TY  - JOUR
PY  - 1998//
TI  - Serotonergic functioning in depressed abused children: clinical and familial correlates
JO  - Biological psychiatry
A1  - Kaufman, J.
A1  - Birmaher, B.
A1  - Perel, J.
A1  - Dahl, R. E.
A1  - Stull, S.
A1  - Brent, D.
A1  - Trubnick, L.
A1  - al-Shabbout, M.
A1  - Ryan, N. D.
SP  - 973
EP  - 981
VL  - 44
IS  - 10
N2  - BACKGROUND: The goal of this study was to examine serotonergic functioning and concomitant clinical and familial correlates in depressed abused children. METHODS: L-5-Hydroxytryptophan (L-5-HTP) (0.8 mg/kg) was administered intravenously to 10 depressed abused (MDD-AB), 10 depressed nonabused (MDD-NA), and 10 normal control nonabused (NC-NA) children. The children in the two nonabused cohorts represent a small matched subset of children from a larger interlocking study of the psychobiology of depression. Blood samples for prolactin and cortisol were collected from 30 min before to 2.5 hours after L-5-HTP infusion. RESULTS: The MDD-AB children secreted significantly more prolactin post-L-5-HTP than the children in the other two groups. There were no differences in baseline prolactin or any of the cortisol measures. Total prolactin post-L-5-HTP was significantly correlated with clinical ratings of aggressive behavior (rho = .48). In addition, children with a family history positive for suicide attempt (MDD-AB: n = 7; MDD-NA: n = 5; NC-NA: n = 2) secreted significantly more prolactin post-L-5-HTP than children with no family history of suicide. CONCLUSIONS: Dysregulation in the serotonergic system in abused children appears to be related to both familial and experiential factors.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0006-3223
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -