1. Brain Serotonin Synthesis in Adult Males Characterized by Physical Aggression during Childhood: A 21-Year Longitudinal Study.
- Author
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Booij, Linda, Tremblay, Richard E., Leyton, Marco, Séguin, Jean R., Vitaro, Frank, Gravel, Paul, Perreau-Linck, Elisabeth, Lévesque, Mélissa L., Durand, France, Diksic, Mirko, Turecki, Gustavo, and Benkelfat, Chawki
- Subjects
SEROTONIN antagonists ,SEROTONIN uptake inhibitors ,SEROTONIN syndrome ,NEURAL transmission ,AGGRESSION (Psychology) in children ,AGGRESSION (Psychology) ,CHILD psychology ,CONDUCT disorders in children ,CHILD development ,PHYSIOLOGY - Abstract
Background: Adults exhibiting severe impulsive and aggressive behaviors have multiple indices of low serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission. It remains unclear though whether low 5-HT mediates the behavior or instead reflects a pre-existing vulnerability trait. Methodology/Principal Findings: In the present study, positron emission tomography with the tracer alpha-[
11 C]methyl-Ltryptophan (11 C-AMT) was used to compare 5-HT synthesis capacity in two groups of adult males from a 21-year longitudinal study (mean age ± SD: 27.1±0.7): individuals with a history of childhood-limited high physical aggression (CLHPA; N = 8) and individuals with normal (low) patterns of physical aggression (LPA; N = 18). The C-LHPA males had significantly lower trapping of11 C-AMT bilaterally in the orbitofrontal cortex and self-reported more impulsiveness. Despite this, in adulthood there were no group differences in plasma tryptophan levels, genotyping, aggression, emotional intelligence, working memory, computerized measures of impulsivity, psychosocial functioning/adjustment, and personal and family history of mood and substance abuse disorders. Conclusions/Significance: These results force a re-examination of the low 5-HT hypothesis as central in the biology of violence. They suggest that low 5-HT does not mediate current behavior and should be considered a vulnerability factor for impulsive-aggressive behavior that may or may not be expressed depending on other biological factors, experience, and environmental support during development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2010
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