Brain Alterations in Idiopathic Pedophilia: a Meta-analysis of Neuroimaging Studies

Pedophilia is a psychiatric disorder in which sexual acts or fantasies are the persistently preferred of exclusive method of achieving sexual excitement. Even if the prevalence of pedophilia is not very high, this disorder is of great public concern because it often includes child sexual abuses. Many studies have reported that people with pedophilia are often found in engaging in self-justifying cognitive distortions, including the beliefs that children will benefit from sexual contact with adults, and that children often initiate such contact. Past studies have revealed that pedophilia is strictly related to specific areas of the brain which are altered with the onset of this disorder. Neuroimaging studies have found reduced grey matter and white matter in areas of the brain involved in sexual arousal. In the study proposed, we will only consider idiopathic pedophilia. Using two main techniques, namely a review literature and a meta-analysis, the aim of the study is to highlight brain alterations involved in idiopathic pedophilia as well as identifying brain areas associated with the onset of the paraphilic disorder. In order to have significant findings the differences between the various controls groups are necessary and this was a big part of the research conducted.