The Fear Factor: Fear Deficits in Psychopathy as an Index of Limbic Dysregulation.

Psychopathy is a constellation of distinct interpersonal (e.g., pathological lying), affective (e.g., lack of remorse), lifestyle (e.g., need for stimulation), and antisocial (e.g., poor behavioral controls) traits that contribute to a deceptive and exploitive personality profile. Current theoretical models attempting to explain the functional impairments and neural systems behind the behavioral profile of the disorder seem to converge on the idea of a fear deficit. The purpose of this essay was to investigate the positive relationship between psychopathy and fear deficits as well as the dysregulation of the limbic system in adults. Research shows that, in response to a threatening or fearful situation, psychopathy is associated with a reduced capacity to experience negative valence, diminished autonomic response, and difficulty in recognizing fear-related cues. In addition, psychopathy has also been implicated in abnormalities in the fear center of the brain, the limbic system. This includes structural, morphological, and functional alterations of limbic structures like the amygdala. Future research is needed to better explain the underlying causes of these brain abnormalities among psychopathic individuals and to investigate the contributing factors, whether innate or environmental, that lead to the development of the abnormal features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]