Ryan Charles Meldrum1, Elisa M Trucco2, Lora M Cope3, Robert A Zucker4, Mary M Heitzeg5. 1. Florida International University, Department of Criminal Justice, 11200 SW 8th Street, PCA-364B, Miami, FL 33199. 2. Florida International University, Department of Psychology, 11200 SW 8th Street, AHC1-237, Miami, FL 33199. 3. University of Michigan, Addiction Center and Department of Psychiatry, 4250 Plymouth Road, 2901H, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. 4. University of Michigan, Addiction Center and Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, 4250 Plymouth Road, 2901F, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. 5. University of Michigan, Addiction Center and Department of Psychiatry, 4250 Plymouth Road, 2901D, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.
Abstract
PURPOSE: A vast literature finds that low self-control is associated with a myriad of antisocial behaviors. Consequently, increasing attention has focused on the causes of low self-control. While criminologists have directed significant attention to studying its social causes, fewer studies have considered its neural bases. METHODS: We add to this nascent body of research by using data collected on an at-risk sample of adolescents participating in the ongoing Michigan Longitudinal Study. We examine the functioning of prefrontal and limbic regions of the brain during failed inhibitory control, assessed using the go/no-go task and functional magnetic resonance imaging, in relation to low self-control and self-reported delinquency. RESULTS: Results indicate that greater activation localized in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) during failed inhibitory control is negatively associated with low self-control. Moreover, the association between ACC activity and later delinquency is mediated through low self-control. CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this study demonstrate the utility of integrating neuroscientific and criminological perspectives on the causes of antisocial behavior. Concluding remarks address the theoretical and policy implications of the findings, as well as directions for future research.
PURPOSE: A vast literature finds that low self-control is associated with a myriad of antisocial behaviors. Consequently, increasing attention has focused on the causes of low self-control. While criminologists have directed significant attention to studying its social causes, fewer studies have considered its neural bases. METHODS: We add to this nascent body of research by using data collected on an at-risk sample of adolescents participating in the ongoing Michigan Longitudinal Study. We examine the functioning of prefrontal and limbic regions of the brain during failed inhibitory control, assessed using the go/no-go task and functional magnetic resonance imaging, in relation to low self-control and self-reported delinquency. RESULTS: Results indicate that greater activation localized in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) during failed inhibitory control is negatively associated with low self-control. Moreover, the association between ACC activity and later delinquency is mediated through low self-control. CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this study demonstrate the utility of integrating neuroscientific and criminological perspectives on the causes of antisocial behavior. Concluding remarks address the theoretical and policy implications of the findings, as well as directions for future research.
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