Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

CSF studies in violent offenders. I. 5-HIAA as a negative and HVA as a positive predictor of psychopathy

Anckarsäter, Henrik LU ; Blennow, Kaj LU ; Manhem, A. and Forsman, A (2001) In Journal of Neural Transmission 108(7). p.869-878
Abstract
Low serotonin activity in man has been related to impulsive, self-destructive violence but not to instrumental aggression aimed at dominance. A relationship has also been suggested between aggression and high catecholaminergic activity. Several studies have reported signs of aberrant dopaminergic function in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and schizophrenia. In 22 violent offenders undergoing pretrial forensic psychiatric investigation, interpersonal and behavioral features of psychopathy, measured by the Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R), were significantly predicted by low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of 5-HIAA and high CSF concentrations of HVA in multivariate regression models. CSF concentrations of... (More)
Low serotonin activity in man has been related to impulsive, self-destructive violence but not to instrumental aggression aimed at dominance. A relationship has also been suggested between aggression and high catecholaminergic activity. Several studies have reported signs of aberrant dopaminergic function in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and schizophrenia. In 22 violent offenders undergoing pretrial forensic psychiatric investigation, interpersonal and behavioral features of psychopathy, measured by the Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R), were significantly predicted by low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of 5-HIAA and high CSF concentrations of HVA in multivariate regression models. CSF concentrations of MHPG did not contribute to the model. This seems to link the outward-directed aggression of psychopathy to serotonergic hypofunctioning and high dopamine turnover, which might account for disinhibition of destructive impulses. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Aggression, violence, psychopathy, serotonin, dopamine
in
Journal of Neural Transmission
volume
108
issue
7
pages
869 - 878
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • pmid:11515752
  • scopus:0034927718
  • pmid:11515752
ISSN
0300-9564
DOI
10.1007/s007020170036
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
e90b2c78-35ae-495e-829f-5217f3445975 (old id 1120703)
alternative location
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs007020170036
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11515752
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:50:05
date last changed
2022-01-28 22:28:37
@article{e90b2c78-35ae-495e-829f-5217f3445975,
  abstract     = {{Low serotonin activity in man has been related to impulsive, self-destructive violence but not to instrumental aggression aimed at dominance. A relationship has also been suggested between aggression and high catecholaminergic activity. Several studies have reported signs of aberrant dopaminergic function in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and schizophrenia. In 22 violent offenders undergoing pretrial forensic psychiatric investigation, interpersonal and behavioral features of psychopathy, measured by the Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R), were significantly predicted by low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of 5-HIAA and high CSF concentrations of HVA in multivariate regression models. CSF concentrations of MHPG did not contribute to the model. This seems to link the outward-directed aggression of psychopathy to serotonergic hypofunctioning and high dopamine turnover, which might account for disinhibition of destructive impulses.}},
  author       = {{Anckarsäter, Henrik and Blennow, Kaj and Manhem, A. and Forsman, A}},
  issn         = {{0300-9564}},
  keywords     = {{Aggression; violence; psychopathy; serotonin; dopamine}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{7}},
  pages        = {{869--878}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Journal of Neural Transmission}},
  title        = {{CSF studies in violent offenders. I. 5-HIAA as a negative and HVA as a positive predictor of psychopathy}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s007020170036}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s007020170036}},
  volume       = {{108}},
  year         = {{2001}},
}