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Introduction. Functional brain differences related to sex in psychopathic behavior represent an important field of neuroscience research; there are few studies on this area, mainly in offender samples. Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of electrophysiological differences between male and female psychopath offenders; specifically, we wanted to assess whether the results in quantitative EEG, low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA), and changes in synchronous brain activity could be related to sex influence. Sample and Methods. The study included 31 male and 12 female psychopath offenders, according to the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised criteria from 2 prisons located in Havana City. The EEG visual inspection characteristics and the use of frequency domain quantitative analysis techniques are described. Results. The resting EEG visual analyses revealed a high percentage of EEG abnormalities in both studied groups. Significant statistical differences between the mean parameters of cross spectral measures between psychopathic offender groups were found in the beta band at bilateral frontal derivation and centroparietal areas. LORETA showed differences especially in the paralimbic and parieto-occipital areas Synchronization likelihood revealed a significant group effect in the 26 to 30 Hz band. These results indicate that combining quantitative EEG, LORETA analysis, and synchronization likelihood may improve the neurofunctional differentiation between psychopath offenders of both sexes.
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Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/fisiopatología , Encéfalo/fisiopatología , Criminales , Electroencefalografía , Caracteres Sexuales , Adulto , Sincronización Cortical , Criminales/psicología , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Procesamiento de Señales Asistido por ComputadorRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Electrophysiological variables may represent sensitive biomarkers of vulnerability to or endophenotypes for alcohol use disorders (AUD). METHODS: Young adults (age 18-30 yrs, nâ¯=â¯580) of Mexican American heritage were assessed with the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism and event-related oscillations (EROs) generated in response to a task that used pictures of objects, food, and alcohol-related and non-alcohol-related drinks as stimuli. RESULTS: Decreases in energy in the alpha and beta frequencies and higher phase synchrony within cortical brain areas were seen in response to the alcohol-related as compared to the non-alcohol-related stimuli. Differences in ERO energy and synchrony responses to alcohol-related stimuli were also found as a function of age, sex, AUD status and comorbidity. Age-related decreases in energy and increases in synchrony were found. Females had significantly higher energy and lower synchrony values than males. Participants with AUD had higher synchrony values specifically in the beta frequencies, whereas those with a lifetime diagnosis of conduct disorder and/or antisocial personality disorder had lower alpha power and synchrony, and those with any affective disorder had lower ERO energy in the beta frequencies. Those with substance-associated affective "dark-side" symptoms had slower reaction times to the task, lower energy in the beta frequencies, lower local synchrony in the theta frequencies, and higher long-range synchrony in the delta and beta frequencies. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that EROs recorded to alcohol-related stimuli may be biomarkers of comorbid risk factors, symptoms and disorders associated with AUD that also can differentiate those with "dark-side symptoms".
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Síntomas Afectivos/fisiopatología , Alcoholismo/fisiopatología , Potenciales Evocados , Americanos Mexicanos/psicología , Análisis y Desempeño de Tareas , Adolescente , Adulto , Síntomas Afectivos/etnología , Síntomas Afectivos/psicología , Factores de Edad , Alcoholismo/etnología , Alcoholismo/psicología , Ritmo alfa , Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/etnología , Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/fisiopatología , Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/psicología , Ritmo beta , Encéfalo/fisiopatología , Comorbilidad , Trastorno de la Conducta/etnología , Trastorno de la Conducta/fisiopatología , Trastorno de la Conducta/psicología , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Americanos Mexicanos/genética , Trastornos del Humor/etnología , Trastornos del Humor/fisiopatología , Trastornos del Humor/psicología , Tiempo de Reacción , Factores Sexuales , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Although the social and economic consequences of Colombian internal conflicts mainly affected the civilian population, they also had other implications. The ex-combatants, the other side of the conflict, have been the subject of many studies that question their personality structures and antisocial features. Results suggest that ex-combatants usually have characteristics of an antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) that is related with their behaviour. METHODS: Quantitative EEG (qEEG) was used to evaluate differences in cortical activity patterns between an ex-combatants group and a control group. The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) was used to assess the presence of ASPD in the ex-combatants group, as well as the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies (DIGS) for other mental disorders classified in the DCI-10. RESULTS: There are significant differences in psychopathy levels between groups, as well as in alpha-2 and beta waves, especially in left temporal and frontal areas for alpha-2 waves and left temporal-central regions for beta waves. CONCLUSIONS: qEEG measurements allow spectral resting potential to be differentiated between groups that are related with features typically involved in antisocial personality disorder, and to correlate them with patterns in the questionnaires and clinical interview.
