent offenders (16 ASPD-P, 14 ASPD + P) and 21 healthy non-offenders. Men with ASPD +/− P had a significant reduction in striatal glutamate : GABA ratio compared to non-offenders. We report, for the first time, striatal Glutamate/GABA dysregulation in ASPD +/− P, and discuss how this may be related to core behavioral abnormalities in the disorders.

Keywords

GABA, GABA ratio, Men, abnormalities, antisocial personality disorder, behavioral abnormalities, conditions, core, crime, decision-making, development, development of effective treatments, disorders, dysregulation, effective treatment, functional neuroimaging studies, glutamate, impulsive decision-making, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, magnetization, neurochemical underpinnings, neuroimaging studies, non-offenders, offenders, personality disorder, psychopathy, ratio, reduction, regulation, resonance spectroscopy, society, spectroscopy, striatal abnormalities, striatal glutamate, study, treatment, underpinnings, violent crime, violent offenders

Funders

  • Department of Health and Social Care
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
  • Aims2Cure
  • Medical Research Council
  • Wellcome Trust

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