Teens with severe antisocial behavior have smaller brain structures
April 1st, 2011 - 4:47 pm ICT by ANIWashington, April 1 (ANI): Scientists after scanning brains of aggressive and antisocial teenage boys with conduct disorder (CD) have discovered differences in the structures of the developing brain that could link to their behavior problems.
The study revealed that the brain differences were present regardless of the age of onset of the disorder, challenging the view that adolescence-onset CD is merely a consequence of imitating badly behaved peers.
CD is a psychiatric condition characterised by increased aggressive and antisocial behaviour. It can develop in childhood or in adolescence.
Those affected are at greater risk of developing further mental and physical health problems in adulthood.
Neuroscientists at the University of Cambridge and the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit used magnetic resonance imaging to measure the size of particular regions in the brains of 65 teenage boys with CD compared with 27 teenage boys who did not display symptoms of behavioural disorder.
Their findings revealed that the amygdala and insula - regions of the brain that contribute to emotion perception, empathy and recognising when other people are in distress - were strikingly smaller in teenagers with antisocial behaviour.
The changes were present in childhood-onset CD and in adolescence-onset CD, and the greater the severity of the behaviour problems, the greater the reduction in the volume of the insula.
Smaller volume of structures in the brain involved in emotional behaviour has been linked to childhood-onset CD, in which behavioural problems manifest early in life. (ANI)
- Brain's stunted growth behind teen misbehaviour - Apr 01, 2011
- Brains of maltreated kids, combatants aware of dangers - Dec 06, 2011
- Brain abnormalities cause antisocial behaviour and drug abuse in boys - Sep 24, 2010
- Premature kids likely to face behavioural problems - Dec 06, 2011
- Happy kids make happy adults - Feb 26, 2011
- 'Facebook feature' in brain vital to your social life - Dec 30, 2010
- Mums who drink early in pregnancy 'more likely to have unruly kids' - Mar 22, 2011
- Brain has built-in mechanisms that trigger our sense of justice - May 04, 2011
- Life of crime begins at 3 for some kids, say scientists - Feb 22, 2011
- Why 'stress hormone' behaves in contradictory ways in kids - Feb 10, 2011
- How teenage brains are different from adult brains - Nov 18, 2009
- Aggressive kids don't respond to maternal affection - Nov 17, 2010
- Mental, behavioural disorders can be prevented in youngsters: Study - Jul 30, 2009
- Answers emerge to some mysteries of autism - Oct 21, 2011
- 'Life of Brian' mechanism in human brains discovered - Aug 08, 2010
Tags: amygdala, antisocial behavior, antisocial behaviour, behaviour problems, behavioural problems, brain differences, brain sciences unit, brain structures, childhood onset, conduct disorder, emotional behaviour, health problems in adulthood, insula, magnetic resonance imaging, mrc cognition, neuroscientists, physical health problems, psychiatric condition, regions of the brain, university of cambridge