Divergent Patterns of Aggressive and Neurocognitive Characteristics in Acquired Versus Developmental Psychopathy

An analogy is often drawn between patients with personality changes following orbitofrontal cortex lesions and individuals with developmental psychopathy. We present patient CL, who had acquired psychopathy following an orbitofrontal cortex lesion. Unlike previous studies, CL was assessed on a valid and reliable measure of psychopathy and was compared with controls and patients with developmental psychopathy on measures of instrumental (re)learning, extinction, emotional processing, and social cognition. The results provide further support for the notion that acquired and developmental forms of psychopathy are associated with dissociable neurocognitive deficits that leave each at different levels of risk for reactive and instrumental aggression.