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Criminal Behavior in Frontotemporal Dementia: A Multimodal MRI Study
Karsten Mueller, Nico Scherf, Timo Grimmer, Janine Diehl‐Schmid, Adrian Danek, Johannes Levin, Jens Wiltfang, Sarah Anderl‐Straub et al.. Human Brain Mapping, 2025-08-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Recent work suggests that impairment in emotional processing, along with disinhibition, constitutes the necessary elements for CB in bvFTD. On a behavioral level, CB in bvFTD was associated with a higher frequency of disinhibition, lower frequency of apathy, and better performance in verbal fluency. Investigating functional MRI data, CB was associated with significant functional brain dysconnectivity, particularly between the left anterior superior temporal gyrus and widely distributed cortical regions, including areas in the vicinity of the precentral sulcus and the inferior frontal junction, related to executive functions. Our study revealed structural and functional brain differences between bvFTD with and without CB, showing CB-related reduced GMD and cortical thickness in the left temporal lobe, indicating disinhibition as the main driver for CB.
Key findings
- Recent work suggests that impairment in emotional processing, along with disinhibition, constitutes the necessary elements for CB in bvFTD.
- On a behavioral level, CB in bvFTD was associated with a higher frequency of disinhibition, lower frequency of apathy, and better performance in verbal fluency.
- Investigating functional MRI data, CB was associated with significant functional brain dysconnectivity, particularly between the left anterior superior temporal gyrus and widely distributed cortical regions, including areas in the vicinity of the precentral sulcus and the inferior frontal junction, related to executive functions.
- Our study revealed structural and functional brain differences between bvFTD with and without CB, showing CB-related reduced GMD and cortical thickness in the left temporal lobe, indicating disinhibition as the main driver for CB.
Why it matters
This imaging study found structural and functional brain differences between behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia patients with and without criminal behavior, indicating disinhibition as the main driver. It addresses understanding of behavior and brain changes, not treatment, cure or prevention.
Study details
- Participants87
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 45/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Human Brain Mapping) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Human Brain Mapping: journal h-index 271 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 87 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 3 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 1.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 3 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Matthias Leopold Schroeter: h-index 71 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München: institution h-index 1,224 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 8 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40785170) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 45 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Mueller, K., Scherf, N., Grimmer, T., Diehl‐Schmid, J., Danek, A., Levin, J., et al. (2025). Criminal Behavior in Frontotemporal Dementia: A Multimodal MRI Study. Human Brain Mapping. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.70308
Vancouver
Mueller K, Scherf N, Grimmer T, Diehl‐Schmid J, Danek A, Levin J, et al. Criminal Behavior in Frontotemporal Dementia: A Multimodal MRI Study. Human Brain Mapping. 2025. doi:10.1002/hbm.70308. PMID: 40785170.
BibTeX
@article{mueller2025-40785170,
author = {Mueller, Karsten and Scherf, Nico and Grimmer, Timo and Diehl‐Schmid, Janine and Danek, Adrian and Levin, Johannes and Wiltfang, Jens and Anderl‐Straub, Sarah and others},
title = {{Criminal Behavior in Frontotemporal Dementia: A Multimodal MRI Study}},
journal = {Human Brain Mapping},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1002/hbm.70308},
pmid = {40785170},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.70308}
}
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