Am J Psychiatry 1996; 153:538-544
Copyright © 1996 by American Psychiatric Association
Platelet serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor characteristics and parenting factors for boys at risk for delinquency: a preliminary report
DS Pine, GA Wasserman, J Coplan, JA Fried, YY Huang, S Kassir, L Greenhill, D Shaffer and B Parsons
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
OBJECTIVE: This study examined the cross-sectional association between
platelet membrane serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor variables in children and
characteristics of their parents that place these children at risk for
antisocial behavior. METHOD: As part of a larger prospective study
investigating predictors of antisocial behavior, 38 younger brothers of
convicted delinquents provided platelet samples; samples from 34 boys (mean
age=8.3 years) were usable. The authors determined the density (Bmax) and
affinity (Kd) of platelet membrane 5-HT2A receptors by using [3H]lysergic
acid diethylamide. They also measured parental characteristics related to
serotonergic dysfunction in prior studies, the quality of parent-child
interactions, and psychiatric profiles of the boys who provided platelets.
RESULTS: Bmax was significantly lower in boys whose parents had histories
of substance abuse or incarceration. Bmax was also inversely related to
harsh parenting; boys raised in environments characterized by frequent
parental physical punishment and anger had a significantly lower Bmax. Bmax
was not related to boys' disruptive behavior. CONCLUSIONS: In boys at risk
for antisocial behavior, the density of 5-HT2A receptors on platelets is
inversely related to parental factors known to place youth at risk for
antisocial behavior.
