Dr Stephane De Brito BSc, MPhil, PhD

Contact details

Telephone: +44 (0)121 414 2641
Email: s.a.debrito@bham.ac.uk

Address: University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Dr De Brito is a psychologist and director of the Social, Cognitive, Affective, and Neuroscience (SCAN) lab. Research in the SCAN lab focuses on understanding the mechanistic interplay between the social, cognitive, affective, and neurocognitive factors implicated in the development and persistence of antisocial and aggressive behaviour. A second strand of research examines those aspects among youths who have experienced early adversity.

SCAN Lab: www.bhamscanlab.wordpress.com

Staff details
Media information

Qualifications

BSc. (Hons) Psychology, University of Geneva (1999-2003)

M.Phil. Criminology, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge (2003-2004)

Ph.D. Forensic Mental Health Science, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London (2005-2009)

Biography

Dr De Brito completed undergraduate studies in Psychology in Switzerland (University of Geneva), followed by a move to the United Kingdom to read for a MPhil in Criminology (University of Cambridge) and a PhD in Forensic Mental Health Science (King’s College London). Before moving to the University of Birmingham as a Birmingham Fellow in March 2012, Dr De Brito was a Post-doctoral Research Associate in the Developmental Risk and Resilience Unit in the Department of Psychology at University College London.

Postgraduate supervision

PhD students

Dr De Brito considers PhD student applications on a rolling basis. Students interested in working on topics related to his research and with a competitive academic track record should email him in the first instance. For information regarding the PhD application process see the 'how to apply' section of the Psychology PhD programme.

Postdoctoral researchers

Dr De Brito is also looking for good postdoctoral researchers, particularly those interested in applying to the Marie Curie Actions Fellowships, which offer two years of funding for European and Non-European post-docs.

If you are interested in joining the lab, please visit our lab website: www.bhamscanlab.wordpress.com

Research

ResearchGate: http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stephane_De_Brito/

Google Scholar: http://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=LtoxlHMAAAAJ&hl=en

ResearcherID: F-9737-2013

Scopus Author ID: 26657895200

Lab website: www.bhamscanlab.wordpress.com

Current project: www.femnat-cd.eu
Dr De Brito’s current research funded by the European Commission is focusing on the environmental and neurobiological factors implicated in sex differences in disruptive behaviour in children and adolescents. This research uses diagnostic interviews, neuropsychological and neuroendocrine experiments, and magnetic resonance imaging on over 1800 children and adolescents across seven European countries to examine why disruptive behaviour is more common in males than females.

A second strand of his research interests is to better understand patterns of resilience and vulnerability in children and adults who have experienced early adversity. The goals are to clarify why some individuals who have experienced early adversity show resilience while others do not, whether individuals who have experienced early adversity process emotions differently, and whether structural and functional neural markers of resilience can be identified.

Publications

2017

Sebastian, C. L., McCrory, E. J., De Brito, S. A., & Viding, E. (2017). Modulation of amygdala response to task-irrelevant emotion. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 12(4), 643-650. doi:10.1093/scan/nsw174

2016

Rogers, J. C., & De Brito, S. A. (2016). Cortical and subcortical gray matter volume in youths with conduct problems: A meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry, 73(1), 64-72. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.2423.

Sebastian, C. L.*, De Brito, S. A.*, McCrory, E. J., Hyde, Z. H., Lockwood, P. L., Cecil, C. A. M., & Viding, E. (2016). Grey matter volumes in children with conduct problems and varying levels of callous-unemotional traits. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 44(4), 639-649. doi:10.1007/s10802-015-0073-0 * Equal contribution

2015

Baker, R. H., Clanton, R. L., Rogers, J. C., & De Brito, S. A. (2015). Neuroimaging findings in disruptive behavior disorders. CNS Spectrums. doi: 10.1017/S1092852914000789

Villemonteix, T., De Brito, S. A., Slama, H., Kavec, M., Baleriaux, D., Metens, T.. . ., & Massat, I. (2015). Grey matter volume differences associated with gender in children with attention-deficit : hyperactivity disorder- a voxel-based morphometry study. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 14, 32-37. doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2015.06.001

Villemonteix, T., De Brito, S. A., Slama, H., Kavec, M., Baleriaux, D., Metens, T., Baijot, S., Mary, A., Mendlewicz, J., Peigneux, P., & Massat, I. (2015).Grey matter volumes in treatment naïve vs. chronically treated children with attention-deficit:hyperactivity disorder- a voxel-based morphometry study. 25(8), 1118-1127. European Neuropsychopharmacology. doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2015.04.015

Villemonteix, T., De Brito, S. A., Slama, H., Kavec, M., Baleriaux, D., Metens, T., . . ., & Massat, I. (2015). Structural correlates of COMT Val158Met polymorphism in childhood ADHD: a voxel-based morphometry study. World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, 16(3), 190-199.doi : 10.3109/15622975.2014.984629

