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Abnormal amygdala functional connectivity during an fMRI expectancy task in pedophilia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2020

I. Ristow ,
S. Li ,
L.R. Demenescu ,
H. Walter ,
K. Beier ,
T. Kruger ,
B. Schiffer ,
J. Ponseti  and
M. Walter
I. Ristow*
Affiliation:
Magdeburg, GermanyMagdeburg, Germany
S. Li
Affiliation:
CANLAB Magdeburg, Department of Psychiatry, Magdeburg, Germany
L.R. Demenescu
Affiliation:
CANLAB Magdeburg, Department of Psychiatry, Magdeburg, Germany
H. Walter
Affiliation:
Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Berlin, Germany
K. Beier
Affiliation:
Institute for Sexual Medicine and Sexual Science, Institute for Sexual Medicine and Sexual Science, Berlin, Germany
T. Kruger
Affiliation:
Research Group Clinical Psychology and Sexual Medicine, Center for Mental Health, Clinic for Psychiatry, Sociopsychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hannover, Germany
B. Schiffer
Affiliation:
Institute for Forensic Psychiatry of the University Duisburg-Essen, Institute for Forensic Psychiatry of the University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
J. Ponseti
Affiliation:
Institute for Sexualmedicine and Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Institute for Sexualmedicine and Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Kiel, Germany
M. Walter
Affiliation:
CANLAB Magdeburg, Department of Psychiatry, Magdeburg, Germany
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Pedophilia is a disorder where sexual preferences of adults are directed towards children. This disorder impacts society with 1–2 out of every 10 children being sexually approached by an adult, often resulting in prolonged negative psychological effects. Prior research reported structural and functional amygdala alterations in pedophilia. As the neurophenomenological model of sexual arousal suggests the importance of the amygdala in the emotional component, we focused on amygdala functional connectivity in pedophilia.

Aims

To investigate amygdala functional connectivity (FC) modulated by expectancy and salient stimuli in pedophilic patients.

Methods

Thirteen pedophilic patients and 13 matched healthy controls underwent a salience expectancy task in a 7T ultra high fMRI study. Subjects perceived pictures of naked adults and children. Half of the pictures were preceded by an expectancy cue. Participants were instructed to actively expect the picture depending on the cue. We conducted psychophysiological analysis (PPI) to examine amygdala FC changes in two amygdala sub-regions for child/adult stimuli during the expectancy period and the visual stimuli consummation period using as seed regions the basolateral (BLA) and central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA).

Results

Healthy controls, relative to patients showed significant stronger left CeA to right post-central gyrus FC during expectancy of adult > child picture. For picture condition (adult > child picture) we found significant stronger left CeA to left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex FC in patients compared to healthy controls.

Conclusion

These findings add to the recent literature by indicating that amygdala dysfunctional connectivity is involved in development of deviant sexual behavior.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Type
EW270
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 33 , Issue S1: Abstracts of the 24th European Congress of Psychiatry , March 2016 , pp. S181
Copyright
Copyright © European Psychiatric Association 2016
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