Electroencephalography, computed tomography and violence ratings of male patients in a maximum-security mental hospital.
A retrospective study of brain investigations of 372 male patients in a maximum-security mental hospital patients is described. All computed tomography (CT) scan and electroencephalography (EEG) reports were collected and rated blind; patients were subsequently divided into 3 groups according to the violence rating of their pre-admission offending behaviour. The 3 groups were similar in their mean age, psychiatric diagnosis, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale score and proportions of patients investigated with EEG and CT. In the most violent group, 20% had focal temporal electrical abnormalities on EEG (slowing and/or sharp waves) and 41% had structural abnormalities localised to temporal lobe on CT (dilated temporal horn and/or reduced size of temporal lobe). The corresponding figures for the least violent group are 2.4% and 6.7% respectively. These results suggest that high violence rating scores are associated with temporal lobe abnormalities on CT and abnormal temporal electrical discharges on EEG.
Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, London, United Kingdom.
M T
MT
Wong
J
J
Lumsden
G W
GW
Fenton
P B
PB
Fenwick
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012637:Security Measures; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014754:Violence