Low Resting Heart Rate Associated With Violent Criminal Behavior

[NeighborMike]

I'll let you guys have fun with this one lol...

Low Resting Heart Rate Associated With Violent Criminal Behavior
By Jessica Firger 9/9/15 at 7:04 PM

A new study has identified a link between low resting heart rate and likelihood of committing violent crime later in life. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Filed Under: Tech & Science, criminals, Criminal Justice, heart rate, cardiology, Health and Medicine

When it comes to understanding why people commit violent crimes, biology and physiology isn’t typically viewed as the main indicator. But a huge number of studies suggest that we probably should be looking more closely at things like brain scans, genetics differences and now even the beating heart.

A study published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry suggests low resting heart rate—that is, less than or equal to 60 beats per minute—is associated with antisocial behavior and may be a strong predictor of which young men are more likely to commit violent crimes later in life.


Previous research shows that low heart rate might drive a person to aggressively seek out stimulating, adrenaline-boosting experiences that get the heart going. Other studies have found links between antisocial behavior and low resting heart rate, even in children as young as 9 years old. But heart rate as a predictor for future criminal behavior hadn’t yet been thoroughly investigated.

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The new paper doesn’t pinpoint the cause of low resting heart rate in the men studied. A low resting heart rate, also known as bradycardia, can be normal in young and very fit individuals; professional athletes often have slow heart rates. The condition can also be related to metabolic, endocrine dysfunction or underlying heart conditions.

For the study, researchers at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm and the University of Helsinki, looked at data from military enlistment documents of more than 710,264 Swedish men born between 1958 and 1991, with an average age of 18 at time of enlistment. The data included information on heart rate and blood pressure. There were a total of 40,093 men in the group who had a violent crime conviction at some point later in life based on data collected at follow-ups with the men up to three decades later in life.

After adjusting for cardiovascular, psychiatric, cognitive and socioeconomic variables, the researchers found men with a low resting heart rate had a 39 percent higher chance for being convicted of a violent crime and a 25 percent higher chance of being convicted for a nonviolent crime than men with a higher resting heart rate (greater or equal to 83 beats per minute).

“Among men, low resting heart rate in late adolescence was associated with an increased risk for violent criminality, nonviolent criminality, exposure to assault, and unintentional injury in adulthood,” the researchers write in their study. “Resting heart rate and other autonomic measures merit further study in the development and prevention of violence and antisocial behavior.”

 

[GrymReefer]

Possibly the brain's subconscious activity provokes the need for intense external stimuli? A diminished neurotransmission activity from norepinephrine can cause hypotension. If there is a lesser degree of its agonist affinity for increasing adrenergic activity this leads to mitigation of downstream postsynaptic neuron firing?

Also norepinephrine is synthesized from the dopamine via the protein encoded by the DBH gene. So if there is a inherently low level of dopamine firing then any associated neurotransmission and agonist/antagonist affinity related to dopamine interaction downstream is diminished as well.

A gene mutation causing reduced expression of the enzyme tyrosine hydroxlyase could cause the chemical dysfunction. (tyrosine is a non-essential amino acid that is produced by our essential amino acid, phenylalanine)

 

[Stargazer]

Very interesting

 

[Serotonin101]

Possibly the brain's subconscious activity provokes the need for intense external stimuli? A diminished neurotransmission activity from norepinephrine can cause hypotension. If there is a lesser degree of its agonist affinity for increasing adrenergic activity this leads to mitigation of downstream postsynaptic neuron firing?

Also norepinephrine is synthesized from the dopamine via the protein encoded by the DBH gene. So if there is a inherently low level of dopamine firing then any associated neurotransmission and agonist/antagonist affinity related to dopamine interaction downstream is diminished as well.

A gene mutation causing reduced expression of the enzyme tyrosine hydroxlyase could cause the chemical dysfunction. (tyrosine is a non-essential amino acid that is produced by our essential amino acid, phenylalanine)

Though from previous research on socipathy and antisocial personality disorder it was found these individuals have higher levels of dopamine. Thus they wouldn't have issues with diminished downstream neurotransmitters.

What I want to understand is the prevalence of left handedness amongst the dysfunctional people in the world. I surveyed my rehab center and inmates where I was locked up and the amount of left handed individuals amounted to over 50% when I believe the left handed trait is only expressed in roughly 2% of the general population? There is a theory that left handed individuals suffered brain trauma in the womb so maybe this possible brain trauma is linked to antisocial behavior?

 

[CFC]

Though from previous research on socipathy and antisocial personality disorder it was found these individuals have higher levels of dopamine. Thus they wouldn't have issues with diminished downstream neurotransmitters.

What I want to understand is the prevalence of left handedness amongst the dysfunctional people in the world. I surveyed my rehab center and inmates where I was locked up and the amount of left handed individuals amounted to over 50% when I believe the left handed trait is only expressed in roughly 2% of the general population? There is a theory that left handed individuals suffered brain trauma in the womb so maybe this possible brain trauma is linked to antisocial behavior?

I'm not sure it's about brain 'trauma' really. I would guess that relatively different development between the two hemispheres of the brain (compared to neurotypical people) would account for a significant effect on which of the brain hemispheres dominates and takes control of left/right sided behaviour. We see many of these changes in people with all kinds of MPDDs and austism etc as well. I guess it depends on whether you believe such conditions are the result of trauma or have a genetic, epigenetic or environmental (hormonal) basis.

 

[Serotonin101]

Well damn, I was hoping to get a badass handicap tag for being a lefty so much for that.

 

[Akbar Rabbitowitz]

Bradycardia does not have any relationship to violent behavior.

Being left hand dominant has nothing to do with being dysfunctional.

BL is here to promote harm reduction. But those two statements lack credibility.

The majority of medically trained professionals, having read these statements presented as fact, would dismiss BL as lacking in credibility, and they will go elsewhere.

All that remains are unsubstantiated generalizations that have nothing to do with harm reduction, and those naive visitors who believe anything they read.

Ancedotal experience is ok, but these types of baseless hypotheses sound ridiculous to the average person.

Unfortunately, the effort in weeding out these unproven assertions drives the reader to go elsewhere for credible harm reduction information.

 

[CFC]

having read these statements presented as fact

Unfortunately for you, the entire crux of your diatribe rests upon this false assertion.

BL is a place for discussion. The news article referenced is the starting point of that discussion. If you would like to contribute with some constructive discourse, and some 'proven assertions', feel feel. Otherwise please take your axe and grind it elsewhere.