Low blood glucose nadir in the glucose tolerance test and homicidal spouse abuse

✍ Scribed by Dr. Matti Virkkunen; Eila Kallio

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1987
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 547 KB
• Volume: 13
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0096-140X
• DOI: 10.1002/1098-2337(1987)13:2<59::aid-ab2480130203>3.0.co;2-3

✦ Synopsis

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether homicidal spouse abuse offenders with a low blood glucose nadir in glucose tolerance test (GTT) showed more instances of repeated and severe aggression and cridnality than counterparts with more normal GTTs. An attempt was also made to determine whether personality profiles on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) differentiated between the groups. Altogether, 60 male homicidal offenders were studied. Those with low values had been repeatedly violent and impulsive under the influence of alcohol in relationships but also outside the home. The homicidal act usually occurred under the influence of alcohol with no clear recollection. These offenders had normal MMPI but some of them showed motor restlessness and irritability during the GTTs. The possible connections with enhanced glucose and abnormal brain serotonin metabolism among habitually violent and impulsive offenders are discussed.