Yu Gao1, Adrian Raine, Robert A Schug. 1. Department of Psychology, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, United States. yugao@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Although one of the main characteristics of psychopaths is a deficit in emotion, it is unknown whether they show a fundamental impairment in appropriately recognizing their own body sensations during an emotion-inducing task. METHOD: Skin conductance and heart rate were recorded in 138 males during a social stressor together with subjective reports of body sensations. Psychopathic traits were assessed using the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) 2nd edition (Hare, 2003). RESULTS: Nonpsychopathic controls who reported higher body sensations showed higher heart rate reactivity, but this verbal-autonomic consistency was not found in psychopathic individuals. This mind-body disconnection is particularly associated with the interpersonal-affective factor of psychopathy. CONCLUSIONS: Findings are the first to document this body sensation-autonomic mismatch in psychopaths, and suggest that somatic aphasia - the inaccurate identification and recognition of one's own somatic states - may partly underlie the interpersonal-affective features of psychopathy.
BACKGROUND: Although one of the main characteristics of psychopaths is a deficit in emotion, it is unknown whether they show a fundamental impairment in appropriately recognizing their own body sensations during an emotion-inducing task. METHOD: Skin conductance and heart rate were recorded in 138 males during a social stressor together with subjective reports of body sensations. Psychopathic traits were assessed using the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) 2nd edition (Hare, 2003). RESULTS: Nonpsychopathic controls who reported higher body sensations showed higher heart rate reactivity, but this verbal-autonomic consistency was not found in psychopathic individuals. This mind-body disconnection is particularly associated with the interpersonal-affective factor of psychopathy. CONCLUSIONS: Findings are the first to document this body sensation-autonomic mismatch in psychopaths, and suggest that somatic aphasia - the inaccurate identification and recognition of one's own somatic states - may partly underlie the interpersonal-affective features of psychopathy.
Authors: Adrian Raine; Todd Lencz; Kristen Taylor; Joseph B Hellige; Susan Bihrle; Lori Lacasse; Mimi Lee; Sharon Ishikawa; Patrick Colletti Journal: Arch Gen Psychiatry Date: 2003-11
Authors: Jack van Honk; Erno J Hermans; Peter Putman; Barbara Montagne; Dennis J L G Schutter Journal: Neuroreport Date: 2002-06-12 Impact factor: 1.837