Mechanisms Of Cognitive Characteristics Of High-risk Antisocial Personality Disorder

Antisocial personality is characterised by impulsive behaviour and a pervasive disregard for the rights of others. Increased antisocial behaviors are closely associated with criminal behaviors. According to previous researches, the principle cognitive characteristcs of antisocial personality disorder involve in abnormal emotion processing, impaired attention, attention function and executive dysfunction. Based on theory of life-course-persistenl antisocial behavior, Hodgins proposed that high-risk antisocial personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder are homogeneous. Based on this theory, current study proposed conduct disorder, developed to antisocial behaviors of antisocial personality disorder, is high-risk antisocial personality disorder, whose operational definition is conduct disorder with antisocial personality characteristics, meeting diagnostic criteria for DSM-Ⅳ. So the principle cognitive characteristcs of high-risk antisocial personality disorder involve in abnormal emotion processing, impaired attention and, attention function and executive dysfunction.Event-related potentials(ERPs) had high temporal resolution and reflected the time course of stimuli processes. In current study, emotion processing, attention, attention function and executive function were compared in healthy group, high-risk antisocial personality(CD + AP) and conduct disorders(CD). In the first study, these groups performed Oddball paradigm to evaluate automatic expression detection processing mechanism under non-attentional condition; in the second study, classic CNV paradigm was performed to assess sustained attention; in the third study, Go/Nogo paradigm was complted to analyze response inhibition; in the fourth study, Attention Network task were performed to explore attention alerting, orienting and execution.The main results of present study were drawn as follows:First, under non-attentional condition, automatic expression detection processing involved two pahses, early phase reflect primary processing, the rarity of late phase is a component of the “automatic” process of the expression. In CD group, amplitude of EMMN in early and late stages were less than healthy control group respectively; while CD + AP group, early processing of EMMN was disappeared, but late processing of EMMN was significantly enhanced. These results suggested that CD + AP group were more sensitive to negative stimuli. This may be the reason of increased violent behaviors.Second, process of sustained attention involved in two stages. Generally, in healthy control group, the amplitude of CNV was stable, this mirrored the healthy control can maintain attention to stimuli. In CD group, CNV amplitude of early stage was not significantly different from healthy control group, but the amplitude decreased promptly to baseline, then waved around baseline. These results demonstrated CD had deficient sustained attention. In CD + AP group, amplitude of CNV waved around baseline all the time. This reflected sustained attention dysfunction, which generated nonplanning impulsivity and lack of a sense of the future for preparation in time perception.Third, response inhibition involves conflict monitor and motor control. In CD group, The amplitudes of the N2 nogo and N2 d were not significantly different in a early stage of associated with conflict monitoring, but the amplitude of the P3 nogo a decreased in later stage of inhibition processing. Therefore, ERP data suggested that CD participants exhibited impaired response inhibition in late phases. In CD + AP group, The amplitudes of the N2 nogo and N2 d were significantly reduced in a early stage of associated with conflict monitoring, but the amplitude of the P3 nogo also decreased in later stage of inhibition processing, but larger than CD group. Therefore, ERP data suggested that CD + AP participants exhibited impaired response inhibition both in early and late phases. The impaired early process might reflect an deficient conflict monitoring process in CD + AP, the impaired late process might reflect an abnormal inhibitory control.Fourth, attention network involved in alerting, orienting and execution. Differnent waves between no cue and double cue reflected attention alerting. Different waves of CD group less than of CD + AP group, which less than of healthy control. These results reflected that ability in detection new stimuli of CD + AP was impared, as the alerting of CD group was worst in three groups. Differnent waves between congruent task and incongruent task reflected attention execution. Execution of CD + AP was significantly weaker than of health control, but execution of CD was disappeared. These reflect ability in detect and resolve conflict.Based on previous researches, present research procesed conduct disorder with antisocial personality characteristics is high-risk antisocial personality disorder. These individuals can not meet criterion of antisocial personality disorder, but they develop to antisocial personality disorder. In our reaesrch, high-risk antisocial personality disorder involves antisocial personality characteristics, such as antisocial behavior, impulisty and aggression. Therefor, according to cognitive mechanisms of high-risk antisocial personality disorder, it concluded that attention alerting and execution were not weaker than individuals of conduct disorder, deficient sustained attention and higher automatic detection of negative stimuli under non-attention condition all closely associated with antisocial behaviors, impulsivity and aggression. In short, high-risk of antisocial personality and conduct disorder are not homogeneous. Exploring emotion process, response inhibition, attention and attention fuction, the hyposis of current research are more suitable.