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	Pedophiles 'Programmed,' Study Finds Toronto Researchers Discover Stunted Wiring between Regions Responsible for Sexual Response By Joseph Hall Toronto Star November 29, 2007 http://www.thestar.com/News/article/280943 Toronto researchers have found the strongest evidence yet that pedophiles are biologically programmed to desire young children. Long thought to be an aberration born of childhood head injuries or psychological abuse, pedophilia is actually rooted in significant brain differences that likely exist at birth, a new study out of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health suggests. "We've previously had very strong hints that (pedophile) brains were formed differently," says centre psychologist James Cantor, the lead study author. "This is by far the most direct evidence that shows the brain is structured differently in pedophiles." Earlier centre studies have shown pedophiles generally have lower IQs, are far more likely to be left-handed and are shorter on average than people who are sexually attracted to adults. But the new paper, released this week in the Journal of Psychiatry Research, says the wiring that connects the brain regions responsible for sexual response is actually substantially thinner in pedophiles. Cantor says it's too early to tell if the cluster of differences has a genetic cause or developed during fetal growth or early infancy. Through magnetic resonance imaging of 127 men, half of whom were convicted pedophiles, the latest research showed the so-called "white matter" or connective wiring between key parts is far less voluminous in a pedophile's brain. "One of the parts of the brain that didn't develop normally in these people is the part that seems to be related to identifying sexual partners," Cantor says. The brain's "white matter" consists of axon wiring that connects "grey matter" neuron cells. These axons usually travel in fat-wrapped bundles – like tiny coaxial cables – with a whitish hue. In pedophiles, the bundles running between brain regions identified as centres of sexual preference are much reduced in size, he says. Cantor says it's not known why this wiring flaw might prompt pedophiliac desires, or what stunts the white matter growth. While innate brain differences might explain a pedophile's sexual desires, they cannot excuse acting on them, he says. Just as a heterosexual man can't succumb to his urges and commit rape, a pedophile is responsible to obey the law, he says. About half a dozen areas have been identified, through imaging, as centres of sexual stimulus, generally distributed in two major brain regions. One is the temporal lobes, tucked behind the ears, which help control memory storage and facial and object recognition. The other cluster is in the parietal areas in the back that are involved in co-ordination of vision with actions.
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