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Brain serotonin synthesis in adult males characterized by physical aggression during childhood: a 21-year longitudinal study.

ABSTRACT: Adults exhibiting severe impulsive and aggressive behaviors have multiple indices of low serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission. It remains unclear though whether low 5-HT mediates the behavior or instead reflects a pre-existing vulnerability trait.In the present study, positron emission tomography with the tracer alpha-[(11)C]methyl-L-tryptophan ((11)C-AMT) was used to compare 5-HT synthesis capacity in two groups of adult males from a 21-year longitudinal study (mean age +/- SD: 27.1+/-0.7): individuals with a history of childhood-limited high physical aggression (C-LHPA; N = 8) and individuals with normal (low) patterns of physical aggression (LPA; N = 18). The C-LHPA males had significantly lower trapping of (11)C-AMT bilaterally in the orbitofrontal cortex and self-reported more impulsiveness. Despite this, in adulthood there were no group differences in plasma tryptophan levels, genotyping, aggression, emotional intelligence, working memory, computerized measures of impulsivity, psychosocial functioning/adjustment, and personal and family history of mood and substance abuse disorders.These results force a re-examination of the low 5-HT hypothesis as central in the biology of violence. They suggest that low 5-HT does not mediate current behavior and should be considered a vulnerability factor for impulsive-aggressive behavior that may or may not be expressed depending on other biological factors, experience, and environmental support during development.

SUBMITTER: Booij L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2889822 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Brain serotonin synthesis in adult males characterized by physical aggression during childhood: a 21-year longitudinal study.

Booij Linda L Tremblay Richard E RE Leyton Marco M Séguin Jean R JR Vitaro Frank F Gravel Paul P Perreau-Linck Elisabeth E Lévesque Mélissa L ML Durand France F Diksic Mirko M Turecki Gustavo G Benkelfat Chawki C

PloS one 20100622 6

<h4>Background</h4>Adults exhibiting severe impulsive and aggressive behaviors have multiple indices of low serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission. It remains unclear though whether low 5-HT mediates the behavior or instead reflects a pre-existing vulnerability trait.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>In the present study, positron emission tomography with the tracer alpha-[(11)C]methyl-L-tryptophan ((11)C-AMT) was used to compare 5-HT synthesis capacity in two groups of adult males from a 21-ye ...[more]

PMID: 20582306

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Project description:BackgroundKnowledge on longitudinal patterns and related factors of young children's physical activity (PA) is still scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine patterns and changes of accelerometer-measured PA over time in two to six-year-old children. Furthermore, the aim was to investigate if parental PA, socioeconomic status, sex, weight status, and motor skills are related to child PA over time, using prospective cohort data from a clustered randomized controlled trial.MethodsOne hundred and six children (52% girls) and their parents had PA measured yearly from age two to six with an Actigraph GT3X. The actigraph was worn on the non-dominant wrist for one week; anthropometric data and motor skills, as well as background information, was collected simultaneously. The outcome was counts per minute from the vector magnitude, and linear mixed-effect models were used to answer the research questions.ResultsAmong the children, accelerometer-measured PA increased on average by 11% per year from two years of age (mean 3170 cpm (3007-3334 95% CI)) onwards to six years of age (mean 4369 cpm (4207-4533 95% CI)). From three years of age, children were more active on weekdays than on weekend days. The rate of difference varied across low, medium, and highly active children (based on tertiles). No significant differences in weekdays/weekend PA among the lowest active children was found. Despite this, they were still significantly less active on weekend days than the most active children. Maternal, but not paternal PA was found to be significantly positively related to child PA over time, with a medium to large effect size. But no significant relationships were found between child PA and sex, weight status, or socioeconomic status.ConclusionsPA increased on average with 11% per year, similarly for boys and girls. From three years of age children were more active during weekdays than weekend days. These results indicate that child PA benefits from active stimulation by parents and care takers already from early ages. It is important to identify attributes of possible intervention designs for weekend days for families with young children as well as characterize the least active children.Trial registrationEarly STOPP was prospectively registered in the clinical trials registry: clinicaltrials.gov , ID NCT01198847.

Project description:ImportanceChildhood intrafamilial aggression, a series of aggressive behaviors inflicted by family members, and adulthood mental health are associated with childhood peer bullying (eg, in the neighborhood or in school). However, few studies have been able to identify the contribution of childhood peer bullying to the association between childhood intrafamilial aggression and adult depression.ObjectiveTo examine the mediating role of childhood peer bullying in the association between childhood intrafamilial aggression and depression in adulthood.Design, setting, and participantsThis population-based cross-sectional study used data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Middle-aged and older adults (≥45 years) participated in a CHARLS wave from July 1 to September 30, 2015, and the CHARLS life history survey from June 1 to December 31, 2014, with complete data. A 4-step mediation model with logistic regression was run to test the mediating role of peer bullying. Data analysis was performed from October 1 to 30, 2019.ExposuresChildhood intrafamilial aggression, including parental physical maltreatment and sibling aggression, and peer bullying.Main outcomes and measuresDepressive symptoms measured by a categorical variable derived from the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, based on a cutoff score of 12.ResultsAmong the 15 450 respondents (mean [SD] age, 59.5 [9.9] years; 7987 women [51.7%]), 4422 (28.6%) were exposed to parental physical maltreatment; 986 (6.4%), to sibling aggression; and 2504 (16.2%), to peer bullying in childhood. Respondents experiencing intrafamilial aggression were more likely to be bullied by peers (parental physical maltreatment odds ratio [OR], 2.53 [95% CI, 2.25-2.83]; sibling aggression OR, 3.05 [95% CI, 2.46-3.78]). Children with these adverse experiences were at a higher risk of adult depression symptoms (parental physical maltreatment OR, 1.28 [95% CI, 1.15-1.42]; sibling aggression OR, 1.40 [95% CI, 1.13-1.74]; peer bullying OR, 1.78 [95% CI, 1.56-2.01]). Peer bullying mediated 30% (95% CI, 19%-42%) of the association between childhood parental maltreatment and adult depression and 35% (95% CI, 15%-54%) of the association between sibling aggression and depression symptoms in adulthood.Conclusions and relevanceThis study found that being bullied by peers was a mediator of the association between childhood intrafamilial aggression and depression in adulthood. The findings have important implications to mitigate the effect of early-life stress and promote life-course mental health through dealing with childhood intrafamilial aggression and peer bullying experiences coordinately.

Dataset Information

Brain serotonin synthesis in adult males characterized by physical aggression during childhood: a 21-year longitudinal study.

Publications

Brain serotonin synthesis in adult males characterized by physical aggression during childhood: a 21-year longitudinal study.

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