HPA Axis Function in Adolescent Antisocial Females

描述(申请人提供)：最近的数据表明，青春期的反社会行为在女孩中是一个普遍存在的问题，而且正在增加，而且很难治疗。这种行为对社会来说也是代价高昂的，因为犯罪率高，青少年怀孕，性传播疾病，药物滥用和不良的成年人适应能力。反社会的母亲生反社会的儿子的比率也高于任何其他类型的父母，包括反社会的父亲。关于女性青少年社交反常的生物学方面的研究几乎是不存在的。研究应激反应系统的下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺(HPA)轴部分可能特别有用，因为：1)这类数据可以揭示女性社会病的原因；2)HPA轴数据可能有助于揭示反社会行为在母亲和儿子之间的代际传递；以及3)持续钝化的HPA轴功能可能与成年后继续表现出反社会行为有关。如果是这样的话，HPA轴功能的测量结合其他变量可能是有用的，以确定哪些青少年有不良结局的风险，可能需要更密集的治疗。根据PI和研究小组其他成员之前对反社会女孩皮质醇水平进行的两项研究的结果，似乎HPA轴功能在这一人群中可能会减弱。然而，早晨基础皮质醇水平的差异不足以回答上述关于HPA轴功能在女性社会病中的作用的问题。因此，这项研究对90名患有品行障碍(CD)的15-16岁青春期女孩和90名没有品行障碍(NCD)的女孩(45名没有任何精神障碍；45名有精神疾病)进行了两个主要目的：与NCD女孩相比，表征青春期反社会女孩HPA轴的功能，并确定HPA轴异常是否与持续12个月的反社会症状有关。我们假设患有CD的女孩的HPA轴功能迟钝，持续的反社会行为将与基线和12个月时HPA轴活动降低相关。本文描述的方案将使我们能够确定与NCD女孩相比，这些女孩的HPA轴功能是否真的减弱，这是否是一种持续性的异常，以及这些差异是否对预测持续的反社会行为有任何价值。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Recent data suggest that adolescent antisocial behavior in girls is a prevalent problem that is increasing and is difficult to treat. Such behavior is also costly to society with high rates of delinquency, adolescent pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, substance abuse, and poor adult adjustment. Antisocial mothers also produce antisocial sons at a higher rate than any other type of parent, including antisocial fathers. Research on the biological aspects of female adolescent sociopathy is virtually non-existent. Studying the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis portion of the stress response system may be particularly useful because: 1) such data could provide insight into the cause of female sociopathy; 2) HPA axis data may shed light on the intergenerational transmission of antisocial behavior between mothers and sons; and 3) persistently blunted HPA axis function may be associated with continued manifestation of antisocial behavior in adulthood. If so, measures of HPA axis function may be useful in conjunction with other variables to identify which teens are at risk for poor outcomes and may require more intensive treatment. Based on the results of two prior studies of cortisol levels in antisocial girls done by the PI and other members of the research team, it appears that HPA axis function may be diminished in this population. However, differences in morning basal cortisol levels are insufficient for answering the questions described above about the role of HPA axis function in female sociopathy. Thus, this study of 90 15-16 year old adolescent girls with Conduct Disorder (CD) and 90 girls without CD (NCD) (45 without any psychiatric disorder; 45 with psychiatric illness) has two main aims: to characterize the function of the HPA axis in adolescent antisocial girls compared to NCD girls and to determine if HPA axis abnormalities are associated with persistence of antisocial symptoms over a 12-month period. We hypothesize that HPA axis function is blunted in girls with CD and that continued antisocial behavior will be associated with lower HPA axis activity at baseline and 12 months. The protocol described herein will enable us to determine if HPA axis function is actually diminished in these girls compared to NCD girls, whether this is a persistent abnormality, and if these differences have any value in predicting continuation of antisocial behavior.