Gottschalk L A, Rebello T, Buchsbaum M S, Tucker H G, Hodges E L
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, College of Medicine, University of California, Irvine 92717.
Compr Psychiatry. 1991 May-Jun;32(3):229-37. doi: 10.1016/0010-440x(91)90043-c.
There are long-standing viewpoints that impulsive and violent behavior may stem from brain dysfunction or damage secondary to head injury, disease, or toxic chemical substances. This research has aimed to examine the relationship between potentially toxic metals and aberrant behavior, especially violent activity, through the nonintrusive technique of hair analysis for trace elements. In an initial study, phase I, it was not possible to replicate findings of others who reported high levels of lead, cadmium, and copper in violent offenders. However, high levels of manganese were found in prison versus control groups. In phase II, the possibility of artifactual results arising from prison cooking utensils was controlled for by sampling early after incarceration. Phase III was included to substantiate the initial post hoc findings in an additional jail population. In both latter phases, significantly elevated manganese levels were found in the hair of violent versus nonviolent subjects (P less than .0001). A review of the effects of manganese at deficient and toxic levels does not provide a simple answer as to why manganese levels are elevated in the hair of individuals who have been incarcerated for violent behavior. Our study does not implicate the prison environment or soaps and shampoos used in California prisons. Other factors, such as alcohol, dietary, or psychosocial factors, might influence manganese levels in hair, or any of these factors might function in combination with mild manganese toxicity to contribute to aberrant behavior.
长期以来，人们一直认为冲动和暴力行为可能源于脑功能障碍或继发于头部受伤、疾病或有毒化学物质的损害。这项研究旨在通过头发微量元素分析这种非侵入性技术，研究潜在有毒金属与异常行为，尤其是暴力活动之间的关系。在初步研究的第一阶段，无法重复其他研究人员关于暴力罪犯体内铅、镉和铜含量较高的发现。然而，在监狱服刑人员与对照组中发现了较高水平的锰。在第二阶段，通过在监禁后早期取样，控制了监狱炊具产生人为结果的可能性。第三阶段的目的是在另一批监狱服刑人员中证实最初的事后分析结果。在后两个阶段中，暴力受试者与非暴力受试者头发中的锰含量均显著升高（P小于0.0001）。关于锰在缺乏和中毒水平下的影响的综述，并未就为何因暴力行为而被监禁的个体头发中的锰含量升高给出简单答案。我们的研究并未表明加利福尼亚监狱的环境或所使用的肥皂和洗发水有影响。其他因素，如酒精、饮食或心理社会因素，可能会影响头发中的锰含量，或者这些因素中的任何一个可能与轻度锰中毒共同作用，导致异常行为。
