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Homicide, suicide and CSF 5‐HIAA
Author(s) -
Lidberg L.,
Tuck J. R.,
Åsberg M.,
ScaliaTomba G. P.,
Bertilsson L.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1985.tb01279.x
Subject(s) - homovanillic acid , homicide , serotonin , metabolite , poison control , psychology , endocrinology , medicine , cerebrospinal fluid , suicide prevention , psychiatry , medical emergency , receptor
ABSTRACT– Concentrations of 5‐hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5‐HIAA), homovanillic acid (HVA), and 4‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxyphenyl glycol (HMPG) in lumbar spinal fluid were measured by mass fragmentography in 16 men convicted for criminal homicide, 22 men who had attempted suicide, and 39 healthy male control subjects. Those men who had killed a sexual partner, and those who had attempted suicide, had lower levels of the serotonin metabolite, 5‐HIAA in spinal fluid than the controls. It is suggested that low levels of 5‐HIAA in spinal fluid reflect a disorder of serotonin turnover, which makes the individual more prone to acts of violence in states of emotional turmoil.