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Laughter is a contagious prosocial signal that conveys bonding motivation; adult crying conversely communicates desire for social proximity by signalling distress. Endogenous mu-opioid receptors (MORs) modulate sociability in humans and non-human primates. In this combined PET–fMRI study ( n = 17), we tested whether central MOR tone is associated with regional brain responses to social signals of laughter and crying. MOR availability was measured with positron emission tomography (PET) using the high-affinity agonist radioligand [ 11 C]carfentanil. Haemodynamic responses to social laughter and crying vocalizations were measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Social laughter evoked activation in the auditory cortex, insula, cingulate cortex, amygdala, primary and secondary somatosensory cortex, and primary and secondary motor cortex; crying sounds led to more restricted activation in the auditory cortex and nearby areas. MOR availability was negatively correlated with the haemodynamic responses to social laughter in the primary and secondary somatosensory cortex, primary and secondary motor cortex, posterior insula, posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, cuneus, temporal gyri and lingual gyrus. For crying-evoked activations, MOR availability was negatively correlated with medial and lateral prefrontal haemodynamic responses. Altogether our findings highlight the role of the MOR system in modulating acute brain responses to both positive and negative social signals. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Cracking the laugh code: laughter through the lens of biology, psychology and neuroscience’.

Laughter is a contagious prosocial signal that conveys bonding motivation; adult crying conversely communicates desire for social proximity by signalling distress. Endogenous mu-opioid receptors (MORs) modulate sociability in humans and non-human primates. In this combined PET-fMRI study (n=17) we tested whether central MOR tone is associated with regional brain responses to social signals of laughter and crying sounds. MOR availability was measured with positron emission tomography using high-affinity agonist radioligand [11C]carfentanil. Haemodynamic responses to social laughter and crying sounds were measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Social laughter evoked activation in the auditory cortex, insula, cingulate cortex, amygdala, primary and secondary somatosensory cortex, primary and secondary motor cortex; crying sounds led to more restricted activation in auditory cortex and nearby areas. MOR availability was negatively correlated with the haemodynamic responses to social laughter in primary and secondary somatosensory cortex, primary and secondary motor cortex, posterior insula, posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, cuneus, temporal gyri, and lingual gyrus. For crying-evoked activations, MOR availability was negatively correlated with medial and lateral prefrontal haemodynamic responses. Altogether our findings highlight the role of MOR system in modulating acute brain responses to both positive and negative social signals.

Psychopathy and autism are both associated with aberrant social skills and empathy, yet only psychopaths are markedly antisocial and violent. Here, we compared the functional neural alterations underlying these two groups that both have aberrant empathetic abilities but distinct behavioral phenotypes. We studied 19 incarcerated male offenders with high psychopathic traits, 20 males with high-functioning autism, and 19 age-matched healthy controls. All groups underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while they viewed dynamic happy, angry, and disgusted faces or listened to laughter and crying sounds. Psychopathy was associated with reduced somatomotor responses to almost all expressions, while participants with autism demonstrated less marked and emotion-specific alterations in the somatomotor area. These data suggest that psychopathy and autism involve both common and distinct functional alterations in the brain networks involved in the socioemotional processing. The alterations are more profound in psychopathy, possibly reflecting the more severely disturbed socioemotional brain networks in this population.

Hankkeessa selvitettiin mielentilatutkimusten vähenemisen syitä ja seurauksia, alentuneesti syyntakeisten hoidon toteutumista vankilassa sekä psykiatrisista syistä keskeytettyjen vankeusrangaistuksen määriä. Aikaisempia havaintoja vahvistaen mielentilatutkimusten määrä vaikuttaa laskeneen sen seurauksena, että alentunut syyntakeisuus -kategorian käyttö on supistunut marginaaliseksi. Tutkimusten määrään näyttävät vaikuttaneen myös oikeudenkäymiskaareen vuonna 2006 tehty muutos sekä henkirikosten määrän väheneminen. Alentuneen syyntakeisuuden kategoria puolestaan on vähentynyt lääketieteellisissä diagnoosikäytännöissä ja persoonallisuushäiriöiden arvioinneissa tapahtuneiden muutosten takia. Syyntakeisuussäännösten soveltamiskäytäntöä kiristivät myös korkeimman oikeuden ennakkoratkaisut etenkin 2000-luvulla.Alentuneesti syyntakeisiksi katsotut henkilöt vaikuttivat hyötyvän mielentilatutkimuksesta. Alentunutta syyntakeisuutta ei kuitenkaan tunnisteta erityisen kohtelun syyksi vankilassa, mutta ryhmän rangaistusajan suunnitelmissa terveydellisiä tavoitteita huomioitiin. Heillä oli myös muita vankeja enemmän terveyteen liittyviä käyntejä vankilan ulkopuolella. Alentuneesti syyntakeisten tarpeenmukainen hoito tulee turvata vankilassa sekä lisätä keinoja hoitoon sitouttamiseksi. Vankeusrangaistuksia on keskeytetty lisääntyvästi psykiatrisen tahdosta riippumattoman hoidon tarpeen vuoksi.

