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PubMed2003

Binge eating behaviours, depression and weight control strategies.

The aim of this paper was to explore the relationships between depressive symptoms and weight control strategies in DSM-IV eating disordered patients with binge eating behaviours. We hypothesised that weight control strategies characterised by a loss of control, such as vomiting and purging, may be clinically associated with increased levels of depression. The study population consisted of 402 consecutive outpatients: 27 with binge eating/purging anorexia nervosa (AN-BN), 213 with purging bulimia nervosa (BN-P), 73 with non-purging bulimia nervosa (BN-NP), and 89 with binge eating disorder (BED). The severity of depression was measured using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and binge eating behaviours were investigated using the self-report scale for bulimic behaviours. In the sample as a whole, the severity of depression significantly correlated with the severity of binge eating behaviours, but no significant differences were found in the severity of depression by diagnostic sub-types. In order to avoid the confounding erasing effect of time, a smaller sample of patients with a short history of binge eating behaviours was further explored. Furthermore, because weight control strategies and the eating disorder diagnostic sub-types overlapped imperfectly, the patients were compared on the basis of presence or absence of strategies reflecting an active attempt to master the weight gain due to bingeing behaviours. The patients adopting active control strategies (N = 14) had significantly less severe depressive symptoms than those adopting non-active weight control strategies (N = 39). Finally, the Authors discuss some hypotheses concerning the defensive role of weight control strategies and the impact of illness duration on the clinical expression of depression in eating disordered patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Evaluation of the effects of a specific alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist, atipamezole, on alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptor subtype binding, brain neurochemistry and behaviour in comparison with yohimbine.

In the present study we evaluated the alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptor subtype binding, central alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist potency, as well as effects on brain neurochemistry and behavioural pharmacology of two alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonists, atipamezole and yohimbine. Atipamezole had higher selectivity for alpha 2- vs. alpha 1-adrenoceptors than yohimbine regardless of the subtypes studied. Both compounds had comparable affinity for the alpha 2A-, alpha 2C- and alpha 2B-adrenoceptors, but yohimbine had significantly lower affinity for the alpha 2D-subtype. This may account for the fact that significantly higher doses of yohimbine than atipamezole were needed for reversal of alpha 2-agonist (medetomidine)-induced effects in rats (mydriasis) and mice (sedation and hypothermia). The effect on central monoaminergic activity was estimated by measuring the concentrations of transmitters and their main metabolites in whole brain homogenate. At equally effective alpha 2-antagonising doses in the rat mydriasis model, both drugs stimulated central noradrenaline turnover (as reflected by increase in metabolite levels) to the same extent. Atipamezole increased dopaminergic activity only slightly, whereas yohimbine elevated central dopamine but decreased central 5-hydroxytryptamine turnover rates. In behavioural tests, atipamezole (0.1-10 mg/kg) did not affect motor activity but stimulated food rewarded operant (FR-10) responding (0.03-3 mg/kg) whereas yohimbine both stimulated (1 mg/kg) and decreased (> or = 3 mg/kg) behaviour in a narrow dose range in these tests. In the staircase test, both antagonists increased neophobia, but in the two compartment test only yohimbine (> or = 3 mg/kg) decreased exploratory behaviour. The dissimilar effects of the antagonists on neurochemistry and behaviour are thought to be caused by non alpha 2-adrenoceptor properties of yohimbine. In conclusion, the alpha 2-antagonist atipamezole blocked all alpha 2-adrenoceptor subtypes at low doses, stimulated central noradrenergic activity and had only slight effects on behaviour under familiar conditions, but increased neophobia. The low affinity for the alpha 2D-adrenoceptor combined with its unspecific effects complicates the use of yohimbine as pharmacological tool to study alpha 2-adrenoceptor physiology and pharmacology.

Adrenergic alpha-Agonists↗
PubMed2000

Behaviour in early treated phenylketonuria: a systematic review.

