Am J Psychiatry 1997; 154:1430-1435
Copyright © 1997 by American Psychiatric Association
Central serotonin activity and aggression: inverse relationship with prolactin response to d-fenfluramine, but not CSF 5-HIAA concentration, in human subjects
EF Coccaro, RJ Kavoussi, TB Cooper and RL Hauger
Department of Psychiatry, MCP Hahnemann School of Medicine, Allegheny University of the Health Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
OBJECTIVE: This study compared the nature and magnitude of the relationship
between aggression and CSF 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5- HIAA)
concentration with that between aggression and the prolactin response to
d-fenfluramine challenge in human subjects. METHOD: The Life History of
Aggression assessment scores of 24 subjects with personality disorders were
compared with their lumbar CSF 5-HIAA concentrations and with their
prolactin responses to d-fenfluramine challenge. RESULTS: Aggression was
significantly and inversely correlated with prolactin responses to
d-fenfluramine challenge but not with lumbar CSF 5-HIAA concentrations in
these subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Prolactin response to d-fenfluramine may be
more sensitive than lumbar CSF 5-HIAA concentration in detecting a
relationship between aggression and central serotonin activity in
noncriminally violent human subjects.
