Low cerebrospinal fluid 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentration differentiates impulsive from nonimpulsive violent behavior

Deficits in Impulse Control Associated with Tonically-elevated Serotonergic Function in Rat Prefrontal Cortex

“…The positive relationship between elevated 5-HT release and loss of impulse control was evident despite time of sampling, either before or during task performance, suggesting that this may be a deficit linked to the tonic regulation of 5-HT release. Previous studies have strongly implicated serotonergic influences on impulsivity (Soubrié 1986, Stein et al 1993Harrison et al 1997a;Puumala and Sirviö 1998;Evenden 1999b;Fairbanks et al 2001), particularly when associated with aggression (Brown et al 1982;Linnoila et al 1983;Van Erp and Miczek 2000). Many of these reports have linked impulsive tendencies with a deficiency in 5-HT function.…”

“…There is now a substantial body of evidence implicating impaired functioning of brain serotonergic systems in impulsive behavior (Linnoila et al 1983;Harrison et al 1997a;Puumala and Sirviö 1998;Evenden 1999b;Mobini et al 2000). An enduring hypothesis underpinning research in this area is that reduced central serotonin (5-HT) activity, either directly or indirectly, predisposes a subject to impulsive tendencies (Linnoila et al 1983;Wogar et al 1993;Fairbanks et al 2001;Mobini et al 2000).…”

“…An enduring hypothesis underpinning research in this area is that reduced central serotonin (5-HT) activity, either directly or indirectly, predisposes a subject to impulsive tendencies (Linnoila et al 1983;Wogar et al 1993;Fairbanks et al 2001;Mobini et al 2000). However, the precise nature of the 5-HT impairment in impulsivity remains poorly understood because indirect indices of 5-HT function are often used in clinical and experimental studies (Linnoila et al 1983;Fairbanks et al 2001;Evans et al 2000). This has been compounded by the extraordinary complexity of brain 5-HT systems with two distinct projections from the midbrain and at least 14 identified 5-HT receptor subtypes (Barnes and Sharp 1999).…”

Characterizing aggressive behavior with the Impulsive/Premeditated Aggression Scale among adolescents with conduct disorder

“…Individuals classified as expressing either impulsive or premeditated aggressive behaviors differ from one another across a variety of domains, including: social adjustment, emotional function, cognitive ability, biological function, physiological reactivity, and treatment response. For instance, impulsive aggressive adults have diminished language ability (Barratt et al, 1997b) and lower cerebrospinal fluid 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentrations (Linnoila et al, 1983), relative to premeditated aggressors. Compared to non-aggressive adults, impulsive aggressors have reduced executive functioning (Villemarette-Pittman et al, 2002) and decreased cortical activation (Mathias and Stanford, 1999;Houston and Stanford, 2001), as well as central serotonergic dysregulation (Coccaro, 1989;Coccaro, et al, 1991;.…”

d,l-fenfluramine Response in Impulsive Personality Disorder Assessed with [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography

“…Positron emission tomography (PET) has revealed reduced prefrontal cortical activity in patients with bipolar depression (Baxter et al 1989), patients with personality disorders characterized by impulsive aggression (Goyer et al 1994), alcoholic criminal offenders with a history of impulsive aggression (Linnoila et al 1983), impulsive murderers (Raine et al 1994), and violent psychiatric inpatients (Volkow and Tancredi 1987). Fenfluramine administration increases cortical metabolism and/or blood flow in orbital frontal cortex in normal subjects (Kapur et al 1994;Mann et al 1996).…”