Is paedophilia an illness? Brains are wired differently in offenders, study claims
- Analysis of MRI scans found that the brains of paedophiles are wired abnormally compared to heterosexuals
- The regions of a healthy adult brain that register a sexual response are triggered by a paedophile seeing a child’s face
- The area responsible for receiving information from the eyes was triggered, according to experts from Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel, Germany
- Research could mean that paedophilia could be diagnosed using children’s faces, overcoming ethical concerns about showing people naked pictures
Paedophiles have differences in their brain that make them sexually attracted to children, according to new research.
An analysis of MRI scans found they are wired abnormally compared to heterosexuals, adding to a growing body of evidence that claims paedophilia is an illness.
The same regions of a healthy adult brain that register a sexual response are triggered by a paedophile seeing a child’s face, according to a new study.
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An analysis of MRI scans found that the brains of paedophiles are wired abnormally compared to heterosexuals. The reserach could be sued to diagnose paedophilia using children's faces - even to anticipate attacks. Jimmy Saville is pictured
The research could mean that paedophilia could be diagnosed using children’s faces, overcoming ethical concerns about showing them naked pictures of youngsters under the age of consent.
An experiment conducted by the Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel, Germany revealed that in a healthy control group, adult faces activated brain parts known to be involved in sexual processing.
And the same regions were triggered then the paedophiles looked at children’s faces.
These included the occipital area responsible for receiving visual information from the eyes, the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex which is unique to humans, the putamen that controls sexual arousal and the caudate nucleus where emotional feelings assemble.
A total of 56 people - 24 of whom were paedophiles – observed faces of adults and children while undergoing magnetic resonance imaging, after which they were asked to rate the people’s attractiveness.

A previous study by the University of Toronto, Canada, discovered 'huge differences' in the white matter of paedophiles' brains when compared to those of typical men. A cross section of a typical human brain, is pictured where the grey matter is stained blue
Among all the participants, the same network was activated by a sexually preferred face.
But the ‘main difference in paedophiles is that network is abnormally tuned to sexual immaturity,’ the researchers said in the study published in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters .
‘In paedophilia, sexual attraction is directed to sexually immature children,’ Dr Jorge Ponseti, of the university said.
‘Therefore, we hypothesised brain networks that normally are tuned to mature faces of the preferred gender show an abnormal tuning to sexual immature faces in paedophilia.
‘In individuals attracted to adults, adult faces activated several brain regions significantly more than child faces.
‘These brain regions comprised areas known to be implicated in face processing and sexual processing, including occipital areas, the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, and the putamen and caudate nucleus.’
‘The same regions were activated in paedophiles, but with a reversed preferential response pattern.’
Previous research has shown people who are sexually drawn to children are more likely to be left handed, less intelligent and shorter than average men.
Huge differences have also been found in the white matter of paedophiles’ brains, compared to typical men’s. Paedophiles tend to be between 10 and 15 IQ points lower than average.

In another study, clinical psychologist James Cantor, (pictured) studied MRI scans to look at the brains of paedophiles and believes that there is a literal 'cross wiring' of paedophiles' sexual response system and parental, nurturing system, in their brains
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