Quantitative electroencephalographic measures in homicidal men with antisocial personality disorder.
Many symptoms of antisocial personality disorder have been proposed to be related to decreased daytime vigilance. To explore this hypothesis, quantitative analyses were conducted of the electroencephalographic (EEG) activity of drug-free and detoxified homicidal male offenders with antisocial personality disorder as the primary diagnosis. Subjects comprised 16 men recruited from a forensic psychiatric examination in a special ward of a university psychiatric hospital. Fifteen healthy age- and gender-matched controls with no criminal record or history of physical violence consisted of hospital staff and students. An overall reduction of alpha power was observed in the waking EEG of offenders. A bilateral increase in occipital delta and theta power was also found in these individuals. This study provides further support to the growing evidence of brain dysfunction in severe aggressive behavior. Homicidal offenders with antisocial personality disorder seem to have difficulties in maintaining normal daytime arousal. Decreased vigilance, together with social and psychological variables, may explain their aberrant behavior in everyday life. New studies are, however, needed to specify the vigilance problems of this patient group.
Lindberg
Nina
N
Institute of Clinical Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Helsinki, Lapinlahti Hospital, Lapinlahdentie, P.O. Box 320, 00029 HUS, Helsinki, Finland. nina.lindberg@pp3.inet.fi
Tani
Pekka
P
Virkkunen
Matti
M
Porkka-Heiskanen
Tarja
T
Appelberg
Björn
B
Naukkarinen
Hannu
H
Salmi
Tapani
T
D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D000513:Alpha Rhythm; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003700:Delta Rhythm; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry / Q000379:methods; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006708:Homicide; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013826:Theta Rhythm; D014851:Wakefulness