Brain weight in completed suicide and other cases of death-comparison of recent and previous studies.
BACKGROUND
The weight of human brains is subject of numerous scientific research studies particularly in anatomy, pathology, and forensic medicine. Just a few investigations deal with a possible correlation between psychiatric disorders, especially suicidality, and brain weight. The results are contradictory.


OBJECTIVE
This study aims to find out if postmortem brain weight is higher in suicide victims considering the discrepancies of previous studies.


METHODS
In a retrospective study, the weight of brains obtained by autopsies performed in the Institute of Legal Medicine in Frankfurt, Germany, was evaluated. Data of 99 suicide cases (64 males, 35 females) were compared with those obtained from similar number cases of sudden death in a matched pair analysis. In each case, body weight, height, and body mass index were also taken into account.


RESULTS
No significant differences in brain weight were found in suicide victims compared to those of the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
The brain weight depends on various parameters such as gender, age, body height, and weight. The selection criteria for suicide cases as well as for the corresponding control population are essential in evaluating the brain weight in suicide.
Institute of Legal Medicine, Goethe University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany, zedler@em.uni-frankfurt.de.
B
B
Zedler
B
B
Flaig
H
H
Ackermann
M
M
Parzeller
H
H
Bratzke
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D002423:Cause of Death; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult