CRF AND PERSONALITY DISORDERS

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Introduction: Childhood trauma is a risk factor for many psychopathologies, including personality disorder. Although the mechanism in humans by which childhood trauma affects the brain to cause personality disorder is unknown, animal models exist which implicate the hypothalamic-pitutary axis. Animal models in rats and monkeys find evidence that early life trauma causes an upregulation in the expression of brain corticotrophin-releasing factor along with increased behavioral stress reactivity. Pilot data that has already been collected is consistent with a direct realtionship between history of childhood trauma and adult CSF corticotropin-releasing factor levels. The specific aim of the proposed project is to investigate the realtionship between history of childhood trauma as measured by the Childhood Truama Questionnaire and stress hormone alterations in adult, personality disordered subjects.