UNLABELLED: A search was made of the literature on behaviour in early treated phenylketonuria (PKU). Some 34 publications were selected for systematic review in order to answer the following questions: (1) does behaviour in early treated subjects with PKU differ from that in the general population?, (2) if so, do the differences show any consistent pattern?, matter in real life?, relate to intellectual status, phenylalanine (Phe) control or social factors? and (3) can behavioural problems be precipitated or reversed by changes in Phe control?. Eleven reports based on four studies of > 20 subjects provided the most useful data. There was good evidence of differences between subjects with PKU and their unaffected peers in behaviour and perception of self. The pattern of results was consistent across nations and age groups (higher scores on emotional/neurotic items and lower scores on anti-social/aggressive items) and suggested that subjects with PKU are more prone to depression, anxiety, phobic tendencies, isolation from their peers and a less "masculine" self image. Features of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and associations between behaviour problems and both lower IQ and a worse quality of Phe control were well documented in several studies. CONCLUSION: The literature did not allow for definite conclusions on the cause of the behavioural problems but, taken together, the findings suggest that both the stressful dietary intervention and a degree of neurobiological impairment are likely to play a part.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Disruptive and dangerous behaviour by patients on acute psychiatric wards in three European centres.

BACKGROUND: The disturbed behaviour of acute in-patients can have serious consequences, and methods of management are contentious and vary between countries. Little is known about this variation and its relationship to the characteristics of in-patient populations. AIM: The aim of this study was to compare rates and patterns of disturbed behaviours and containment methods in acute psychiatric wards in three centres in the United Kingdom, Italy and Greece. METHOD: A retrospective survey of medical and nursing records (n=838) at seven hospitals for the first 2 weeks of patients' admissions was done using a structured data collection tool. RESULTS: Nearly all types of disruptive behaviour varied by centre, with rates being generally higher in the UK and lowest in Italy. Specific relationships between different behaviours were replicated across all three centres. Ethnic minority patients were more likely to be subject to containment measures in all centres, even when their behaviours did not differ from the majority. Rates of containment method use were only partially related to the frequency of disturbed behaviour. CONCLUSIONS: More research is required to discover the efficacy of varying containment methods, with a view to minimising their use. Gross international and inter-hospital variation demands large samples rather than single site studies. Clinicians need to reflect upon containment rates that may be, in some places, excessive and incorrectly targeted.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2002

Serotonergic intervention affects both social dominance and affiliative behaviour.

RATIONALE: Deficiencies in serotonin function have been associated with irritability and aggression but enhancing serotonin has also been shown to promote social status and affiliative behaviour in non-human primates and more recently in humans. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of citalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), on social behaviour with a flatmate and a stranger. METHODS: Ten pairs of healthy volunteers took part in a randomized double-blind crossover study of 2 weeks treatment with citalopram (20 mg/day) and placebo with a 2-week washout period. In each pair, one person (subject) took the tablets and the other (flatmate) received no treatment. On the last day of each treatment period, the subjects socially interacted with a confederate behaving as a responsive person in a stranger-dyadic social interaction paradigm. After the interaction, subjects played the Mixed-motive game, which measures cooperative behaviour and communication, with the confederate. The flatmates evaluated the social behaviour of the subjects before and at the end of the treatment periods. RESULTS: On citalopram, the subjects were rated as significantly less submissive by their flatmates and they showed a dominant pattern of eye contact in the stranger-dyadic social interaction paradigm. They also reduced the number of points they awarded themselves and sent more cooperative messages during the game. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that administration of an SSRI can modify social status in different interactions and increase affiliative behaviour. They implicate a role for serotonin in modulating social aspects of behaviour.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Evidence of cross-tolerance between behavioural effects of nicotine and cocaine in mice.

