Florence Thibaut

ERPs associated with familiarity and degree of familiarity during face recognition.

Event-related potentials (ERPs) triggered by three different faces (unfamiliar, famous, and the subjects own) were analyzed during passive viewing. A familiarity effect was defined as a significant difference between the two familiar faces as opposed to the unfamiliar face. A degree of familiarity effect was defined as a significant difference between all three conditions. The results show a familiarity effect 170 ms after stimulus onset (NI70), with larger amplitudes seen for both familiar faces. Conversely, a degree of familiarity effect arose approximately 250 ms after stimulus onset (P2) in the form of progressively smaller amplitudes as a function of familiarity (subject s face < famous face < unfamiliar). These results demonstrate that the structural encoding of faces, as reflected by N170 activities, can be modulated by familiarity and that facial representations acquire specific properties as a result of experience. Moreover, these results confirm the hypothesis that N170 is sensitive to face versus. object discriminations and to the discrimination among faces.

The World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) Guidelines for the biological treatment of paraphilias

Abstract Objectives. The primary aim of these guidelines was to evaluate the role of pharmacological agents in the treatment and management of paraphilia, with a focus on the treatment of adults males. Because such treatments are not delivered in isolation, the role of specific psychosocial and psychotherapeutic interventions was also briefly covered. These guidelines are intended for use in clinical practice by clinicians who diagnose and treat patients with paraphilia. The aim of these guidelines is to improve the quality of care and to aid physicians in clinical decisions. Methods. The aim of these guidelines was to bring together different views on the appropriate treatment of paraphilias from experts representing different continents. To achieve this aim, an extensive literature search was conducted using the English language literature indexed on MEDLINE/PubMed (1990–2009 for SSRIs) (1969–2009 for antiandrogen treatments), supplemented by other sources, including published reviews. Results. Each treatment recommendation was evaluated and discussed with respect to the strength of evidence for its efficacy, safety, tolerability and feasibility. Conclusions. An algorithm was proposed with six levels of treatment for different categories of paraphilias.

Gonadotrophin hormone releasing hormone agonist in cases of severe paraphilia: A lifetime treatment?

Six patients with severe paraphilia were treated with a long-acting gonadotrophin hormone releasing hormone analogue (GnRH-a). In five cases, the antiandrogen treatment ended their deviant sexual behaviour and markedly decreased their sexual fantasies and activities without significant side-effects. The beneficial effects of this treatment were maintained for 7 years in the patient where there was the longest follow-up. Two patients abruptly withdrew front their antiandrogen treatment at the end of the first and third year, respectively. Both relapsed within 8-10 weeks. One of them asked for resumption of antiandrogen treatment. In another case, in order to phase out antiandrogen treatment, testosterone (T) was added to the GnRH-a. In spite of normal T levels, and of resumption of normal sexual activities and deviant fantasies, deviant sexual behaviour did not return. A smoother phasing out of GnRH-a treatment is thought to be better than an abrupt withdrawal. However, the duration of antiandrogen treatment necessary to ensure a complete disappearance of deviant sexual behaviour remains uncertain, but is at least 4 years.

Association study between dopamine D1, D2, D3, and D4 receptor genes and schizophrenia defined by several diagnostic systems

Whether an alteration of dopaminergic function exists in schizophrenia or not, it is tempting to speculate that a genetic abnormality of dopamine (DA) receptors--e i ther structural or affecting gene expression--might play a causative role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Recently, five subtypes of DA receptors were characterized and the human genes corresponding to these different subtypes were cloned and assigned to chromosomes 5q35.1(Dl), l lq22.23(D2), 3q13.3(D3), l lp15.5(D4), and 4p16.1 (D5), respectively (Grandy et al 1989, 1990, 1992; LeConiat et al 1991; Gelernter et al 1992; see Campion et al, 1994). Each of these genes can be regarded as a candidate for a genetic defect in schizophrenia; however, except for a mutation described for the DA D4 receptor in delusional disorder (Catalano et al 1993), no linkage or association between schizophrenia and any of these genes has so far been found (Moises et al 1991; Campion et al 1994; Sabat6 et al 1994; Macciardi et al 1994; Ravindranathan et al 1994). This could be due to the use of incorrect genetic parameters in linkage analyses, or to the etiologic heterogeneity of schizophrenia, but also to misdiagno-

Association study between schizophrenia and monoamine oxidase A and B DNA polymorphisms.

Monoamine oxidases (MAO) A and B, which are encoded by two distinct genes located on the human X chromosome, are both involved in the oxidative metabolism of dopamine. Decreased levels of platelet MAO-B activity has been reported in patients with schizophrenia and genetic variation in MAO activity had been proposed as a significant factor in the etiology of this disease. We carried out an association study using two intragenic polymorphisms within the MAO-A and MAO-B genes in 110 schizophrenic patients and 87 control subjects. For each polymorphic marker, no significant difference in allelic frequencies was observed between patients and controls. Nevertheless, a trend toward an association between allele 1 of the MAO-B gene and paranoid schizophrenia was found. Our results do not support the hypothesis that inherited variants of MAO genes might play a major role in a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia. Since several previous reports found a low MAO-B platelet activity in patients with paranoid schizophrenia, the identification of polymorphisms related to enzyme activity would be useful.

Concordance of deficit and non-deficit subtypes in siblings affected with schizophrenia.

Deficit and non-deficit subtypes were examined for their concordance in 83 sibling pairs of 109 schizophrenic patients belonging to 46 multiply affected families. Using a sib-pair method, we have found that the distribution of deficit and non-deficit syndromes in sibling pairs of schizophrenic patients differed significantly from chance expectation. This familial aggregation suggests that the syndrome may be used to define phenotypes for genetic studies.

Définition et caractéristiques des délinquants sexuels : de la perversion sexuelle à la paraphilie. Considérations éthiques. Populations spécifiques. Comorbidités

Tout au long de l’histoire de l’humanite, chacune des societes humaines a defini un comportement sexuel que l’on pourrait qualifier de conventionnel, etablissant ainsi des limites au-dela desquelles le comportement sexuel est considere comme deviant. Cependant, le concept de deviance sexuelle a evolue, au fil du temps, sous l’influence des changements societaux [1].

Physiopathologie des paraphilies

L’excitation sexuelle depend de multiples facteurs (developpementaux, psychologiques, circuits neuronaux, influence des hormones, etc.) qui sont eux-memes sous l’influence complexe de facteurs culturels et sociologiques.

Données épidémiologiques sur les paraphilies et la criminalité sexuelle

La prevalence de la delinquance sexuelle reste mal connue en France. Elle peut etre evaluee a partir d’elements indirects : n n nen evaluant, parmi les sujets emprisonnes ou eventuellement parmi ceux condamnes et beneficiant d’une injonction ou d’une obligation de soins, le nombre de sujets ayant commis un delit sexuel ; n n nen examinant le nombre de plaintes deposees aupres des services de police ou de gendarmerie pour delit ou crime sexuel ; n n nen interrogeant un echantillon de sujets representatifs de la population generale afin de connaitre le nombre de sujets ayant ete victimes de delit(s) ou crime(s) sexuel(s) ; n n nen interrogeant un echantillon de sujets representatifs de la population generale afin de connaitre le nombre de sujets declarant une paraphilie.

Législation dans le domaine de la prévention de la criminalité sexuelle

La loi du 17 juin 1998, relative a la prevention et a la repression des infractions sexuelles ainsi qu’a la protection des mineurs, tout en aggravant la repression a l’egard des auteurs de crimes et delits sexuels, prevoit la possibilite d’un suivi medical et psychologique adapte.