© 2003 BMJ Publishing Group
PAPER
New evidence for an association between the CSF HVA:5-HIAA ratio and psychopathic traits
1 Institute of Clinical Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Gothenburg University, and Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Gothenburg, Sweden
2 Institute of Clinical Neuroscience, Department of Neurology and Neurochemistry, Gothenburg University, Sweden
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr H Soderstrom, Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Box 4024, 422 04 Hisings Backa, Sweden;
henrik.soderstrom{at}rmv.se
Objectives: To replicate the relation between the CSF HVA:5-HIAA ratio and psychopathic traits previously reported in a pilot group of 22 perpetrators of violent crimes.
Methods: CSF monoamine metabolite concentrations in another 28 violent and sexual offenders, aged 45 or below, referred to pretrial forensic psychiatric investigation, were compared to features of psychopathy according to the Psychopathy ChecklistRevised (PCL-R).
Results: Our previous finding was repeated in the new study group, where the HVA:5-HIAA ratio was strongly associated with psychopathic traits (r = 0.50, p = 0.010), particularly its behavioural aspects (r = 0.523, p = 0.004). In subsamples of individuals from both study groups who had no medication (n = 25) or no current axis I disorder, including a history of mood disorder or substance dependence (n = 21), the HVA:5-HIAA ratio remained strongly associated with all psychopathy factors but most closely with the behavioural features. Retrospective assessments of childhood disruptive symptomatology, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or conduct disorder, analysed in relation to the monoamine metabolites, showed the same association with the HVA:5-HIAA ratio.
Conclusions: Violent and aggressive behavioural traits with childhood onset and adult expression as psychopathic features are associated with changed activity in the brain dopaminergic system, possibly as a result of serotonergic dysregulation.
Keywords: monoamine; catecholamine; violence; PCL-R; ADHD; conduct disorder
Abbreviations: 5-HIAA, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid; ADHD, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder; CD, conduct disorder; CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; HVA, homovanillic acid; MHPG, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol; PCL-R, Psychopathy Checklist Revised
![]()
CiteULike
Complore
Connotea
Del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Technorati What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
-
Bolt, D. M., Hare, R. D., Neumann, C. S.
(2007). Score Metric Equivalence of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) Across Criminal Offenders in North America and the United Kingdom: A Critique of Cooke, Michie, Hart, and Clark (2005) and New Analyses. Assessment
14: 44-56
[Abstract] -
Engelborghs, S, Vloeberghs, E, Maertens, K, Marescau, B, De Deyn, P P
(2004). Evidence for an association between the CSF HVA:5-HIAA ratio and aggressiveness in frontotemporal dementia but not in Alzheimer's disease. J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry
75: 1080-1080
[Full Text]
Register for free content
The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.
Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.
