Related Experiment Videos
Serotonergic functioning in children with oppositional defiant disorder: a sumatriptan challenge study
Heddeke Snoek1, Stephanie H M van Goozen, Walter Matthys
1Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, B01-201, University Medical Center Utrecht, PO Box 85500, Utrecht 3508 GA, The Netherlands.
Background:
Several studies support the notion that disturbances in the central serotonergic function are related to impulsive aggression. There is recent evidence from studies on 5-HT(1B) knock-out mice that this specific receptor is involved in impulsive aggressive behavior. The aim of the present study was to investigate 5-HT(1B/1D) receptor functioning in normal intelligent hospitalized children with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD).
Methods:
The growth hormone (GH) response to a challenge with the 5-HT(1B/1D) agonist sumatriptan was examined in 20 children with an ODD, of whom 13 had an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder comorbidity, and 15 normal control subjects (NC). Blood samples for growth hormone were collected repeatedly between 8:30 and 12:00 AM. Sumatriptan was administered at 10 AM. The effect of stress due to this procedure was assessed by measuring salivary cortisol.
Results:
The GH response was significantly stronger in the children with ODD. After sumatriptan injection NC children showed a significant increase in cortisol; no such pattern was present in the ODD group.
Conclusions:
The results suggest that the postsynaptic 5-HT(1B/1D) receptor is functionally more sensitive in children with ODD.