Schizophrenia and violence: a search for neurobiological correlates

Naudts, Kris; Hodgins, Sheilagh

doi:10.1097/01.yco.0000238484.12023.aa

Cited by 23 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…These behaviors are, however, energetically costly and individually risky, suggesting that excessive aggression may be deleterious. In humans, aggression often manifests as violent behavior with attendant costs to society, and is frequently a component of psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, conduct disorder, alcoholism, bipolar disorder, and Alzheimer's disease [ 1 - 4 ]. Analysis of mutations and pharmacological treatments have established that aggressive behavior is evolutionarily conserved and is modulated by the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, γ-aminobutyric acid, histamine and nitric oxide as well as their receptors and transporters and key enzymes in their biosynthetic pathways in mammals [ 5 ] and invertebrates [ 6 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A transcriptional network associated with natural variation in Drosophila aggressive behavior

et al. 2009

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Background: Aggressive behavior is an important component of fitness in most animals. Aggressive behavior is genetically complex, with natural variation attributable to multiple segregating loci with allelic effects that are sensitive to the physical and social environment. However, we know little about the genes and genetic networks affecting natural variation in aggressive behavior. Populations of Drosophila melanogaster harbor quantitative genetic variation in aggressive behavior, providing an excellent model system for dissecting the genetic basis of naturally occurring variation in aggression.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A transcriptional network associated with natural variation in Drosophila aggressive behavior

et al. 2009

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“…This proposition is based on evidence from studies that compare violent and non-violent patients with schizophrenia--only a few of which distinguish early starters (for a review see Naudts & Hodgins 2006), and from studies that compare patients with schizophrenia with and without co-occurring substance misuse disorders (for a review, see Potvin et al 2008). Results suggest that among patients with schizophrenia, those who present an early onset stable pattern of antisocial behaviour perform better on tests tapping specific executive functions (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Trail Making Test, WAIS, Trigram Test, Control Oral Word Association Test), more poorly on assessments of orbitofrontal functions, show fewer neurological soft signs, display larger reductions in volume of the amygdala, more structural abnormalities in the orbitofrontal system, more abnormalities of white matter in the amygdalaorbitofrontal system, and smaller reductions of the hippocampus.…”

Section: Early Start Offenders With Schizophreniamentioning

confidence: 99%

Violent behaviour among people with schizophrenia: a framework for investigations of causes, and effective treatment, and prevention

Hodgins

2008

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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226

174

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Robust evidence has accumulated showing that individuals who develop schizophrenia are at elevated risk when compared to the general population to engage in violence towards others. This violence impacts negatively on victims as well as perpetrators and poses a significant financial burden to society. It is posited that among violent offenders with schizophrenia there are three distinct types defined by the age of onset of antisocial and violent behaviour. The early starters display a pattern of antisocial behaviour that emerges in childhood or early adolescence, well before illness onset, and that remains stable across the lifespan. The largest group of violent offenders with schizophrenia show no antisocial behaviour prior to the onset of the illness and then repeatedly engage in aggressive behaviour towards others. A small group of individuals who display a chronic course of schizophrenia show no aggressive behaviour for one or two decades after illness onset and then engage in serious violence, often killing, those who care for them. We hypothesize that both the developmental processes and the proximal factors, such as symptoms of psychosis and drug misuse, associated with violent behaviour differ for the three types of offenders with schizophrenia, as do their needs for treatment.

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“…74 Deformities in this region are closely related to positive symptom severity and are correlated with antipsychotic dosage, 75 showing the significance of hippocampal changes to the disease course. Studies on related disorders (with adolescent onset) have found additional hippocampal abnormalities in those patients with obsessive-compulsive symptoms and antisocial violent behavior, 76,77 which highlights the relevance of hippocampal abnormalities to psychiatric disorders in general.…”

Section: Subcortical Structuresmentioning

confidence: 96%

Functional and clinical insights from neuroimaging studies in childhood-onset schizophrenia

2015

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Childhood-onset schizophrenia is a rare pediatric onset psychiatric disorder continuous with and typically more severe than its adult counterpart. Neuroimaging research conducted on this population has revealed similarly severe neural abnormalities. When taken as a whole, neuroimaging research in this population shows generally decreased cortical gray matter coupled with white matter connectivity abnormalities, suggesting an anatomical basis for deficits in executive function. Subcortical abnormalities are pronounced in limbic structures, where volumetric deficits are likely related to social skill deficits, and cerebellar deficits that have been correlated to cognitive abnormalities. Structures relevant to motor processing also show a significant alteration, with volumetric increase in basal ganglia structures likely due to antipsychotic administration. Neuroimaging of this disorder shows an important clinical image of exaggerated cortical loss, altered white matter connectivity, and differences in structural development of subcortical areas during the course of development and provides important background to the disease state.

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Schizophrenia and violence: a search for neurobiological correlates

Abstract: A better understanding of the distinctive neurobiological characteristics of this subgroup of men with schizophrenia will contribute to developing treatments tailored to their needs, to prevent antisocial behaviours and to reduce the symptoms of schizophrenia.

Cited by 23 publications

References 74 publications

A transcriptional network associated with natural variation in Drosophila aggressive behavior

A transcriptional network associated with natural variation in Drosophila aggressive behavior

Violent behaviour among people with schizophrenia: a framework for investigations of causes, and effective treatment, and prevention

Functional and clinical insights from neuroimaging studies in childhood-onset schizophrenia

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