2014

Sebastian, C. L., McCrory, E. J., Dadds, M. R., Cecil, C. A. M., Lockwood, P. L., Hyde, Z. H., De Brito, S. A., & Viding, E. (2014). Neural responses to fearful eyes in children with conduct problems and varying levels of callous–unemotional traits. Psychological Medicine, 1-11. doi: doi:10.1017/S0033291713000482

2013

De Brito, S. A., Viding, E., Sebastian, C. L., Kelly, P. A., Mechelli, A., Maris, H., & McCrory, E. J. (2013). Reduced orbitofrontal and temporal grey matter in a community sample of maltreated children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 54(1). doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2012.02597.x

De Brito, S. A., Viding, E., Kumari, V., Blackwood, N., Hodgins, S. (2013). Cool and hot executive function impairments in violent offenders with antisocial personality disorder with and without psychopathy. PLOS ONE,8(6):e65566. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0065566

Cullen, A. E., De Brito, S. A., Gregory, S. L., Murray, R. M., Williams, S. C. R., Hodgins, S., & Laurens, K. R. (2013). Temporal lobe volume abnormalities precede the prodrome- A study of children presenting antecedents of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbs128

McCrory, E. J., De Brito, S. A., Kelly, P. A., Bird, G., Sebastian, C. L., Mechelli, A., Samuel, S., & Viding, E. (2013). Amygdala activation in maltreated children during pre-attentive emotional processing. British Journal of Psychiatry, 202(4), 269-276. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.112.116624

Lockwood, P. L., Sebastian, C. L., McCrory, E. J., Hyde, Z. H., Gu, X., De Brito, S. A., & Viding, E. (2013). Association of callous traits with reduced neural response to others' pain in children with conduct problems.Current Biology, 23(10), 901-905. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.04.018

Kelly, P. A., Viding, E., Wallace, G. L., Schaer, M., De Brito, S. A., Robustelli, B., & McCrory, E. J. (2013). Cortical thickness, surface area and gyrification abnormalities in children exposed to maltreatment- Neural markers of vulnerability? Biological Psychiatry, 74(11), 845-52. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.06.020.

2012

McCrory, E, De Brito, S. A., & Viding, E.(2012). The link between child abuse and psychopathology- A review of neurobiological and genetic research. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 105(4), 151-156. doi: 10.1258/jrsm.2011.110222

Sebastian, C. L., McCrory, E. J. P., Cecil, C. A. M., Lockwood, P. L., De Brito, S. A., Fontaine, N. M. G., & Viding, E. (2012). Neural responses to affective and cognitive theory of mind in children with conduct problems and varying levels of callous-unemotional traits. Archives of General Psychiatry, 69(8), 814-822. doi: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.2070

Sebastian, C. L., Fontaine, N. M. G., Bird, G., Blakemore, S., De Brito, S. A., McCrory, E. J. P., & Viding, E. (2012). Neural processing associated with cognitive and affective theory of mind in adolescents and adults.Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 7(1), 53-63. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsr023

Viding, E., Sebastian, C. L., Dadds, M. R., Lockwood, P. L., Cecil, C. A. M., De Brito, S. A., & McCrory, E. J. (2012). Amygdala response to preattentive masked fear in children with conduct problems- The role of callous-unemotional traits. American Journal of Psychiatry, 169(10), 1109-1116. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2012.12020191

2011

McCrory, E. J.*, De Brito, S. A.*, Sebastian, C. L., Mechelli, A., Bird, G., Kelly, P. A., et al. (2011).Heightened neural reactivity to threat in child victims of family violence. Current Biology, 21(23), R947-R948. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2011.10.015 *Equal contribution

De Brito, S. A., McCrory, E., Mechelli, A., Wilke, M., Jones, A., Hodgins, S., & Viding, E. (2011). Small, but not perfectly formed- Decreased white matter concentration in boys with psychopathic tendencies. Molecular Psychiatry, 16, 476-477. doi:10.1038/mp.2010.74

McCrory, E, De Brito, S. A., & Viding, E. (2011). The impact of childhood maltreatment- A review of neurobiological and genetic factors. Frontiers in Child and Neurodevelopmental Psychiatry. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2011.00048

Günther, T., Konrad, K., De Brito, S. A., Herpertz-Dahlmann, B., & Vloet, T. D. (2011). Attentional functions in children and adolescents with ADHD, depressive disorders, and the comorbid condition. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 52(3), 324-331. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02320.x

Cooke, D., Michie, C., De Brito, S. A., Hodgins, S., & Sparkes, L. (2011). Measuring life-long patterns of instrumental aggression- A methodological note.Psychology Crime & Law, 17(4), 319-329. doi: 10.1080/10683160903203953

2010

McCrory, E., De Brito, S. A., & Viding, E. (2010). The neurobiology and genetics of maltreatment and adversity.Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 51(10), 1079-1095. . DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02271.x

Rijsdijk, F.V., Viding, E., De Brito, S. A., Forgiarini, M., Mechelli, A., Jones, A.P., McCrory, E. (2010). Heritable variations in gray matter concentration as a potential endophenotype for psychopathic traits. Archives of General Psychiatry, 67, 406-413. DOI: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.20

Hodgins, S., De Brito, S. A., Chhabra, P., & Côté, G. (2010). Anxiety disorders among offenders with antisocial personality disorders- Different mechanisms underlying violent behaviour.Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 55(12), 815-827.

