Dysfunction of pre-attentive information processing in impulsive aggressive individuals: acoustic startle-response and P50 study
In cross-sectional retrospective study to identify the specificity of involuntary sensory and sensorimotor gating in individuals with impulsive aggressive behavior, the prepulse modification of acoustic startle reaction and suppression of P50 evoked potential were evaluated in 23 people who committed impulsively aggressive crimes (main group) and 29 socially adapted volunteers. In the main group, an increase in the latency of acoustic startle reaction, a deficit of modification of its amplitude and latency by prepulse, a decrease in the amplitude and increase in the latency of P50 for the 1st stimulus in pair, and a deficit of P50 inhibition were revealed. Using the differences found as predictors, a diagnostic model was obtained to identify the risk of impulsive aggression with an accuracy level of 88%.