PLATELET MONOAMINE-OXIDASE ACTIVITY AS A BIOLOGICAL MARKER IN A SWEDISH FORENSIC PSYCHIATRIC POPULATION

Platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activities were determined in 58 non- psychotic males at forensic psychiatric examinations. The aim of the s tudy was to investigate the role of platelet MAO activity as a biologi cal marker in forensic psychiatry, a clinical field with growing need of safe predictors for both treatment outcome and behavior. The study population was heterogeneous with respect to clinical and personality disorders and personality traits. The results confirmed the role of pl atelet MAO activity as a biological marker for stable personality trai ts such as impulsiveness, monotony avoidance and aggressiveness. Disor ders with high frequencies of these personality traits such as borderl ine personality disorder and type II alcoholism could secondarily be a ssociated with low levels of platelet MAO activity, whereas no such as sociations could be found regarding other clinical or personality diso rders. Neither psychopathy as assessed by the means of PCL-R nor behav ior such as abuse or criminality could be associated with platelet MAO activity. The conclusion is that, due to its close relationship with stable personality traits, platelet MAO activity serves a marker for v ulnerability also in forensic psychiatric populations. On the other ha nd it is not a marker for clinical or personality disorders, or behavi or per se. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.