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Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/epidemiología , Electroencefalografía , Personal Militar/psicología , Adulto , Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/diagnóstico , Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/fisiopatología , Colombia , Humanos , Entrevistas como Asunto , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Encuestas y CuestionariosRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Few studies have investigated the impact of the psychopathic traits on the EEG of teenagers with conduct disorder (CD). To date, there is no other research studying low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) technique using quantitative EEG (QEEG) analysis in adolescents with CD and psychopathic traits. OBJECTIVE: To find electrophysiological differences specifically related to the psychopathic traits. The current investigation compares the QEEG and the current source density measures between adolescents with CD and psychopathic traits and adolescents with CD without psychopathic traits. METHODS: The resting EEG activity and LORETA for the EEG fast spectral bands were evaluated in 42 teenagers with CD, 25 with and 17 without psychopathic traits according to the Antisocial Process Screening Device. All adolescents were assessed using the DSM-IV-TR criteria. The EEG visual inspection characteristics and the use of frequency domain quantitative analysis techniques (narrow band spectral parameters) are described. RESULTS: QEEG analysis showed a pattern of beta activity excess on the bilateral frontal-temporal regions and decreases of alpha band power on the left central-temporal and right frontal-central-temporal regions in the psychopathic traits group. Current source density calculated at 17.18 Hz showed an increase within fronto-temporo-striatal regions in the psychopathic relative to the nonpsychopathic traits group. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that QEEG analysis and techniques of source localization may reveal differences in brain electrical activity among teenagers with CD and psychopathic traits, which was not obvious to visual inspection. Taken together, these results suggest that abnormalities in a fronto-temporo-striatal network play a relevant role in the neurobiological basis of psychopathic behavior.
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Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/fisiopatología , Mapeo Encefálico , Encéfalo/fisiopatología , Trastorno de la Conducta/fisiopatología , Electroencefalografía , Adolescente , Mapeo Encefálico/métodos , Trastorno de la Conducta/diagnóstico , Electroencefalografía/métodos , Fenómenos Electromagnéticos , Humanos , Masculino , Neuroimagen/métodosRESUMEN
Psychopathy is a disorder characterized by severe and frequent moral violations in multiple domains of life. Numerous studies have shown psychopathy-related limbic brain abnormalities during moral processing; however, these studies only examined negatively valenced moral stimuli. Here, we aimed to replicate prior psychopathy research on negative moral judgments and to extend this work by examining psychopathy-related abnormalities in the processing of controversial moral stimuli and positive moral processing. Incarcerated adult males (N = 245) completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging protocol on a mobile imaging system stationed at the prison. Psychopathy was assessed using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R). Participants were then shown words describing three types of moral stimuli: wrong (e.g., stealing), not wrong (e.g., charity), and controversial (e.g., euthanasia). Participants rated each stimulus as either wrong or not wrong. PCL-R total scores were correlated with not wrong behavioral responses to wrong moral stimuli, and were inversely related to hemodynamic activity in the anterior cingulate cortex in the contrast of wrong > not wrong. In the controversial > noncontroversial comparison, psychopathy was inversely associated with activity in the temporal parietal junction and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These results indicate that psychopathy-related abnormalities are observed during the processing of complex, negative, and positive moral stimuli.
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Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/fisiopatología , Encéfalo/fisiopatología , Principios Morales , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/diagnóstico por imagen , Encéfalo/diagnóstico por imagen , Circulación Cerebrovascular/fisiología , Criminales , Toma de Decisiones/fisiología , Humanos , Entrevista Psicológica , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Pruebas Neuropsicológicas , Prisioneros , Escalas de Valoración Psiquiátrica , Tiempo de Reacción , Lectura , Percepción Visual/fisiología , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: The particularities of those that have been considered "hard cases" in the clinical field, and their relationship with personality disorders, are discussed together with their quintessential conceptual and diagnostic model: the borderline personalities. The aim of the study is to historically and epistemologically rebuild their origins within psychiatry and psychoanalysis. METHODS AND RESULTS: From a classical epistemological and historical study, a brief tour is made through the nineteenth century alienism and the postulate of "partial insanity". Next, a passage is spawned through the concepts that emerged from this postulate: "monomania" and "moral insanity", up to mid-century Kraepelin and the "fundamental states" of manic-depressive insanity as pathological constitutional forms or characters, and reaching the twentieth century with characterology and psychopathic personalities. Finally, psychoanalysis is analyzed as the main source of borderline personality disorders arising from the problems encountered in analytical treatments and the development of the notion of "character neurosis". CONCLUSIONS: Borderline personality disorders are the result of the conjunction of a number of factors, heirs of the notion of "partial insanity", of the fundamental states of manic-depression insanity, of characterology, of the idea of constitutions and pathological personalities, together with the emerging concerns of psychoanalysis in the early twentieth century.
