Citation

Lane KS, St Pierre ME, Lauterbach MD, Koliatsos VE. J. Forensic Sci. 2016; 62(2): 545-548.

Affiliation

The Neuropsychiatry Program at Sheppard Pratt, Sheppard Pratt Health System, 6501 North Charles Street, PO Box 6815, Baltimore, MD, 21285-6815.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.13289

PMID

27864958

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can lead to significant post-traumatic disturbances in mood and behavior, with the frontal lobes playing a key role in emotional and behavioral regulation. Injury to the frontal lobe can result in disinhibition and aggression which can result in police intervention and/or incarceration. We highlight four adult cases with a history of severe TBI with frontal lobe injuries and the presence of post-TBI criminal behaviors. There is evidence to support an anatomical basis for aggressive behaviors, yet there are other risk factors to be considered. Behaviors must be investigated thoroughly by obtaining adequate pre- and post-TBI psychiatric and psychosocial histories. By having a comprehensive understanding of aggression while appreciating the complex relationship between TBI, aggression, and premorbid risk factors, clinicians can more adequately treat patients with TBI, with the aim of potentially preventing criminal behaviors and recidivism.

© 2016 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Language: en