HPA Axis Function in Adolescent Antisocial Females

描述（由申请人提供）：最近的数据表明，青春期女孩的反社会行为是一个普遍的问题，而且正在增加，而且很难治疗。这种行为对社会造成的代价也很高，包括犯罪率高、青少年怀孕、性传播疾病、药物滥用和成人适应能力差。反社会的母亲也比其他类型的父母（包括反社会的父亲）生出反社会的儿子的比例更高。关于女性青少年社会病态的生物学方面的研究几乎是不存在的。研究压力反应系统的下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺（HPA）轴部分可能特别有用，因为：1)这些数据可以深入了解女性社会病态的原因；2) HPA轴数据可能有助于揭示母子间反社会行为的代际传递；3) HPA轴功能持续钝化可能与成年后反社会行为的持续表现有关。如果是这样，下丘脑轴功能的测量可能与其他变量一起有用，以确定哪些青少年有不良结果的风险，可能需要更多的强化治疗。根据PI和其他研究小组成员之前对反社会女孩皮质醇水平的两项研究结果，HPA轴的功能可能在这一人群中减弱。然而，早晨基础皮质醇水平的差异不足以回答上述关于下丘脑轴功能在女性社会病态中的作用的问题。因此，本研究对90名15-16岁有品行障碍（CD）的青春期女孩和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）进行研究，有两个主要目的：比较青春期反社会女孩与NCD女孩的HPA轴的功能特征，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的女孩的下丘脑轴功能减弱，持续的反社会行为将与基线和12个月时下丘脑轴活性降低有关。本文所描述的方案将使我们能够确定与非传染性疾病女孩相比，这些女孩的HPA轴功能是否确实减少了，这是否是一种持续的异常，以及这些差异是否在预测反社会行为的持续方面有任何价值。

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.