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Brain weight in completed suicide and other cases of death–comparison of recent and previous studies

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Abstract

Background

The weight of human brains is subject of numerous scientific research studies particularly in anatomy, pathology, and forensic medicine. Just a few investigations deal with a possible correlation between psychiatric disorders, especially suicidality, and brain weight. The results are contradictory.

Aims

This study aims to find out if postmortem brain weight is higher in suicide victims considering the discrepancies of previous studies.

Method

In a retrospective study, the weight of brains obtained by autopsies performed in the Institute of Legal Medicine in Frankfurt, Germany, was evaluated. Data of 99 suicide cases (64 males, 35 females) were compared with those obtained from similar number cases of sudden death in a matched pair analysis. In each case, body weight, height, and body mass index were also taken into account.

Results

No significant differences in brain weight were found in suicide victims compared to those of the control group.

Conclusions

The brain weight depends on various parameters such as gender, age, body height, and weight. The selection criteria for suicide cases as well as for the corresponding control population are essential in evaluating the brain weight in suicide.

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Acknowledgments

The development of a forensic database, which includes among body indices the weight of organs, was realized with the financial assistance of the Dr.-Karl-Wilder-Stiftung and of the Foundation of the Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft e. V. The authors thank D. Mebs for his helpful comments on a draft of this paper and for his assistance in translating the article as well as M. Nager.

Ethical standards

Ethical standards of autopsies and the statistical analysis comply with the current laws of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Legal Medicine, Goethe University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany

    B. Zedler, B. Flaig, M. Parzeller & H. Bratzke

  2. Institute of Biostatistics and Mathematical Modeling, Goethe University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany

    H. Ackermann

Authors
  1. B. Zedler
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  2. B. Flaig
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  3. H. Ackermann
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  4. M. Parzeller
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  5. H. Bratzke
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to B. Zedler.

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Zedler, B., Flaig, B., Ackermann, H. et al. Brain weight in completed suicide and other cases of death–comparison of recent and previous studies. Int J Legal Med 128, 295–301 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-013-0913-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-013-0913-9

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