Key result
Past suicide attempts in Hispanic female adolescents link to abnormal posterior EEG alpha asymmetry.
Why the study?
Abnormal EEG activity has been associated with psychiatric disorders and behaviors including depression and suicide, but its characteristics in female adolescent suicide attempters were unclear.
Does EEG alpha asymmetry differ between Hispanic female adolescent suicide attempters and normal controls?
Case-Control (n=38)
Does EEG alpha asymmetry differ between Hispanic female adolescent suicide attempters and normal controls?
Hispanic female adolescent suicide attempters exhibit abnormal EEG alpha asymmetry, particularly reduced left posterior activation, which relates to suicidal intent rather than depression severity.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Should not yet guide clinical suicide risk assessment in adolescents; leaves open EEG asymmetry as a biomarker pending prospective studies.
Abnormal electroencephalographic (EEG) activity has been associated with various psychiatric disorders and behaviors, including depression, suicide, and aggression. We examined quantitative resting EEG in Hispanic female adolescent suicide attempters and matched normal controls. Computerized EEG measures were recorded at 11 scalp sites during eyes open and eyes closed periods from 16 suicide attempters and 22 normal controls. Suicide attempters differed from normal controls in alpha asymmetry. Normal adolescents had greater alpha (less activation) over right than left hemisphere, whereas suicidal adolescents had a nonsignificant asymmetry in the opposite direction. Nondepressed attempters were distinguished from depressed attempters in that they accounted for the preponderance of abnormal asymmetry, particularly in posterior regions. Alpha asymmetry over posterior regions was related to ratings of suicidal intent, but not depression severity. The alpha asymmetry in suicidal adolescents resembled that seen for depressed adults in its abnormal direction, but not in its regional distribution. Findings for suicidal adolescents are discussed in terms of a hypothesis of reduced left posterior activation, which is not related to depression but to suicidal or aggressive behavior.
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Graae et al. (1996) conducted a case-control in Suicide attempt (n=38). Suicide attempt history vs. Matched normal controls was evaluated on EEG alpha asymmetry. Hispanic female adolescent suicide attempters exhibited abnormal EEG alpha asymmetry compared to matched normal controls, particularly in posterior regions among nondepressed attempters.
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