The Link between Suicidality and Electroencephalography Asymmetry: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

As one of the leading causes of death globally, suicide has been researched extensively to better understand factors that confer risk or resilience for suicidality. Promising areas of the literature have focused on brain-based factors that might indicate susceptibility to suicide. Some studies have investigated the link between electroencephalography (EEG) asymmetry, referring to differences in electrical activity in the brain from the left to right hemisphere, and suicidality. The present study is a comprehensive review and meta-analysis of the literature to see if certain patterns in EEG asymme-try serve as a diathesis for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The results of the current investigation found that EEG asymmetry was not systematically related to suicide based on the literature reviewed. While the present review does not rule out all brain-based factors, the findings suggest that EEG asymmetry may not be a biomarker for suicidality.

Automated summary

As a leading cause of death worldwide, suicide has been extensively researched to better understand the factors that contribute to suicide risk or resilience. Some studies have examined the association between electroencephalography (EEG) asymmetry, which refers to differences in brain activity between the left and right hemispheres, and suicidality. This comprehensive review and meta-analysis found that EEG asymmetry was not consistently related to suicide based on the reviewed literature. While this review does not rule out all brain-based factors, the findings suggest that EEG asymmetry may not be a biomarker for suicidality.