EEG and brainstem auditory evoked potentials in brain-injured patients with rage attacks and self-injurious behavior

Attacks of rage and self-injurious behavior are often encountered in brain-injured individuals. Clinical and experimental evidence suggests that brainstem centers may be involved in such behavior. We compared brainstem auditory evoked potentials in 10 normal controls, 10 patients with rage attacks, and 10 individuals with self-injurious behavior. The two patient groups had significantly longer group means for I-V and III-V interpeak latencies than controls. EEGs showed no specific features within or between the two groups. The findings suggest that the EEG may add little to the evaluation of such patients, except of course evidence of epilepsy or encephalopathy, while BAEPs may be a useful tool in the study of rage or self-injurious behaviors, in which brainstem centers may play an important role, possibly through abnormal or diminished reticular formation output.