Psychopathy is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy, and egotistical traits. These traits vary also in normally functioning individuals. Here, we tested whether such antisocial personalities are associated with similar structural and neural alterations as those observed in criminal psychopathy. Subjects were 100 non-convicted well-functioning individuals, 19 violent male offenders, and 19 matched controls. Subjects underwent T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and viewed movie clips with varying violent content during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Psychopathic traits were evaluated with Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (controls) and Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (offenders). Psychopathic offenders had lower gray matter density (GMD) in orbitofrontal cortex and anterior insula. In the community sample, affective psychopathy traits were associated with lower GMD in the same areas. Viewing violence increased brain activity in periaqueductal grey matter, thalamus, somatosensory, premotor, and temporal cortices. Psychopathic offenders had increased responses to violence in thalamus and orbitofrontal, insular, and cingulate cortices. In the community sample, impulsivity-related psychopathy traits were positively associated with violence-elicited responses in similar areas. We conclude that brain characteristics underlying psychopathic spectrum in violent psychopathy are related to those observed in well-functioning individuals with asocial personality features.

Vuonna 2016 185 vankia eli 5,9 prosenttia suomalaisista vangeista sai psykoosidiagnoosin (1). Vankilassa vuosittain psykoosidiagnosoitujen vankien määrä on kymmenkertaistunut vuodesta 2005, vaikka psykoosisairauksien esiintyvyys väestössä ei ole kasvanut. Tänä aikana diagnosointikäytännöt ja diagnosointiin käytettävät resurssit eivät ole muuttuneet. Tässä tutkimuksessa eivät myöskään olleet mukana huumeiden aiheuttamat psykoosit. Olemme tehneet tutkimuksen vangeista, jotka ovat vuosien 2008–2018 aikana vapautettu vakavan ja vaikeahoitoisen psykoosin vuoksi vankilan ulkopuoliseen tahdosta riippumattomaan oikeuspsykiatriseen hoitoon ja kuntoutukseen. Tilastollisesti tarkasteltuna viisivuotisjaksolta 2008–2012 jaksolle 2013–2017 vankilan ulkopuolelle hoidettavaksi vapautettujen määrä kasvoi 50 prosenttia. Tuottamamme tutkimustieto käsittää tutkittavan ryhmän sosiaaliset taustatekijät, rikollisuuden, mielentilatutkimukset, psyykkisen sairastavuuden sekä aiemman psykiatrisen hoidon. Tutkimus on tehty laadullisena tutkimuksena valmiista aineistosta, joka koostuu kaikista psykoosin vuoksi hoitoa varten vapautettujen vankien vapautustarvetta perustelevista esityksistä viimeisen kymmenen vuoden ajalta. Psykoosin vuoksi vankilan ulkopuolelle hoitoa varten vapautetut vangit ovat huono-osainen, syrjäytynyt ja sairas ihmisryhmä. He ovat elämässään kohdanneet monia vääryyksiä ja sairastuneet psyykkisesti. Heidän rikollisuutensa on vakavaa, uusiutuvaa ja heidän mielentilaansa ei ole arvioitu oikeusprosessin yhteydessä tarpeeksi usein. Lisäksi näiden henkilöiden määrä on kasvussa, mikä johtuu mahdollisesti varhaisen sosiaalisen tuen ja oikeanlaisten ja oikea-aikaisten terveyspalveluiden puutteesta sekä mielentilatutkimusten vähentymisestä.

In developed countries, the majority of all violent crime is committed by a small group of antisocial recidivistic offenders, but no genes have been shown to contribute to recidivistic violent offending or severe violent behavior, such as homicide. Our results, from two independent cohorts of Finnish prisoners, revealed that a monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) low-activity genotype (contributing to low dopamine turnover rate) as well as the CDH13 gene (coding for neuronal membrane adhesion protein) are associated with extremely violent behavior (at least 10 committed homicides, attempted homicides or batteries). No substantial signal was observed for either MAOA or CDH13 among non-violent offenders, indicating that findings were specific for violent offending, and not largely attributable to substance abuse or antisocial personality disorder. These results indicate both low monoamine metabolism and neuronal membrane dysfunction as plausible factors in the etiology of extreme criminal violent behavior, and imply that at least about 5–10% of all severe violent crime in Finland is attributable to the aforementioned MAOA and CDH13 genotypes.

