Brain structural alterations in autism and criminal psychopathy.

Researchers compared brain scans of people with autism, violent offenders, and typical individuals. They found that people with autism had structural differences in specific brain areas including regions involved in self-awareness, coordination, and movement. Both autism and the offender groups showed some shared brain differences in movement-related areas, but had distinct patterns in social brain networks. This research helps us understand the brain basis of social difficulties in autism.

This neuroimaging study used voxel-based morphometry to compare brain structure in 20 individuals with autism spectrum disorder, 19 violent offenders with high psychopathic traits, and 19 controls. The ASD group showed reduced grey matter volume in the left precuneus, right cerebellum, and right precentral gyrus compared to controls. Violent offenders had lower grey matter in the right temporal pole and left inferior frontal gyrus compared to the ASD group. Both groups showed overlapping structural differences in the right precentral cortex.

Findings suggest distinct structural differences in frontotemporal social brain networks between these conditions, with shared abnormalities in motor cortex areas potentially related to social cognition challenges.

Findings support neurobiological basis for social cognition challenges in autism, with specific involvement of precuneus, cerebellum, and motor cortex. The structural brain differences identified may help inform targeted intervention approaches, though more research is needed to translate these findings into clinical practice.

Small sample sizes (19-20 participants per group). Cross-sectional design cannot establish causality. Study focuses on brain structure only, not function. Limited demographic information provided. Comparison with offender population may not be clinically relevant for autism intervention planning.

The goal of this study was to elucidate the anatomical brain basis of social cognition through two disorders with distinctively different phenotypes of social interaction. We compared structural MR images of 20 individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 19 violent offenders with high psychopathic traits, and 19 control participants using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Our earlier study showed lower grey matter volume (GMV) values in the insula, frontal cortex, and sensorimotor cortex of the offender group compared to controls. In the present study, the images of the ASD group revealed lower GMV in the left precuneus, right cerebellum, and right precentral gyrus in comparison with controls.

The comparison between the offender and ASD groups showed lower GMV values for the right temporal pole and left inferior frontal gyrus in the offender group. There was also an overlap of both disorders in the right pre-central cortex, showing lower GMV compared to controls. Our findings suggest structural differences between violent offenders with high psychopathy traits and ASD individuals in the frontotemporal social brain network areas, previously associated with empathy. We also provide evidence of similar abnormal structures in the motor cortex for both of these disorders, possibly related to uniting issues of social cognition.