2009

De Brito, S. A., Mechelli, A., Wilke, M., Laurens, K. R., Jones, A. P., Barker, G. J., Hodgins, S. & Viding, E. (2009). Size matters- Increased grey matter in boys with conduct problems and callous-unemotional traits. Brain, 132(4), 843-852. DOI: 10.1093/brain/awp011

– This paper was featured in the scientific commentary in Brain: Blair, R. J. R. (2009). Too much of a good thing- Increased grey matter in boys with conduct problems and callous-unemotional traits. Brain, 132(4), 831-832. DOI: 10.1093/brain/awp051

De Brito, S. A., & Viding, E. (2009). Psychopathic, but not thick: Temporal and prefrontal gray matter thinning in psychopaths. Invited commentary. Cell Science Reviews, 6(1), 31-34. No link available

De Brito, S. A., Hodgins, S., McCrory, E. J. P., Mechelli, A.,Wilke, M., Jones, A. P., & Viding, E. (2009). Structural neuroimaging and the antisocial brain- Main findings and methodological challenges. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 36(11), 1173-1186. DOI: 10.1177/0093854809342883

Hodgins, S., De Brito, S. A., Simonoff, E., Vloet, T.,& Viding,E. (2009). Getting the phenotypes right- An essential ingredient for understanding aetiological mechanisms underlying persistent violence and developing effective treatments. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 3(44), 1-10. DOI: 10.3389/neuro.08.044.2009

Mechelli, A., Tognin, S., McGuire, P. K., Prata, D., Sartori, G., Fusar-Poli, P., De Brito S. A., Hariri A. R., & Viding E. (2009). Genetic vulnerability to affective psychopathology in childhood- A combined voxel-based morphometry and functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Biological Psychiatry, 66(3), 231-237. DOI:10.1016/j.biopsych.2009.01.033

De Brito, S. A., & Hodgins, S. (2009). Die Antisoziale Persönlichkeitsstörung des DSM-IV-TR - befunde, untergruppen und unterschiede zur Psychopathy. Forensische Psychiatrie, Psychologie, Kriminologie, 3(2), 116-128. DOI: 10.1007/s11757-009-0124-x German translation of the book chapter: De Brito, S. A. & Hodgins, S. (2009). Antisocial Personality. In M. McMurran & R. Howard (Eds.).

Book chapters

Clanton. R. L., Baker, R. H., Rogers, J. C., & De Brito, S. A. (forthcoming). Conduct Disorder. In S. Goldstein & M. DeVries (Eds.), Handbook of DSM-5 Disorders in Children and Adolescents: Springer.

De Brito S.A. & Mitchell, I. J. (forthcoming). Psychopathy. In A. R. Beech, A. J. Carter, R. E. Mann & P. Rotshtein (Eds.), The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Forensic Neuroscience: John Wiley & Sons Ltd/Inc.

Hodgins, S., Checknita, D., Lindner, P., Schiffer, B., & De Brito, S. A. (forthcoming). Antisocial Personality Disorder. In A. R. Beech, A. J. Carter, R. E. Mann & P. Rotshtein (Eds.), The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Forensic Neuroscience: John Wiley & Sons Ltd/Inc.

McCrory, E, De Brito, S. A., & Viding, E. (2011). The neuroscience and genetics of childhood maltreatment. In D. Skuse, H. Bruce, L. Dowdney, & D. Mrazek (Eds) Child Psychology and Psychiatry: Frameworks for Practice: Wiley. doi: 10.1002/9781119993971.ch20

De Brito, S. A. & Hodgins, S. (2009). Antisocial Personality. In M. McMurran & R. Howard (Eds.), Personality, Personality Disorder, and Risk of Violence: Wiley. ISBN: 978-0-470-05948-7

De Brito, S. A. & Hodgins, S. (2009). Executive functions of persistent violent offenders: A critical review of the literature. In S. Hodgins, E. Viding & A. Plodowski (Eds.), Persistent violent offenders: Neurobiology and rehabilitation. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780199543533

Hodgins, S. & De Brito, S. A. (2009). Damaged development and the propensity to criminal behaviour. In B. Kamaldeep (Ed.) Psychiatry and Crime. Royal Society of Medicine Press. ISBN: 978-1-85315-883-4

View all publications in research portal

Expertise

Violence and severe antisocial behaviour in children (e.g., conduct disorder, callous-unemotional traits/psychopathic tendencies) and adults (e.g., antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy) using cognitive neuroscience methods (e.g., brain imaging and neurocognitive assessments).

Impact of childhood maltreatment on brain structure and functioning; individual and environmental factors contributing to resilience.