Sarnoff A. Mednick - Böcker

Gives all the principle research methods and reviews major research programs of longitudinal research in the United States. Volume 1 focuses on the study of cohorts formed at birth or in childhood years.

This book is devoted to schizotypal personality. It provides a comprehensive overview of our knowledge from some of the world's leading researchers in the field, and includes reviews of genetics, neurodevelopment, assessment, psychophysiology, neuropsychology and brain imaging. Central themes are the exploration of categorical and dimensional approaches to the understanding of schizotypal disorder and its relationship to schizophrenia. Valuable introductory and concluding chapters set in context the sometimes divergent opinions and findings presented by the book's contributors and there are reviews of methodological issues and assessment schedules for the benefit of researchers in the field. In setting out to answer, from phenomenological, psychological and neurobiological perspectives, the fundamental question 'What is schizotypal disorder?' and to develop coherent etiological models, this book will serve as an authoritative resource for clinicians and researchers interested in this major personality disorder.

In this century, social factors have dominated theories of antisocial behaviour to the near-exclusion of other explanatory variables in the study of criminology. Criminologists are now coming to realise that fully understanding the causes of criminality requires consideration of both social and biological variables and that their models must take into account the interaction of the two. Reports of the relevant scientific work have previously been scattered through journals with varying disciplinary and geographical limitations. The book presents state-of-the-art investigation into the biological factors that produce criminal activity from authorities in nine countries who are on the forefront of research in behaviour genetics, neurophysiology, biochemistry, neuropsychology, psychophysiology, psychiatry and sociology. The Causes of Crime: New Biological Approaches offers the first comprehensive overview and integration of this new field of enquiry. It will be an invaluable resource for everyone concerned with the causes of criminal behaviour and interventions to reduce its frequency.

This book is devoted to schizotypal personality. It provides a comprehensive overview of our knowledge from some of the world's leading researchers in the field, and includes reviews of genetics, neurodevelopment, assessment, psychophysiology, neuropsychology and brain imaging. Central themes are the exploration of categorical and dimensional approaches to the understanding of schizotypal disorder and its relationship to schizophrenia. Valuable introductory and concluding chapters set in context the sometimes divergent opinions and findings presented by the book's contributors and there are reviews of methodological issues and assessment schedules for the benefit of researchers in the field. In setting out to answer, from phenomenological, psychological and neurobiological perspectives, the fundamental question 'What is schizotypal disorder?' and to develop coherent etiological models, this book will serve as an authoritative resource for clinicians and researchers interested in this major personality disorder.

The papers presented here, written by experts from all parts of the globe, describe efforts that represent a revolutionary moment in the treatment of schizophrenia disorders as, with caution, we begin to shift the standard of treatment toward early intervention and prevention. Contributions are organized according to the early course of psychosis. The book should be of interest to anyone interested in psychotic disorders and the revolutionary impact that the field of early detection and intervention is having on traditional conceptualizations of psychotic illness.

The papers presented here, written by experts from all parts of the globe, describe efforts that represent a revolutionary moment in the treatment of schizophrenia disorders as, with caution, we begin to shift the standard of treatment toward early intervention and prevention. Contributions are organized according to the early course of psychosis. The book should be of interest to anyone interested in psychotic disorders and the revolutionary impact that the field of early detection and intervention is having on traditional conceptualizations of psychotic illness.

This volume is the product of a course on longitudinal prospective re­ search arranged by the three editors in Arhus, Denmark, in 1978. The course was supported by the Nordisk Kulturfond for young researchers from the Nordic countries, who had planned or had simply involved themselves in longitudinal prospective research projects of various kinds. The twenty-six participants represented a wide range of professions: statisticians, psychologists, psychiatrists, nutritionists, and public health researchers. The teachers came from many countries and represented many disciplines. The course was very successful, especially from the point of view of the quality and investment of the teachers. We felt also that the course met a strong need in this relatively new field of research. Therefore, we asked the teachers to prepare written versions of their lectures so that they could have wider dissemination; they agreed to do so. The present book is composed of these contributions. The first chap­ ter, after outlining some of the problems with traditional strategies in mental health research, goes on to suggest some of the possible preven­ tive applications of longitudinal research methods. Included in Parts II and III are papers on design problems and on the tools of long-term research, such as genetics and classification, biological measurements, epidemiological guidelines, statistical models, disease registers, and de­ velopmental psychology.

Katherine Teilmann Van Dusen and Sarnoff A. Mednick This introduction delineates what we consider to be three of the most important impediments to the advance of knowledge in the field of criminology. The most fundamental need is for more studies of the nature and progress of criminal and delinquent careers. The second need is for more prospective, longitudinal studies of the etiology of crime and delinquency. The third need concerns the lack of interdisciplinary research toward a more integrated understanding of delinquent and criminal behavior. Criminal and Delinquent Careers The birth cohort study by Wolfgang, Figlio and Sellin (1972) was heralded by many (Farrington, 1973; Erickson, 1973; Weis, 1974) as a landmark which allowed researchers to study the course of delinquency without the usual sampling biases that plagued other, cross-sectional research. For the first time, we could get a reasonable picture of when delinquency usually starts, what proportion of the population engages in delinquency, what types of delinquencies they engage in, what proportion continue, and so on. Cross sectional studies do not permit the investigation of careers because cross 1 PROSPECTIVE STUDIES OF CRIME AND DELINQUENCY 2 sectional sampling includes only portions of careers for many of the individuals sampled. This is just one of the many problems that restricted researchers' ability to study the nature of criminal careers.

