ARTICLE
Plasma Cortisol and Aggression in Boys With ADHD

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ABSTRACT

Objective

The results of several studies suggest an inverse relationship between cortisol secretion and aggressive behavior. This study examined basal plasma cortisol levels in aggressive and nonaggressive boys with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Method

The subjects were 23 aggressive and 27 nonaggressive boys with ADHD, aged 7 to 11 years. After 3 days of a low monoamine diet and an overnight fast, an indwelling catheter was inserted into a forearm vein. Samples for plasma cortisol levels were obtained 105 and 115 minutes after insertion of the catheter.

Results

A one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) controlling for body mass revealed no significant difference in plasma cortisol between the aggressive and nonaggressive boys. Furthermore, when the children were alternatively divided on the basis of the presence or absence of a DSM-III-R diagnosis of conduct disorder, a one-way ANCOVA again revealed no significant difference in cortisol levels.

Conclusions

The hypothesized inverse relationship between cortisol secretion and aggressive behavior in boys with ADHD was not found. These findings are consistent with a large body of literature indicating that the biological substrate of aggression is complex and that the identification of biological laboratory markers of aggressive behavior is not a clinically useful strategy at this time. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 1997, 36(5):605–609.

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    This research was supported by NIMH grant 1 R01 MH46448, The William T. Grant foundation's Faculty Scholar's Award Program, and grant 5 M01 RR00071 to the Mount Sinai General Clinical Research Center from the National Center for Research Resources, NIH. Special thanks to Debbie Lazarus for technical support.

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