Aims. Schizophrenia is a neuropsychiatric disorder associated with mental and motor disturbances. We aimed to investigate motor control, especially central silent period (CSP) in subjects with schizophrenia (n=11) on long-term antipsychotic treatment compared to healthy controls (n=9). Methods. Latency and duration of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) and CSPs were measured with the help of single pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and intramuscular electrodes. After stimulation of the dominant and nondominant motor cortex of abductor digiti minimi (ADM) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscle areas, respective responses were measured on the contralateral side. Results. MEPs did not differ significantly between the groups. Multiple CSPs were found predominantly in subjects with schizophrenia, which showed a higher number of CSPs in the dominant ADM and the longest summarized duration of CSPs in the nondominant ADM (P<0.05) compared to controls. Conclusions. There were multiple CSPs predominantly in the upper extremities and in the dominant body side in subjects with schizophrenia. Behind multiple CSPs may lie an impaired regulation of excitatory or inhibitory neurotransmitter systems in central motor pathways. Further research is needed to clarify the role of the intramuscular recording methods and the effect of antipsychotics on the results.

Expressed emotion (EE) in families is able to predict the clinical outcome of patients with schizophrenia and mood disorders. However, the origins of EE and its interactions with the patient's clinical characteristics are not clear. In this respect, cognitive functioning of schizophrenic and mood-disorder patients has yielded contradictory results. In this cross-sectional study, we examined a sample of 42 consecutive first-episode patients with schizophrenia-related psychoses and severe mood disorders. Forty-two relatives were interviewed with the Five-Minute Speech Sample method. The relationships between EE and 3 clusters of patient-related variables (sociodemography, performance in cognitive tests, and psychopathology) were analyzed with stepwise regression analysis. With the exception of premorbid adjustment in childhood, only the cognitive variables were significantly associated with EE after controlling for the effect of the other variables. High EE was significantly associated with good performance in cognitive tests. Our results favor the attribution hypothesis of EE instead of the hypothesis that patient psychopathology would explain EE. Good cognitive functioning may lead to higher EE scores because of the higher expectations by the relatives.

The aim was to determine the rate of dissociative disorders among psychiatric in- (n = 34) and out-patients (n = 37) and to compare the rate to that of nonclinical subjects (n = 297). Dissociative disorders (17% of patients) could be grouped according to the severity of the symptoms and their relation to affective disorders.

Aims.The aim of this study was to investigate the motor control and central silent period (CSP) in restless legs syndrome (RLS).Methods.Transcranial magnetic stimulation was focused on the dominant and nondominant hemispheric areas of motor cortex in six subjects with RLS and six controls. The responses were recorded on the contralateral abductor digiti minimi (ADM) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles with intramuscular needle electrodes.Results.No significant differences were found in the motor conduction or central motor conduction time, in the latency, or in the duration of the CSPs between or within the groups, but multiple CSPs were observed in both groups. The number of the CSPs was significantly higher in both ADMs and in the dominant TA (P≤0.01) in the RLS group compared to the controls.Conclusion.Descending motor pathways functioned correctly in both groups. The occurrence of the recurrent CSPs predominantly in the RLS group could be a sign of a change of function in the inhibitory control system. Further research is needed to clarify the role of the intramuscular recording technique and especially the role of the subcortical generators in the feedback regulation of the central nervous system in RLS.

BackgroundStructural brain abnormalities are prevalent in patients with schizophrenia and affective disorders.AimsTo study how regional brain volumes and their ratios differ between patients with schizophrenia, psychotic depression, severe non-psychotic depression and healthy controls.MethodMagnetic resonance imaging scans of the brain on first-episode patients and on healthy controls.ResultsPatients with schizophrenia had a smaller left frontal grey matter volume than the other three groups. Patients with psychotic depression had larger ventricular and posterior sulcal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volumes than controls. Patients with depression had larger white matter volumes than the other patients.ConclusionsLeft frontal lobe, especially its grey matter volume, seems to be specifically reduced in first-episode schizophrenia. Enlarged cerebral ventricles and sulcal CSF volumes are prevalent in psychotic depression. Preserved or expanded white matter is typical of non-psychotic depression.

The aim was to determine the rate of dissociative disorders among psychiatric in- (n = 34) and out-patients (n = 37) and to compare the rate to that of nonclinical subjects (n = 297). Dissociative disorders (17% of patients) could be grouped according to the severity of the symptoms and their relation to affective disorders.

Patients with first-episode schizophrenia (n = 27) and age- and education-matched healthy controls (n = 27) were administered the standard version of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R), and the Rorschach according to the Comprehensive System (CS). Schizophrenic patients achieved a significantly lower full-scale IQ and made more perseverative responses and achieved fewer categories on the WCST than the healthy control group. No significant associations were observed between effort or motivation and WCST performance. Schizophrenic patients who made more perseverative responses tended to be impoverished in terms of available resources, and functioned in a simplistic way when attending to details of the stimulus field. First-episode schizophrenics are able to generate motives and initiate goal-directed activity, but some of them fail to achieve their goals because the cognitive abilities and available resources required for effective planning, purposeful action, or effective performance are impaired.