This is the third meeting we have organized which has explored the meaning of fetal neural developmental disruption in the etiology of schiwphrenia. The first was sponsored by the Schiwphrenia Research Branch with the scientific cooperation of Dr. David Shore. We met in Washington; the output of the meeting was published in a book entitled, Fetal Neural Development and Adult Schizophrenia. Cambridge University Press. 1991. The next meeting was an Advanced Research Workshop sponsored by NATO and was held at n Ciocco. Castelvecchio Pascoli. This meeting was reported in a NATO volume. Developmental Neuropathology of Schizophrenia and was edited by Mednick. Cannon. Barr and La Fosse. The current meeting has noted several advances in the field. There are additional psychiatric illnesses which have been found to be related to maternal viral infection in the second trimester. There have been studies reported which have definitely observed a viral infection in the mothers of fetuses who later evidenced schirophrenia. More evidence has been published which has replicated the "second-trimester effect." In the future studies will be wise to provide serological evidence of a viral infection and information on the precise viruses involved. Another important step will be to determine whether second-trimester maternal viral infection is related to a behavioral deficit in the infant. If neural development has been compromised. it might be possible to detect deficits in the infant with the proper measures. We look forward to future meetings at which these new areas might be explored.

This volume reports the proceedings of a NATO Advanced Workshop held in Castelvecchio Pas coli, Italy, from August 28 - September 1, 1989. An important inspiration for this Workshop came from our studies in Helsinki and Denmark, which have found that exposure to an influenza epidemic during the second trimester of fetal development increases the risk of adult schizophrenia. This finding has stimulated an important new hypothesis in the study of the etiology of schizophrenia. It has suggested the possiblity that disturbances of brain development during gestation may contribute to the risk of adult schizophrenia. We determined that it would be of value to bring together schizophrenia researchers and those doing basic studies of the development of the brain. Both groups of researchers were encouraged to communicate at a level that would help other scientists to integrate their knowledge and techniques into their own discipline. For this reason, perhaps, the papers of this volume are remarkably clear and not difficult to understand. The first four chapters describe the neurochemical and structural aspects of brain development. The chapter by Dziegielewska and Saunders discusses transport mechanisms and the properties of endogenous and exogenous substances that control the internal environment of the developing brain. In the second chapter, Nowakowski reports on his studies of the develop­ ment of the hippocampus in mice genetically inbred to exhibit disruptions of neural migration.

Proceedings of a NATO ASI held in Rhodes, Greece, May 12-21, 1996

This book presents reviews of the literature and reports of new findings from research into biological correlates of criminal behavior.

Katherine Teilmann Van Dusen and Sarnoff A. Mednick This introduction delineates what we consider to be three of the most important impediments to the advance of knowledge in the field of criminology. The most fundamental need is for more studies of the nature and progress of criminal and delinquent careers. The second need is for more prospective, longitudinal studies of the etiology of crime and delinquency. The third need concerns the lack of interdisciplinary research toward a more integrated understanding of delinquent and criminal behavior. Criminal and Delinquent Careers The birth cohort study by Wolfgang, Figlio and Sellin (1972) was heralded by many (Farrington, 1973; Erickson, 1973; Weis, 1974) as a landmark which allowed researchers to study the course of delinquency without the usual sampling biases that plagued other, cross-sectional research. For the first time, we could get a reasonable picture of when delinquency usually starts, what proportion of the population engages in delinquency, what types of delinquencies they engage in, what proportion continue, and so on. Cross sectional studies do not permit the investigation of careers because cross 1 PROSPECTIVE STUDIES OF CRIME AND DELINQUENCY 2 sectional sampling includes only portions of careers for many of the individuals sampled. This is just one of the many problems that restricted researchers' ability to study the nature of criminal careers.

This volume is the product of a course on longitudinal prospective re­ search arranged by the three editors in Arhus, Denmark, in 1978. The course was supported by the Nordisk Kulturfond for young researchers from the Nordic countries, who had planned or had simply involved themselves in longitudinal prospective research projects of various kinds. The twenty-six participants represented a wide range of professions: statisticians, psychologists, psychiatrists, nutritionists, and public health researchers. The teachers came from many countries and represented many disciplines. The course was very successful, especially from the point of view of the quality and investment of the teachers. We felt also that the course met a strong need in this relatively new field of research. Therefore, we asked the teachers to prepare written versions of their lectures so that they could have wider dissemination; they agreed to do so. The present book is composed of these contributions. The first chap­ ter, after outlining some of the problems with traditional strategies in mental health research, goes on to suggest some of the possible preven­ tive applications of longitudinal research methods. Included in Parts II and III are papers on design problems and on the tools of long-term research, such as genetics and classification, biological measurements, epidemiological guidelines, statistical models, disease registers, and de­ velopmental psychology.

This book presents reviews of the literature and reports of new findings from research into biological correlates of criminal behavior. The chapters are revised versions of talks given by participants in an Advanced Study Institute sponsored by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and held inCastelvecchio Pascoli in September, 1986. It is our second edited volume on biology and crime. The first book, The Causes of Cdme; New Biological Apwoaches, was published in 1987. In the preface to that book we described the regrettable hi. tory of the paeudobiological research into social problem. conducted by the Social Darwinists at the turn of the century. We requested that that unfortunate legacy not inhibit responsible and scientifically sound investigations of biological and psychological variables in criminology today. Evidence is mounting that showl that research limited to social and environmental vadables cannot explain the behavior of the minority of criminal offenders whose criminal careen begin in adolescence and develop into recidivistic and violent . . saults on society. Certainly these offenders are few, but epidemiological studies have found them to be responsible for an amount of crimes disproportionate to their small numbers. As few . . 5 % of males commit over 50% of criminal offenses. Intervention directed at these relatively few individuals could, if succes. ful, dramatically reduce our growing violent crime rate. The chapters in our earlier book showed that some biological variables do relate to this type of chronic offending.