Quantitative EEG Investigations of Genital Exhibitionism

Abstract

Forty-three male genital exhibitionists and 46 normal controls,. all right handed, and matched for age, sex, and education, were studied with quantitative EEG during resting conditions, with eyes open and eyes closed, and during two cognitive tasks (Vocabulary subtest of the WAIS-R, oral word fluency), and during spatial cognitive processing (Block Design subtest of the WAIS-R). Results indicated that EEG Power and Coherence were significantly different in the exhibitionist group, particularly during verbal processing. The findings occurred in the delta, theta, and alpha frequencies and were of increased power and reduced inter-hemispheric coherence. No significant findings emerged between groups during visual-spatial cognitive activation in any frequency bands or conditions, neither in terms of power nor coherence. These results are consistent with the growing body of evidence which suggests that sexual anomalies in the male relate to altered left hemispheric functions with disruption of inter-hemispheric relationships.

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