Anti-social and aggressive behaviour in teenage tearaways is caused by 'lack of grey matter in the brain'
- Young people with behavioural problems had less in key parts of brain
- Scientists found had deficient levels in areas associated with empathy
- Unclear if structural differences may be caused by environmental factors
- Researchers combined brain imaging figures from 13 previous studies
Teenagers with antisocial behaviour issues have been found to be lacking in parts of the brain which deal with decision-making and empathy (file image)
Bad behaviour in teenagers could be caused by a lack of grey matter in their brains, a study has found.
Youths who behave in an antisocial and aggressive way appear to be deficient in parts of the brain associated with decision-making.
The findings could help to explain why some young people behave in the way they do and lead to better interventions, researchers claim.
The study showed young people with behavioural problems - such as antisocial and aggressive behaviour - had reduced grey matter volume within the amygdala, the insula, and the prefrontal cortex.
Scientists at the University of Birmingham said those areas of the brain are important for empathic responses, reading facial expressions and emotion regulation - key cognitive and affective processes that are shown to be deficient in youths with behavioural problems.
The study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, combined brain imaging figures from 13 previous studies including 394 youths with behavioural problems and 350 typically developing youths, making it the largest study of its kind.
Study lead author Dr Stephane De Brito said: 'We know that severe behavioural problems in youths are not only predictive of antisocial and aggressive behaviour in adulthood, but also substance misuse, mental health problems and poor physical health.
'For that reason, behavioural problems are an essential target for prevention efforts and our study advances understanding of the brain regions associated with aggressive and antisocial behaviour in youths.'
But the researchers said a number of unanswered questions still remain in the field.
For example, the extent to which these structural differences in the brain are associated with environmental factors - such as smoking or substance abuse during pregnancy and maltreatment in early childhood - is still poorly understood.
Dr Jack Rogers, Research Fellow at Birmingham University, said: 'There are a lot of questions still outstanding.
'For instance, prospective longitudinal studies are needed to assess if these structural differences are present early in life and if they persist over a longer period of time.
'In future research, it will also be important to examine if these brain differences, and the affective and cognitive processes they are involved in, can be influenced by therapeutic interventions to promote a good outcome in adult life.'
Dr De Brito added: 'Some of those important questions will be addressed in the context of a large multisite study we are involved in.
'This research will be carried out on children and adolescents from seven European countries to examine the environmental and neurobiological factors implicated in the development of behavioural problems in male and female youths.'
Scientists at the University of Birmingham looked at brain scans from 13 previous studies, making it the biggest study of its kind. But researchers warned there were still many 'unanswered questions'
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