Cognitive and behavioral processes in perpetrators of pedophilic acts - behavioral and magnetic resonance studies.

The aim of the project is the aim of the research project is to analyze the neurobiological mechanisms related to the control of behavior and the recognition of emotional states by people diagnosed with pedophilia. It is planned to include the perpetrators of pedophilic acts as well as people who did not come into physical contact with the child. The specific objectives of the study are: Identification of neural networks in the central nervous system (CNS) that are related to the recognition of emotional states in adults and children (Reading Mind in the Eyes Test test, RMET) and to assess whether the processes of recognizing emotions are related to the type of sexual intercourse preferences in the surveyed people. Assessment of the relationship between the type of sexual preferences and the activity of the CNS during tests assessing the ability to inhibit the reaction (Stop-Signal Task, Affective Go/No-go test). Analysis of the neurobiological correlates of the cognitive processes involved in performing the Sexual Preference Implicit Association Test. We hypothesize that during the performance of the above-mentioned tests, the activity of the central nervous system in people diagnosed with pedophilia will be significantly different from the activity of the CNS observed in people from the control groups. The expected results, comparing the four groups selected for different sexual preferences and the ability to control one's own behavior and recognize emotional states, may constitute a significant step forward in understanding complex mechanisms of behavior control and emotional processing. Abnormalities of the above-mentioned processes play an important role in many mental disorders, however, a comprehensive description of these phenomena may also have an extremely valuable cognitive meaning for the entire population. The results of this project may lay the foundations for a novel model of the neurobiological determinants of pedophilia, which could become the basis for inspiring theoretical concepts regarding the etiology of sexual crimes. These results may also help to create new therapeutic programs for perpetrators of pedophilic acts, which seems to be extremely important in the context of the results of meta-analyzes indicating the surprisingly low effectiveness of the currently proposed interventions.