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Trastorno Bipolar/fisiopatología , Trastorno de Personalidad Limítrofe/fisiopatología , Psicoanálisis/métodos , Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/historia , Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/fisiopatología , Trastorno Bipolar/historia , Trastorno de Personalidad Limítrofe/historia , Historia del Siglo XIX , Historia del Siglo XX , HumanosRESUMEN
Matricide, the killing of a mother by her biological child, is a rare event. We report a case of matricide associated with a woman who sustained a right ventromedial prefrontal lesion during surgery for nasal polyposis that was performed when she was 40 years old. After her surgery, she developed psychotic symptoms associated with the emergence of antisocial behavior. She committed matricide 22 years later. Neuropsychological evaluation showed decreased frontal-executive deficits, and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a lesion in the right gyrus rectus area of the ventromedial prefrontal region. This case suggests that a secondary psychotic syndrome associated with a lesion in the frontal neural network, which is disturbed in psychopathy, could facilitate homicidal behavior. Furthermore, this case has legal implications for the prosecution of murder associated with a brain lesion.
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Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/diagnóstico , Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/fisiopatología , Homicidio/psicología , Enfermedad Iatrogénica , Madres , Pólipos Nasales/cirugía , Complicaciones Posoperatorias/diagnóstico , Complicaciones Posoperatorias/fisiopatología , Corteza Prefrontal/lesiones , Corteza Prefrontal/fisiopatología , Trastornos Psicóticos/diagnóstico , Trastornos Psicóticos/fisiopatología , Agresión/fisiología , Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/psicología , Chile , Dominancia Cerebral/fisiología , Función Ejecutiva/fisiología , Femenino , Humanos , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Red Nerviosa/lesiones , Red Nerviosa/fisiopatología , Pruebas Neuropsicológicas , Complicaciones Posoperatorias/psicología , Corteza Prefrontal/patología , Trastornos Psicóticos/psicologíaRESUMEN
UNLABELLED: Previous EEG studies attempted to examine violent behavior as homogeneous construct. Up to date, there is no other research studying Low-Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETA) technique in psychopath offenders. OBJECTIVE: To find electrophysiological differences specifically related to the psychopathy construct and independent of the violent behavior. The current investigation compares the QEEG and the current source density measures of violent psychopath offenders to a non-psychopath violent group. METHODS: The resting EEG activity and LORETA for the EEG spectral fast bands were evaluated in 58 violent offenders, 31 with and 27 without psychopathy according to the Hare Psychopathy Checklist - Revised. All subjects were assessed using the DSM IV-R criteria. The EEG visual inspection characteristics and the use of frequency domain quantitative analysis techniques (Narrow band spectral parameters) are described. RESULTS: QEEG analysis showed a pattern of excess of beta activity on the left parieto-temporal regions and bilateral occipital areas and decrease of alpha band on the left centro-temporal and parieto-central derivations in the psychopath group. LORETA signified an increase of beta activity (17.18 Hz) in psychopath group relative to a non- psychopath group within fronto-temporo-limbic regions. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that QEEG analysis and techniques of source localization may reveal differences in brain electrical activity among offenders with psychopathy, which was not obvious to visual inspection. Taken together, these results suggest that abnormalities in a fronto-temporo-limbic network play a relevant role in the neurobiological basis of psychopathy.
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Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/fisiopatología , Electroencefalografía , Prisioneros , Violencia/psicología , Adulto , Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/psicología , Mapeo Encefálico , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Psiquiatría Forense , Lóbulo Frontal/fisiopatología , Humanos , Sistema Límbico/fisiopatología , Masculino , Neurobiología , Escalas de Valoración Psiquiátrica , Lóbulo Temporal/fisiopatologíaRESUMEN
The presence of brain dysfunction in violent offenders has been frequently examined with inconsistent results. The aim of the study was to assess the EEG of 84 violent offenders by visual inspection and frequency-domain quantitative analysis in 84 violent prisoners. Low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) was also employed for theta band of the EEG spectra. Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) was present in 50 of the offenders and it was absent in the remaining 34. The prevalence of EEG abnormalities, by visual inspection, was similar for both the ASPD group (82%) and non-ASPD group (79%). The brain topography of these anomalies also did not differ between groups, in contrast to results of the EEG quantitative analysis (QEEG) and LORETA that showed remarkable regional differences between both groups. QEEG analysis showed a pattern of excess of theta-delta activities and decrease of alpha band on the right fronto-temporal and left temporo-parietal regions in the ASPD group. LORETA signified an increase of theta activity (5.08 Hz) in ASPD group relative to non-ASPD group within left temporal and parietal regions. Findings indicate that QEEG analysis and techniques of source localization may reveal differences in brain electrical activity among offenders with ASPD, which was not obvious to visual inspection.
