Scans reveal brains of delinquents are ‘different to well-behaved peers’

June 16, 2016

Researchers scanned brains of people with and without conduct disorder
Conduct disorder is characterised by problems like violence and stealing
Found brains of young men with disorder had structural differences
Suggests it is a real psychiatric problem and not just teenage rebellion

Madlen Davies for MailOnline

Published:
18:00 EST, 15 June 2016

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Updated:
03:50 EST, 16 June 2016

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The brains of teenage delinquents are different to those of their better behaved peers, according to new research.

The study suggests that conduct disorder, a problem recognised by psychiatrists, is more than just a description of natural teenage unruliness.

Scientists compared the thickness of different brain regions in groups of young people, some of whom had been diagnosed with conduct disorder.

They found evidence of altered brain structure associated with the condition, which is characterised by persistent behavioural problems including aggression, violence, lying, stealing, and weapon use.

The brains of teenage delinquents are different to those of their better behaved peers, according to University of Cambridge research. In particular two regions of the brain called the orbito-frontal cortex (blue) and medial temporal cortex (red) were thicker in troublesome youths – suggesting their development is disrupted

Dr Graeme Fairchild, from the University of Southampton’s Department of Psychology, said: ‘The differences that we see between healthy teenagers and those with both forms of conduct disorders show that most of the brain is involved, but particularly the frontal and temporal regions of the brain.

‘This provides extremely compelling evidence that conduct disorder is a real psychiatric disorder and not, as some experts maintain, just an exaggerated form of teenage rebellion.

‘More research is now needed to investigate how to use these results to help these young people clinically and to examine the factors leading to this abnormal pattern of brain development, such as exposure to early adversity.’

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The scientists used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to see whether various brain regions were similar or different in terms of thickness.

Teenagers with childhood-onset conduct disorder had brain regions that were strikingly similar compared with those of their peers.

The brain regions of adolescent-onset conduct disorder teenagers, in contrast, displayed fewer similarities to those of ‘normal’ individuals.

In both cases, the findings are thought to reflect brain development disruption linked to conduct disorder diagnosed at different stages of life.

Conduct disorder is characterised by behavioural problems including aggression, violence, lying, stealing, and weapon use. Experts say the brain scans prove it is a real psychiatric disorder and not just teenage rebellion

The researchers first studied 58 male adolescents and young adults with conduct disorder and 25 ‘typical’ individuals aged between 16 and 21.

Their findings were then replicated in 37 individuals with conduct disorder and 32 who did not have the condition, all male and aged between 13 and 18.

Dr Luca Passamonti, a neuroscientist at Cambridge University, said: ‘There’s evidence already of differences in the brains of individuals with serious behavioural problems, but this is often simplistic and only focused on regions such as the amygdala which we know is important for emotional behaviour.

‘But conduct disorder is a complex behavioural disorder so likewise we would expect the changes to be more complex in nature and to potentially involve other brain regions.’

Co-author Professor Ian Goodyer, also from Cambridge University, added: ‘Now that we have a way of imaging the whole brain and providing a “map” of conduct disorder, we may in future be able to see whether the changes we have observed in this study are reversible if early interventions or psychological therapies are provided.’

The results are published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.