Lower brain volume and poorer emotional regulation in partner coercive men and other offenders

Abstract

Objective: Deficits in emotional regulation could play a key role in the violence shown by partner coercive men toward their female partners or ex-partners. Because previous structural neuroimaging studies have revealed a link between violent behavior and brain regions associated with emotion, the present study compared convicted partner coercive men, other convicted offenders, and nonoffenders regarding the volume of brain regions linked to emotional regulation. Method: The Partner Coercive Group (PCG, n = 26) was composed of men incarcerated for a crime of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV); the Other Offenders Group (OOG, n = 29) consisted of men incarcerated for crimes other than IPV; and the Nonoffenders Group (NOG, n = 30) was composed of men without any criminal record. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to calculate the brain volume of selected regions. Results: The results indicate that the PCG showed a lower brain volume in the right Accumbens (NAcc) and the left dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex (dACC). In addition, it was observed that the lower the volume of these structures, the lower the scores on emotional regulation and empathy. However, the brain volumes of these regions did not differ between partner coercive men and other offenders. Conclusion: This preliminary study indicates that violence shown by partner coercive men toward their partners or ex-partners cannot be explained exclusively in terms of brain volume differences because the groups of offenders did not differ in this regard. These findings, however, suggest that lower volumes of brain regions involved in emotional regulation are linked to general criminal behavior.