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Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/fisiopatología , Mapeo Encefálico , Electroencefalografía , Adulto , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Cuba , Psiquiatría Forense , Humanos , Masculino , Prisioneros , ViolenciaRESUMEN
Lead poisoning has been reportedly linked to a high risk of learning disabilities, aggression and criminal offenses. To study the association between lead exposure and antisocial/delinquent behavior, a cross-sectional study was conducted with 173 Brazilian youths aged 14-18 and their parents (n=93), living in impoverished neighborhoods of Bauru-SP, with high criminality indices. Self-Reported Delinquency (SRD) and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) questionnaires were used to evaluate delinquent/antisocial behavior. Body lead burdens were evaluated in surface dental enamel acid microbiopsies. The dental enamel lead levels (DELL) were quantified by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) and phosphorus content was measured using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Logistic regression was used to identify associations between DELL and each scale defined by CBCL and SRD scores. Odd ratios adjusted for familial and social covariates, considering a group of youths exposed to high lead levels (>or=75 percentile), indicated that high DELL is associated with increased risk of exceeding the clinical score for somatic complaints, social problems, rule-breaking behavior and externalizing problems (CI 95%). High DELL was not found to be associated with elevated SRD scores. In conclusion, our data support the hypothesis that high-level lead exposure can trigger antisocial behavior, which calls for public policies to prevent lead poisoning.
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Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/inducido químicamente , Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/epidemiología , Esmalte Dental/metabolismo , Exposición a Riesgos Ambientales/efectos adversos , Intoxicación del Sistema Nervioso por Plomo/epidemiología , Plomo/metabolismo , Adolescente , Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/fisiopatología , Biomarcadores/análisis , Biomarcadores/metabolismo , Brasil/epidemiología , Comorbilidad , Psicología Criminal , Estudios Transversales , Esmalte Dental/química , Femenino , Humanos , Plomo/análisis , Intoxicación del Sistema Nervioso por Plomo/diagnóstico , Intoxicación del Sistema Nervioso por Plomo/fisiopatología , Masculino , Fósforo/análisis , Fósforo/metabolismo , Áreas de Pobreza , Factores Socioeconómicos , Espectrofotometría Atómica , Encuestas y CuestionariosRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To compare the emotional response and level of anxiety of psychopathic murderers, non-psychopathic murderers, and nonpsychopathic non-criminals. METHOD: 110 male individuals aged over 18 years were divided into three groups: psychopathic murderers (n = 38); non-psychopathic murderers (n = 37) serving sentences for murder convictions in Maximum Security Prisons in the State of Sao Paulo; and non-criminal, non-psychopathic individuals (n = 35) according to the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised. The emotional response of subjects was assessed by heart rate variation and anxiety level (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) after viewing standardized pictures depicting pleasant, unpleasant and neutral content from the International Affective Picture System. RESULTS: Psychopathic murderers presented lower anxiety levels and smaller heart rate variations when exposed to pleasant and unpleasant stimuli than nonpsychopathic murderers or non-psychopathic non-criminals. The results also demonstrated that the higher the score for factor 1 on the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised, the lower the heart rate variation and anxiety level. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that psychopathic murderers do not present variation in emotional response to different visual stimuli. Although the non-psychopathic murderers had committed the same type of crime as the psychopathic murderers, the former tended to respond with a higher level of anxiety and heart rate variation.
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Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/psicología , Ansiedad/psicología , Frecuencia Cardíaca/fisiología , Homicidio/psicología , Adolescente , Adulto , Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/clasificación , Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/fisiopatología , Ansiedad/clasificación , Cognición , Humanos , Masculino , Inventario de Personalidad , Estimulación Luminosa , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To compare the emotional response and level of anxiety of psychopathic murderers, non-psychopathic murderers, and nonpsychopathic non-criminals. METHOD: 110 male individuals aged over 18 years were divided into three groups: psychopathic murderers (n = 38); non-psychopathic murderers (n = 37) serving sentences for murder convictions in Maximum Security Prisons in the State of Sao Paulo; and non-criminal, non-psychopathic individuals (n = 35) according to the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised. The emotional response of subjects was assessed by heart rate variation and anxiety level (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) after viewing standardized pictures depicting pleasant, unpleasant and neutral content from the International Affective Picture System. RESULTS: Psychopathic murderers presented lower anxiety levels and smaller heart rate variations when exposed to pleasant and unpleasant stimuli than nonpsychopathic murderers or non-psychopathic non-criminals. The results also demonstrated that the higher the score for factor 1 on the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised, the lower the heart rate variation and anxiety level. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that psychopathic murderers do not present variation in emotional response to different visual stimuli. Although the non-psychopathic murderers had committed the same type of crime as the psychopathic murderers, the former tended to respond with a higher level of anxiety and heart rate variation.
