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Source-based morphometry reveals gray matter differences related to suicidal behavior in criminal offenders
Carla L Harenski1, Keith A Harenski2, Vince D Calhoun2,3
1The Mind Research Network and Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute, 1101 Yale Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87106, USA. charenski@mrn.org.
Brain Imaging and Behavior
|September 15, 2018
Summary
Criminal offenders show higher suicide risk. This study found reduced gray matter in brain regions (posterior cingulate, dorsal prefrontal cortex, amygdala) in offenders with past suicide attempts, indicating a potential neurobiological marker for suicidal behavior.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Forensic Psychology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Criminal offenders exhibit elevated suicide rates compared to the general population.
- Neurobiological correlates of suicidal behavior are established in the general population but underexplored in offender cohorts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between brain morphology and suicidal behavior in adult male criminal offenders.
- To identify potential neurobiological markers for suicidal vulnerability within this population.
Main Methods:
- Utilized voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and source-based morphometry (SBM) to analyze brain morphology.
- Compared brain gray matter in offenders with and without a history of suicide attempts, and with non-offenders.
Main Results:
- Offenders with prior suicide attempts showed reduced gray matter in a network including the posterior cingulate, dorsal prefrontal cortex, and amygdala.
- Source-based morphometry (SBM) findings were significant and independent of other suicide risk factors like depression.
- Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) yielded similar but less robust results.
Conclusions:
- Reduced gray matter in specific brain regions may serve as a neurobiological marker for suicidal behavior vulnerability in criminal offenders.
- Multivariate methods like SBM are effective for analyzing gray matter differences in relation to behavior.
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