Psychopaths' brains wired to seek rewards, no matter the consequencesPhysorg.com: Previous research on psychopathy has focused on what these individuals lack -- fear, empathy and interpersonal skills. The new research, however, examines what they have in abundance -- impulsivity, heightened attraction to rewards, and risk taking... It is these latter traits that are most closely linked with the violent and criminal aspects of psychopathy...
'There has been a long tradition of research on psychopathy that has focused on the lack of sensitivity to punishment and a lack of fear,'... David Zald... co-author of the study, said. 'Our data is suggesting that something might be happening on the other side of things. These individuals appear to have such a strong draw to reward... that it overwhelms the sense of risk.'...
Study volunteers were given a personality test to determine their level of psychopathic traits. These traits exist on a spectrum, with violent criminals falling at the extreme end of the spectrum. However, a normally functioning person can also have these traits, which include manipulativeness, egocentricity, aggression, and risk taking...
In the second portion of the experiment, the research subjects were told they would receive a monetary reward for completing a simple task... The researchers found in those individuals with elevated psychopathic traits the dopamine reward area of the brain, the nucleus accumbens, was much more active while they were anticipating the monetary reward than in the other volunteers.
'It may be that because of these exaggerated dopamine responses, once they focus on the chance to get a reward, psychopaths are unable to alter their attention until they get what they're after, [Jason] Buckholtz said. Added Zald, 'It's not just that they don't appreciate the potential threat, but that the anticipation or motivation for reward overwhelms those concerns.'
