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Biomedical subjects

Henrik Soderstrom

Publications and source records attributed to Henrik Soderstrom.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Learning disability.

Learning disability is common, affecting 1-2.5% of the general population in the Western world, and encompasses many different conditions. It usually leads to major functional impairment and lifelong need for support and interventions, not the least important of which are medical and health-care services. Rapid progress is being made in the understanding of the cause and pathogenesis of many learning disability syndromes, and these advances are likely to improve targeted interventions in the next decade. Many countries have abolished a learning disability specialty for medical professionals, but there is a great need to revive this niche of medical knowledge. We know little about quality of life and effects on families of people with learning disability, and research is needed to address these issues.

Adolescent↗

Reduced frontotemporal perfusion in psychopathic personality.

Several brain-imaging studies have found associations between aberrant functioning in the frontal and temporal lobes and violent offending. We have previously reported decreased frontotemporal perfusion unrelated to psychosis, substance abuse, or current medication in 21 violent offenders. In the present study, we compared the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in a new group of 32 violent offenders to scores on the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), which rates two aspects of psychopathy: disturbed interpersonal attitudes (Factor 1) and impulsive antisocial behavior (Factor 2). A recently proposed model has split Factor 1 into a new Factor 1 (deceitful interpersonal style), a new Factor 2 (affective unresponsiveness), and a Factor 3, which approximately corresponds to the old Factor 2. The rCBF was assessed by single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with technetium-99m-d,l-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (HMPAO) in regions of interest (ROIs) placed in accordance with fusioned magnetic resonance images (MRI) and SPECT scans. Significant negative correlations were found between interpersonal features of psychopathy (the old and especially the new Factor 1) and the frontal and temporal perfusion. The two most clearly associated ROIs were the head of the caudate nuclei and the hippocampi. These findings in a group of violent offenders living under the same conditions, which reduced the number of state-related confounders, add to the evidence indicating that aberrant frontotemporal activity may be a factor in violent behavior.

Adolescent↗

A clinical case series of six extremely aggressive youths treated with olanzapine.

Olanzapine is an atypical neuroleptic drug with mood-stabilising properties and few of the side effects commonly associated with conventional neuroleptic treatment. We used olanzapine, 5-20 mg/day, to treat severe aggression in six non-psychotic teenage boys with neuropsychiatric disorders. All but one started to respond within one week. The therapeutic effect in four of the patients clearly outweighed the side effects (weight gain and sedation). The subjects described a markedly increased sense of well being during the olanzapine treatment.

Adolescent↗

Temperament and character in adults with Asperger syndrome.

To study the personality characteristics of adults with Asperger syndrome, and investigate the value of self-rating personality inventories, we administered the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) to 31 outpatients with Asperger syndrome. The TCI is a self-rating personality inventory that has been validated in the Swedish general population. The results were compared with age- and sex-matched norm groups. Participants with Asperger syndrome scored significantly higher on harm avoidance and lower on self-directedness and cooperativeness. Reward dependence and novelty seeking tended to be low. They also had significantly higher rarity scores, reflecting idiosyncratic perspectives. The most common temperament configurations were 'obsessional', 'passive-dependent' and'explosive'. Character, reflecting conceptual maturity, was poorly developed in the majority of our subjects. The self-ratings of persons with Asperger syndrome thus indicated anxious personalities with coping difficulties in the areas of social interaction and self-directedness, a picture corresponding to the clinical descriptions of Asperger syndrome.

Adaptation, Psychological↗