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European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience

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01-09-2019 | Original Paper

Brain responses to pictures of children in men with pedophilic disorder: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Authors: Fadwa Cazala, Véronique Fonteille, Virginie Moulier, Mélanie Pélégrini-Issac, Christiane De Beaurepaire, Marlène Abondo, Magali Bodon-Bruzel, Jean Cano, Florent Cochez, Taoufik Fouli, Catherine Thevenon, Bernard Dauba, Michel Pugeat, Serge Stoléru

Published in: European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience | Issue 6/2019

Abstract

Structural and functional neuroimaging techniques have recently been used to investigate the mechanisms of sexual attraction to children, a hallmark of pedophilic disorder, and have reported many contradictory or non-replicated findings. Here, our purpose was to identify through functional magnetic resonance imaging the brain responses of 25 male outpatients with pedophilic disorder to visual stimuli depicting children (VSc) and to compare them with 24 male healthy controls matched on sexual orientation (to female or male adults), age, and handedness. No region was differentially activated across the two groups in response to VSc. However, as shown by a random-effects statistical analysis (cluster-level p_FWE-corrected < 0.05), in patients with pedophilia, but not in controls, the presentation of VSc induced a bilateral activation in the lateral occipital and temporal cortices, in particular in the right inferior temporal gyrus, as well as an activation in the declive of the cerebellar vermis. In addition, in patients the level of bilateral activation in the above-mentioned regions was positively correlated with ratings of perceived sexual arousal elicited by VSc. These results implicate these regions as possible candidate areas mediating sexual arousal in patients with pedophilic disorder.

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Title: Brain responses to pictures of children in men with pedophilic disorder: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study
Authors: Fadwa Cazala
Véronique Fonteille
Virginie Moulier
Mélanie Pélégrini-Issac
Christiane De Beaurepaire
Marlène Abondo
Magali Bodon-Bruzel
Jean Cano
Florent Cochez
Taoufik Fouli
Catherine Thevenon
Bernard Dauba
Michel Pugeat
Serge Stoléru
Publication date: 01-09-2019
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience / Issue 6/2019
Print ISSN: 0940-1334
Electronic ISSN: 1433-8491
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-018-0933-z

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

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Brain responses to pictures of children in men with pedophilic disorder: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

Springer Medicine

Abstract

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