A team of researchers from Spain was curious to know if people with high psychopathic traits have anomalies in the brain's physical structures, which make them incapable of feeling regret or capable of manipulation and other antisocial behavior. They conducted an experiment in which they interviewed men convicted of intimate partner violence (IPV) and a control group with no history of violence to measure their psychopathic traits, followed by brain scans.

The results showed that men with thinner cortex in certain brain regions--particularly fronto-temporo-parietal areas--tended to display higher antisocial tendencies, regardless of their history of violence.

Fronto-temporo-parietal cortex regions refer to parts of the brain's outer layer, which houses gray matter and supports functions such as sensory processing, motor control, and higher cognitive activities. The findings further reinforce a broader idea in neuroscience that regions in these brain regions play a major role in shaping behaviors such as callousness, a lack of empathy, and manipulative tendencies.

The findings are published in Aggression and Violent Behavior.

Markers of psychopathy

Psychopathy is a neuropsychiatric disorder that affects how people feel, think, and control their behavior. Individuals with strong psychopathic traits often show little empathy for others, have shallow emotional responses, and struggle with impulse control. Even though they make up only a small portion of the population, people with psychopathic traits are linked to a surprisingly large share of serious crime.

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