Advanced Search
Current and Breaking News for Professionals, Consumers and Media


Click here to learn how to advertise on this site and for ad rates.

Research Author: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Last Updated: Nov 28, 2007 - 9:26:18 AM



Pedophilia May be the Result of Faulty Brain Wiring
By Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Nov 28, 2007 - 9:21:05 AM

Email this article
 Printer friendly page
Pedophilia May be the Result of Faulty Brain Wiring

MRIs link pedophilia to problems in brain development

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - TORONTO, -- Pedophilia might be the result of faulty connections in the brain, according to new research released by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). The study used MRIs and a sophisticated computer analysis technique to compare a group of pedophiles with a group of non-sexual criminals. The pedophiles had significantly less of a substance called "white matter" which is responsible for wiring the different parts of the brain together.

The study, published in the Journal of Psychiatry Research, challenges the commonly held belief that pedophilia is brought on by childhood trauma or abuse. This finding is the strongest evidence yet that pedophilia is instead the result of a problem in brain development.

Previous research from this team has strongly hinted that the key to understanding pedophilia might be in how the brain develops. Pedophiles have lower IQs, are three times more likely to be left-handed, and even tend to be physically shorter than non-pedophiles.

"There is nothing in this research that says pedophiles shouldn't be held criminally responsible for their actions," said Dr. James Cantor, CAMH Psychologist and lead scientist of the study, "Not being able to choose your sexual interests doesn't mean you can't choose what you do."

This discovery suggests that much more research attention should be paid to how the brain governs sexual interests. Such information could potentially yield strategies for preventing the development of pedophilia.

A total of 127 men participated in the study; approximately equal numbers of pedophiles and non-sexual offenders.

The Kurt Freund Laboratory at CAMH was established in 1968 and remains one of the world's foremost centers for the research and diagnosis of pedophilia and other sexual disorders.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is one of the leading addiction and mental health organizations in North America and Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital. Integrating clinical care, scientific research, education, policy development and health promotion, CAMH transforms the lives of people impacted by mental health and addiction issues.

CAMH is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre, and is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.

www.HealthNewsDigest.com




Top of Page

HealthNewsDigest.com

Research
Latest Headlines


+ Researchers Discover Key Gene for Making Motor Neurons
+ Why Cigarette Smoke Makes Flu, Other Viral Infections Worse
+ Antidepressant Prescriptions Climb by 16 Million
+ Plants Make Vaccine for Treating Type of Cancer
+ Dartmouth Researchers Identify an Important Gene for a Healthy, Nutritious Plant
+ Online Studies Offer New Ways to Take Part in Research
+ Fruit Fly Study Yields a Gene Required for Peaceful Slumber
+ Tobacco Industry Systematically Manipulated Cigarette Menthol Content to Recruit New Smokers Among Adolescents and Young Adults
+ Bullying-Suicide Link Explored in New Study by Researchers at Yale
+ New Center for Protein Therapeutics Formed by UB Pharmaceutical Scientists



Contact Us | Job Listings | Help | Site Map | About Us
Advertising Information | HND Press Release | Submit Information | Disclaimer

Site hosted by Sanchez Productions