Jonas Kneer1, Viola Borchardt2, Christian Kärgel3, Christopher Sinke1, Claudia Massau3, Gilian Tenbergen4, Jorge Ponseti5, Henrik Walter6, Klaus M Beier7, Boris Schiffer3, Kolja Schiltz8, Martin Walter9, Tillmann H C Kruger1. 1. Division of Clinical Psychology and Sexual Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg Strasse 1, D-30625 Hannover, Germany. 2. Clinical Affective Neuroimaging Laboratory, Magdeburg, Germany; Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Department of Behavioral Neurology, Magdeburg, Germany. 3. LWL-University Hospital Bochum, Division of Forensic Psychiatry, Alexandrinenstr. 1-3, 44791 Bochum, Germany. 4. Department of Psychology, SUNY College at Oswego, Oswego, NY, USA. 5. Institute of Sexual Medicine and Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Kiel University, Medical School, Kiel, Germany. 6. Division of Mind and Brain Research, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy CCM, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany. 7. Institute of Sexology and Sexual Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany. 8. Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Psychiatric Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University, München, Germany; (j)Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Department of Psychiatry, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany. 9. Department of Psychiatry University of Tübingen Osianderstr. 24, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Child sexual abuse and neglect have been related to an increased risk for the development of a wide range of behavioral, psychological, and sexual problems and increased rates of suicidal behavior. Contrary to the large amount of research focusing on the negative mental health consequences of child sexual abuse, very little is known about the characteristics of child sexual offenders and the neuronal underpinnings contributing to child sexual offending. METHODS AND SAMPLE: This study investigates differences in resting state functional connectivity (rs-FC) between non-pedophilic child sexual offenders (N = 20; CSO-P) and matched healthy controls (N = 20; HC) using a seed-based approach. The focus of this investigation of rs-FC in CSO-P was put on prefrontal and limbic regions highly relevant for emotional and behavioral processing. RESULTS: Results revealed a significant reduction of rs-FC between the right centromedial amygdala and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in child sexual offenders compared to controls. CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS: Given that, in the healthy brain, there is a strong top-down inhibitory control of prefrontal over limbic structures, these results suggest that diminished rs-FC between the amygdala and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and may foster sexual deviance and sexual offending. A profound understanding of these concepts should contribute to a better understanding of the occurrence of child sexual offending, as well as further development of more differentiated and effective interventions.
BACKGROUND:Childsexual abuse and neglect have been related to an increased risk for the development of a wide range of behavioral, psychological, and sexual problems and increased rates of suicidal behavior. Contrary to the large amount of research focusing on the negative mental health consequences of childsexual abuse, very little is known about the characteristics of child sexual offenders and the neuronal underpinnings contributing to child sexual offending. METHODS AND SAMPLE: This study investigates differences in resting state functional connectivity (rs-FC) between non-pedophilic child sexual offenders (N = 20; CSO-P) and matched healthy controls (N = 20; HC) using a seed-based approach. The focus of this investigation of rs-FC in CSO-P was put on prefrontal and limbic regions highly relevant for emotional and behavioral processing. RESULTS: Results revealed a significant reduction of rs-FC between the right centromedial amygdala and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in child sexual offenders compared to controls. CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS: Given that, in the healthy brain, there is a strong top-down inhibitory control of prefrontal over limbic structures, these results suggest that diminished rs-FC between the amygdala and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and may foster sexual deviance and sexual offending. A profound understanding of these concepts should contribute to a better understanding of the occurrence of child sexual offending, as well as further development of more differentiated and effective interventions.