Neurobiological roots of psychopathy.

ABSTRACT: Psychopathy is an extreme form of antisocial behavior, with about 1% prevalence in the general population, and 10-30% among incarcerated criminal offenders. Although the heritability of severe antisocial behavior is up to 50%, the genetic background is unclear. The underlying molecular mechanisms have remained unknown but several previous studies suggest that abnormal glucose metabolism and opioidergic neurotransmission contribute to violent offending and psychopathy. Here we show using iPSC-derived cortical neurons and astrocytes from six incarcerated extremely antisocial and violent offenders, three nonpsychopathic individuals with substance abuse, and six healthy controls that there are robust alterations in the expression of several genes and immune response-related molecular pathways

SUBMITTER: Tiihonen J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7714686 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature