U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Neuropsychology and Neurology of Sexual Deviance: A Review and Pilot Study

NCJ Number
219749
Journal
Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2007 Pages: 155-173
Author(s)
Christian C. Joyal; Deborah N. Black; Benoit Dassylva
Date Published
June 2007
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the data related to the hypothesis that sexual deviance is related to frontal and/or temporal lobe damage and gathers neuropsychological data from subgroups of sexual offenders.
Abstract
Results from the review of neuropsychiatry, neuroimaging, and neuropsychological research indicate that although fronto-temporal lobe dysfunctions may be sporadically reported among sex offenders, the evidence regarding its impact on sexual offending is scarce and there is no evidence to conclude that this type of neurological dysfunction is specific to this type of offender. The preliminary analysis of the neuropsychological data that was gathered from subgroups of sexual offenders indicated: (1) lower-order executive dysfunctions; (2) verbal deficits with intact or good capabilities for higher-order executive functioning; and (3) preferential visuo-spatial processing, suggesting basal fronto-temporal anomalies. Pedophiles emerged as more consistently and severely impaired than offenders who raped adults. The authors point out that the basal fronto-temporal anomaly is not a characteristic of sexual deviance because it was found in association with delinquency and criminality in general. Participants were 20 male patients referred from regional penitentiaries for treatment at a forensic psychiatric hospital. Offenders were evaluated using the Weschler Adult Intelligence Scales-III and a series of classic neuropsychological tasks sensitive to fronto-temporal anomalies or posterior damage. Data were statistically analyzed. Future research on neuropsychology and brain imaging should include different subgroups of offenders in order to gain a greater understanding of the relationship between brain anomalies and sexual deviance. Table, references

Downloads

No download available

Availability