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Causes Researchers are still unsure what causes low emotional arousal. Researchers have proposed three theories that could account for the low emotional arousal. The first theory, stresses that emotional arousal is highly genetic. Secondly, some with low emotional arousal show underarousal of the hypothalamus pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The HPA is responsible for the body's stress response. Because there is thought to be underarousal of the HPA axis, studies have shown that the this causes reduced secretion of epinephrine and cortisol. These two hormones are responsible for the physiological response to a threat. Third, low emotion arousal often elicits hypoactivity of the amygdala. The amygdala in the brain is part of the limbic system, and is responsible for processing and regulating emotions. This could possibly explain as to why those suffering from low arousal often lack empathy as well as emotional reactivity to other people.

Antisocial Personality Disorder This disorder is characterized by repeated deceitfulness,impulsivity, irritability, and aggressiveness since 15 years old. Persons diagnosed with this disorder In addition, those who develop this disorder often score low on fear conditioning. The lack of the empathy associated with APSD is thought to be linked to the low arousal theory. A study conducted showed that people diagnosed with APSD showed less physiological arousal to pictures of people crying than people who were not. It should also be noted that ADHD is often a precursor for APSD. ADHD often co-occurs with conduct disorders 30-50% of the time; this can lead to the development of aggressive behavior which projects a higher likelihood of a person developing APSD.