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Dysfunctional error-related processing in female psychopathy.

ABSTRACT: Neurocognitive studies of psychopathy have predominantly focused on male samples. Studies have shown that female psychopaths exhibit similar affective deficits as their male counterparts, but results are less consistent across cognitive domains including response modulation. As such, there may be potential gender differences in error-related processing in psychopathic personality. Here we investigate response-locked event-related potential (ERP) components [the error-related negativity (ERN/Ne) related to early error-detection processes and the error-related positivity (Pe) involved in later post-error processing] in a sample of incarcerated adult female offenders (n?=?121) who performed a response inhibition Go/NoGo task. Psychopathy was assessed using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R). The ERN/Ne and Pe were analyzed with classic windowed ERP components and principal component analysis (PCA). Consistent with previous research performed in psychopathic males, female psychopaths exhibited specific deficiencies in the neural correlates of post-error processing (as indexed by reduced Pe amplitude) but not in error monitoring (as indexed by intact ERN/Ne amplitude). Specifically, psychopathic traits reflecting interpersonal and affective dysfunction remained significant predictors of both time-domain and PCA measures reflecting reduced Pe mean amplitude. This is the first evidence to suggest that incarcerated female psychopaths exhibit similar dysfunctional post-error processing as male psychopaths.

SUBMITTER: Maurer JM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4927025 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Dysfunctional error-related processing in female psychopathy.

Maurer J Michael JM Steele Vaughn R VR Edwards Bethany G BG Bernat Edward M EM Calhoun Vince D VD Kiehl Kent A KA

Social cognitive and affective neuroscience 20150608 7

Neurocognitive studies of psychopathy have predominantly focused on male samples. Studies have shown that female psychopaths exhibit similar affective deficits as their male counterparts, but results are less consistent across cognitive domains including response modulation. As such, there may be potential gender differences in error-related processing in psychopathic personality. Here we investigate response-locked event-related potential (ERP) components [the error-related negativity (ERN/Ne) ...[more]

PMID: 26060326

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Project description:BackgroundA dysfunctional differentiation between self-relevant and irrelevant information may affect the perception of environmental stimuli as abnormally salient. The aberrant salience hypothesis assumes that positive symptoms arise from an attribution of salience to irrelevant stimuli accompanied by the feeling of self-relevance. Self-referential processing relies on the activation of cortical midline structures which was demonstrated to be impaired in psychosis. We investigated the neural correlates of self-referential processing, aberrant salience attribution, and the relationship between these 2 measures across the psychosis continuum.MethodsTwenty-nine schizophrenia patients, 24 healthy individuals with subclinical delusional ideation, and 50 healthy individuals participated in this study. Aberrant salience was assessed behaviorally in terms of reaction times to task irrelevant cues. Participants performed a self-reference task during fMRI in which they had to apply neutral trait words to them or to a public figure. The correlation between self-referential processing and aberrant salience attribution was tested.ResultsSchizophrenia patients displayed increased aberrant salience attribution compared with healthy controls and individuals with subclinical delusional ideation, while the latter exhibited intermediate aberrant salience scores. In the self-reference task, schizophrenia patients showed reduced activation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), but individuals with subclinical delusional ideation did not differ from healthy controls. In schizophrenia patients, vmPFC activation correlated negatively with implicit aberrant salience attribution.ConclusionsHigher aberrant salience attribution in schizophrenia patients is related to reduced vmPFC activation during self-referential judgments suggesting that aberrant relevance coding is reflected in decreased neural self-referential processing as well as in aberrant salience attribution.

Project description:BackgroundDeficits in error processing are reflected in an inability of people with externalizing problems to adjust their problem behaviour. The present study contains 2 meta-analyses, testing whether error processing - indexed by the event-related potentials error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe) - is reduced in children and adults with externalizing problems and disorders compared to healthy controls.MethodsWe conducted a systematic search in PubMed (1980 to December 2018), PsycInfo (1980 to December 2018) and Scopus (1970 to December 2018), identifying 328 studies. We included studies that measured error processing using the Eriksen flanker task, the go/no-go task or the stop-signal task in healthy controls and in adults or children with clearly described externalizing behavioural problems (e.g., aggression) or a clinical diagnosis on the externalizing spectrum (e.g., addiction).ResultsRandom-effect models (ERN: 23 studies, 1739 participants; Pe: 27 studies, 1456 participants) revealed a reduced ERN amplitude (Hedges' g = 0.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.29 to 0.58) and a reduced Pe amplitude (Hedges' g = -0.27, 95% CI -0.44 to -0.09) during error processing in people with externalizing problems or disorders compared to healthy controls. Type of diagnosis, age and the presence of performance feedback or comorbidity did not moderate the results. The employed cognitive task was a moderator for Pe but not for ERN. The go/no-go task generated a greater amplitude difference in Pe than the Eriksen flanker task. Small-sample assessment revealed evidence of publication bias for both event-related potentials. However, a p curve analysis for ERN showed that evidential value was present; for Pe, the p curve analysis was inconclusive.LimitationsThe moderators did not explain the potential heterogeneity in most of the analysis, suggesting that other disorder- and patient-related factors affect error processing.ConclusionOur findings indicate the presence of compromised error processing in externalizing psychopathology, suggesting diminished activation of the prefrontal cortex during performance monitoring.

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Dysfunctional error-related processing in female psychopathy.

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Dysfunctional error-related processing in female psychopathy.

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