Postmortem concentrations of gamma -hydroxybutyrate (GHB) in peripheral blood and brain tissue — differentiating between postmortem formation and antemortem intake

Highlights • Postmortem blood and brain GHB concentrations in 221 autopsy cases are presented. • Brain samples were extracted from gray matter in the cerebral cortex of the frontal lobe. • Consideration of decomposition level is important in the interpretation of GHB intoxications. • Brain is propos...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Forensic science international 2017-03, Vol.272, p.154-158
Main Authors: Thomsen, Ragnar, Rasmussen, Brian Schou, Johansen, Sys Stybe, Linnet, Kristian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Blood
Brain
Brain measurement
Death
Decomposition
Drugs
Fatalities
Forensic sciences
Gamma-hydroxybutyrate
GHB
Ingestion
Intakes
Intoxication
Pathology
Postmortem
Sex crimes
Urine
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Summary:Highlights • Postmortem blood and brain GHB concentrations in 221 autopsy cases are presented. • Brain samples were extracted from gray matter in the cerebral cortex of the frontal lobe. • Consideration of decomposition level is important in the interpretation of GHB intoxications. • Brain is proposed as a useful matrix for identification of GHB intake. • A cut-off of 10 mg/kg for brain tissue may be appropriate in cases with limited decomposition.
ISSN:0379-0738
1872-6283
DOI:10.1016/j.forsciint.2016.12.038