Sexual preference for prepubescent children is associated with enhanced processing of child faces in juveniles

• DOI: 10.1007/s00787-020-01684-4
• Publication Date: 2020-11-24T05:07:26Z
• Authors: Lara Speer; Miriam Schuler; Julian Keil; James K. Moran; Pierre Pantazidis; Till Amelung; Jakob Florack; Klaus M. Beier; Daniel Senkowski
• Keywords: Adult; Male; Sexual behavior; Sexual Behavior; Sex Offenses; 05 social sciences; 610; Neuroimaging; Electroencephalography; Original Contribution; Child sexual abuse; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Humans; Attention; 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences; Child; Attention [MeSH] ; Adult [MeSH] ; Humans [MeSH] ; Original Contribution ; Sexual Behavior [MeSH] ; Sexual behavior ; Electroencephalography [MeSH] ; Electroencephalography ; Neuroimaging ; Male [MeSH] ; Sex Offenses [MeSH] ; Pedophilia ; Event-related potentials ; Child sexual abuse ; Pedophilia [MeSH] ; Child [MeSH]; Pedophilia; 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften::610 Medizin und Gesundheit::610 Medizin und Gesundheit; Event-related potentials

Child sexual abuse offences (CSOs) represent a severe ethical and socioeconomic burden for society. Juveniles with preference prepubescent children (PP) commit large percentage of CSOs, but have been widely neglected in neuroscience research. Aberrant neural responses to face stimuli observed men pedophilic interest. Thus far, it is unknown whether such aberrations exist already PP. A passive face-viewing paradigm, including the presentation child adult faces, was deployed high-density electroencephalography data were recorded. The study group comprised 25 PP control involved 22 juveniles age-adequate preference. Attractiveness ratings evoked brain obtained stimuli. An aberrant pattern attractiveness vs. faces found group. Moreover, elevated occipital P1 amplitudes both groups. At longer latency (340-426 ms), stronger negative deflection which source localized higher visual, parietal frontal regions, specifically Our provides evidence enhanced processing PP, might reflect attention capture depicting members from sexually preferred age This expands our understanding foundations underlying interest promising path uncovering objective biomarkers responsiveness childlike body schemes juveniles.