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      Altered cerebellar-amygdala connectivity in violent offenders: A resting-state fMRI study.

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          Abstract

          It has repeatedly been reported, that there are differences in grey matter volume (GMV) between violent offenders and non-violent controls. However, it remains unclear, if structural brain abnormalities influence resting-state functional connectivity (RS-fc) between brain regions. Therefore, in the present investigation, 31 male high-risk violent prisoners were compared to 30 non-criminal controls with respect to RS-fc between brain areas. Seed regions for resting-state analysis were selected based on GMV differences between the two groups. Overall, inmates had more GMV in the cerebellum than controls and revealed higher RS-fc between the cerebellum and the amygdala. In contrast, controls relative to prisoners showed higher RS-fc between the cerebellum and the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). In addition, controls showed more GMV in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Inmates relative to controls had higher RS-fc within the DLPFC. Results are discussed with respect to cerebellar contributions to a brain network underlying moral behavior and violence. Enhanced cerebellar-amygdala connectivity in violent offenders might reflect alterations in the processing of moral emotions. Heightened functional connectivity between cerebellar hemispheres and the OFC in controls could be a correlate of enhanced emotion regulation capacities. Higher functional intra-DLPFC connectivity in violent offenders might represent an effort to regulate emotions.

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          Author and article information

          Journal
          Neurosci. Lett.
          Neuroscience letters
          1872-7972
          0304-3940
          Jan 1 2016
          : 610
          Affiliations
          [1 ] Clinical Psychology, University of Graz, BioTechMedGraz, Universitätsplatz 2/DG, 8010 Graz, Austria. Electronic address: verena.leutgeb@uni-graz.at.
          [2 ] Clinical Psychology, University of Graz, BioTechMedGraz, Universitätsplatz 2/DG, 8010 Graz, Austria.
          [3 ] Graz-Karlau State Correctional Facility, Herrgottwiesgasse 50, 8200 Graz, Austria.
          Article
          S0304-3940(15)30226-3
          10.1016/j.neulet.2015.10.063
          26523791
          dcd87396-dffb-40b3-a6b0-e60b154f4681
          Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
          History

          Amygdala,Cerebellum,DLPFC,GMV,OFC,RS-fcMRI,Violent offenders
          Amygdala, Cerebellum, DLPFC, GMV, OFC, RS-fcMRI, Violent offenders

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