A research team has used the Julich-Brain Atlas to identify specific brain structures linked to antisocial behavior.
A recent publication in the European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience provides new insights into structural brain differences linked to psychopathy, a condition strongly associated with chronic violent behavior.
By applying advanced neuroimaging techniques in combination with the Julich-Brain Atlas, scientists from Forschungszentrum Jülich, RWTH Aachen University, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Georg August University (Germany), and the University of Pennsylvania (USA) identified distinct neural networks that show structural alterations in people with psychopathic traits. The Julich-Brain Atlas is openly available through the EBRAINS Research Infrastructure.
MRI confirms reduced brain volume in psychopathy
The researchers analyzed structural MRI scans from 39 adult men diagnosed with psychopathy and compared them to a control group matched on key characteristics. Psychopathic traits were measured using the Psychopathy Check-List (PCL-R), a widely recognized tool that distinguishes between two primary components: interpersonal-affective traits (factor 1) and lifestyle-antisocial behavior (factor 2).
Findings showed that individuals with higher scores on factor 2, which reflects antisocial tendencies, had reduced volumes in several brain regions. Affected areas included subcortical structures like the basal ganglia, thalamus, and basal forebrain, as well as sections of the brainstem (pons), cerebellum, and cortical regions such as the orbitofrontal and insular cortices.
These brain regions are associated with functions including emotional regulation, decision-making, impulse control, and social behavior.
Inconsistent links for interpersonal traits
In contrast, associations with factor 1 traits, such as pathological lying and lack of empathy, were weaker and more variable. Some volume differences were noted in the orbitofrontal, dorsolateral-frontal, and left hippocampal areas, but the patterns were less consistent across individuals.
Group comparisons also revealed a significant reduction in total brain volume in the psychopathy group, with the most notable localized difference in the right subiculum, a part of the hippocampus involved in memory.
The study’s authors highlight that the findings suggest a particularly strong neurobiological link between antisocial behavior and reduced brain volume across widespread regions.
The study advances research on the neuropsychobiological correlates of aggression, which will be intensively investigated in the next years at RWTH Aachen together with the universities in Heidelberg and Frankfurt, the Central Institute in Mannheim, as well as Forschungszentrum Jülich within the research initiative SFB TRR 379 (Neuropsychobiology of Aggression: A Transdiagnostic Approach in Mental Disorders.)
Reference: “Associations of brain structure with psychopathy” by Peter Pieperhoff, Lena Hofhansel, Frank Schneider, Jürgen Müller, Katrin Amunts, Sabrina Weber-Papen, Carmen Weidler, Benjamin Clemens, Adrian Raine and Ute Habel, 29 May 2025, European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience.
DOI: 10.1007/s00406-025-02028-6
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