The British Journal of Psychiatry (2007) 190: 410-414. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.106.027847
© 2007 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
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Serotonergic function in children with attention – deficit hyperactivity disorder

Relationship to later antisocial personality disorder

Janine D. Flory, PhD

Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York

Jeffrey H. Newcorn, MD

Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York

Carlin Miller, PhD and Seth Harty, MS

Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York

Jeffrey M. Halperin, PhD

Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York and Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York

Correspondence: Dr Janine D. Flory, Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York (CUNY), 65-30 Kissena Boulevard, SB–318 Flushing, NY 11367, USA. Email: janine.flory{at}qc.cuny.edu

Declaration of interest None.

Funding detailed in Acknowledgements.

Background Impulsive aggression in adulthood is associated with disturbances in serotonergic function. In contrast, research examining this association in childhood has yielded inconsistent results.

Aims The current study examined the prospective relationship between serotonergic function measured in childhood and the later emergence of antisocial personality disorder.

Method Hormonal response to fenfluramine, an index of serotonergic function, was assessed in 58 children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder between 1990 and 1997 when they were aged 7-11 years. Approximately 9 years later these individuals were evaluated for antisocial personality disorder.

Results Lower serotonergic responsivity assessed in childhood predicted the development of antisocial personality disorder (t (56)=2.25, P=0.028).

Conclusions These results provide a critical link between the child and adult literature on the covariation of impulsive aggression and serotonergic function and suggest a potential explanation for inconsistencies in the childhood literature.


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