Do the presence of Barr bodies in male jail inmates indicates criminality: A pilot study

BACKGROUND: Cytogenetic studies from past decades have shown that interphase cells of female cats contain a densely stained chromatin mass in their nuclei called as Barr bodies (BBs) named after the scientist Murray Barr. BBs are unique chromatin structures formed due to the condensation of the X-chromosome. Many psychopathic disorders originate from defective genes including the multiple X syndromes. Males with extra X-chromosome generally present with severe personality disorder. The present study was conducted to determine the presence of extra X-chromosome in male jail inmates through the detection of BB in peripheral blood and buccal smear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study included 100 male subjects (fifty jail inmates and fifty controls), after obtaining the consent, peripheral blood smears (PBS) and buccal smears (BS) were prepared and stained using Leishman's and cresyl violet stain respectively. One hundred neutrophils in PBS and epithelial cells in BS were screened for detection of the BB; accumulated data were tabulated and statistically analyzed using t-test and Chi-square test. RESULTS: 60% of cases in PBS and 36% in BS showed positivity for the presence of BB in jail inmates as compared to 14% of cases in PBS and none in BS were positive for BB in controls. CONCLUSION: Presence of BB in male suggests increased likelihood of criminal tendencies. Further studies are to be carried out to compare the results with karyotyping.