OBJETIVO: Comparar a atividade cardíaca e nível de ansiedade de homicidas psicopatas e não psicopatas e não criminosos não psicopatas. MÉTODO: 110 homens com idade superior a 18 anos, divididos em três grupos: homicidas psicopatas (n = 38), homicidas não psicopatas (n = 37) cumprindo pena por homicídio em Prisões de Segurança Máxima do Estado de São Paulo e não criminosos e não psicopatas (n = 35) de acordo com a Escala de Avaliação de Psicopatia. A resposta emocional foi avaliada pela variação da freqüência cardíaca e níveis de ansiedade após a observação por seis segundos de imagens padronizadas de diferentes conteúdos emocionais (agradáveis, desagradáveis e neutras) do International Affective Picture System. RESULTADOS: Homicidas psicopatas apresentaram menores níveis de ansiedade e menor variação de frequência cardíaca quando expostos a estímulos agradáveis que os homicidas não psicopatas e o grupo de não criminosos e não psicopatas. Os resultados demonstram ainda que quanto maior o escore no fator 1 da Escala de Avaliação de Psicopatia, menor é a variação cardíaca e o nível de ansiedade. CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados sugerem que homicidas psicopatas não apresentam variação da resposta emocional frente aos diferentes estímulos visuais. Embora os homicidas não psicopatas compartilhem do mesmo tipo crime que os psicopatas, estes tendem a responder com maior nível de ansiedade e variação cardíaca.
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Adolescente , Adulto , Humanos , Masculino , Adulto Joven , Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/psicología , Ansiedad/psicología , Frecuencia Cardíaca/fisiología , Homicidio/psicología , Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/clasificación , Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/fisiopatología , Ansiedad/clasificación , Cognición , Inventario de Personalidad , Estimulación Luminosa , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Resting eyes closed electroencephalogram was studied in a group of violent offenders evaluated at Psychiatric Department of the Legal Medicine Institute in Cuba (18 with antisocial personality disorder, ASPD, and 10 without psychiatric diagnosis). Characteristics of the EEG visual inspection and the use of frequency domain quantitative analysis techniques (narrow band spectral parameters) are described. Both groups were compared to Cuban normative database. High incidences of electroencephalographic abnormalities were found in both groups of violent offenders. The most frequent were: electrogenesis alterations, attenuated alpha rhythm and theta and delta activities increase in the frontal lobe. In the quantitative analysis theta and delta frequencies were increased and alpha activity was decreased in both groups. Differences appear for the topographical patterns present in subjects of both groups. EEG abnormalities were more severe in ASPD than in control group. Results suggest that EEG abnormalities in violent offenders should reflect aspects of brain dysfunction related to antisocial behaviour.
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Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/fisiopatología , Trastorno de Personalidad Antisocial/psicología , Electroencefalografía , Adulto , Encéfalo/fisiopatología , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Psiquiatría Forense , Humanos , Masculino , ViolenciaRESUMEN
The relationship between the P450 component elicited by affective stimuli and: a personal history of alcohol dependence, antisocial personality disorder/conduct disorder (ASPD/CD) or affective anxiety disorders (ANYAXAF) was examined in Mexican Americans, a group with high rates of heavy drinking. Data from two hundred and twenty two young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 were used in the analyses. ERPs were collected using a task that required discrimination between faces with neutral, sad and happy facial expressions. DSM-IIIR diagnoses were obtained using a structured interview and personality traits were indexed using the Maudsley personality inventory. Men had significantly diminished P450 responses, when compared to women which were further reduced in men with ASPD/CD; whereas, a significant increase in P450 amplitudes was seen in those participants with ANYAXAF. P450 amplitudes were also significantly increased in men with high extraversion scores and in women with high neuroticism scores. No significant associations were seen between the P450 amplitude and the diagnosis of alcohol dependence. These data suggest that interpretations of P450 responses in Mexican Americans need to take into account the interactions between gender, the affective valence of the eliciting stimuli, as well as psychiatric status.