RATIONALE: Studies have reported that chronic exposure to nicotine does not alter the effects of cocaine on locomotor activity, and vice versa. However, the apparent lack of effect of one drug on the behavioural response to the other may be due to an exclusive focus on locomotor activity as the target behaviour. OBJECTIVE: To test whether repeated pretreatment with nicotine causes tolerance or sensitization to cocaine's effects on diverse behaviours: locomotion, rearing, grooming, and immobility. Similarly, the effects of repeated cocaine treatment on the acute response to nicotine were also tested. METHODS: Mice were pretreated with 14 injections of nicotine (0.3 mg/kg), cocaine (5 mg/kg) or saline, the injections being given once daily, except for three breaks of two days each. Two days after the final pretreatment injection, mice were given a challenge injection of saline, cocaine (3 or 5 mg/kg) or nicotine (0.3 or 1 mg/kg), and observed in a large test cage for 40 min using a time-sampling procedure. RESULTS: Repeated administration of either drug produced some tolerance to subsequent challenge with the same dose of the drug. Prior nicotine exposure significantly attenuated cocaine-induced decreases in grooming and increases in rearing, but did not significantly affect other behaviours. In contrast, prior cocaine exposure failed to alter nicotine's effects on any behaviour. CONCLUSIONS: Cross-tolerance between nicotine and cocaine (but not vice-versa) can be demonstrated if several behaviours are observed; measures of locomotor activity are less sensitive to the effect. The asymmetrical pattern of cross-tolerance may be due to differential inhibition of dopamine uptake by the two drugs.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Cocaine disrupts both behavioural inhibition and conditional discrimination in rats.

RATIONALE: Stimulant addicts exhibit increased behavioural disinhibition under the influence of the drug. In laboratory animals, however, the effects of amphetamine on behavioural disinhibition are equivocal, and the effects of cocaine have not been investigated. OBJECTIVES: The current set of experiments was designed to test the effects of cocaine on behavioural disinhibition and to assess whether the possible impairments are due to deficits in conditional discrimination or attention. METHODS: Separate groups of rats were trained to respond in an asymmetrically reinforced Go/No-go task, a Conditional discrimination task or a Vigilance task. Upon reaching criterion performance, animals were treated with cocaine (0-20 mg/kg) immediately prior to testing. RESULTS: Cocaine (15 mg/kg) increased No-go interval responses, indicating an increase in behavioural disinhibition. Conditional discrimination was also impaired by cocaine (15 and 20 mg/kg); animals made more incorrect trials per completed trial. Cocaine-treated animals also made more premature responses in this task, indicating increased behavioural disinhibition independent of a conditional discrimination deficit. Finally, cocaine (0-20 mg/kg) had no effect on vigilance. CONCLUSIONS: Administration of moderate to high doses of cocaine increases behavioural disinhibition, and this increase may be independent of an impairment in conditional discrimination.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed2004

Infusion of the substance P analogue, DiMe-C7, into the ventral tegmental area induces reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behaviour in rats.

RATIONALE: The mesocorticolimbic dopamine (DA) system is critically involved in mediating reinstatement of drug-seeking behaviour. Substance P (SP) is a neuropeptide that significantly interacts with the mesocorticolimbic system, therefore suggesting a possible role for the SP system in the mediation of relapse. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the effects of injections of the SP analogue, DiMe-C7, into the ventral tegmental area (VTA) on reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behaviour, as well as on locomotor activity in rats. Additionally, this study examined whether these effects are DA-dependent. METHODS: Rats were trained to self-administer cocaine for 15 days followed by 15 days of extinction. Reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behaviour was then measured in response to bilateral intra-VTA microinjections of DiMe-C7 (0, 0.1, 0.5 and 2.5 microg). In a separate group of rats, locomotor activity was measured in response to intra-VTA injections of DiMe-C7 (0, 0.5, 1.5 and 3 microg). The effects of pre-treatment with DA receptor antagonists on DiMe-C7-induced reinstatement and locomotor activity were also examined. Animals were pre-treated with the D(1) and D(2) receptor antagonists, SCH23390 and haloperidol (0, 0.01 and 0.03 mg/kg, IP), respectively, prior to receiving intra-VTA injections of DiMe-C7 (0 and 2.5 microg). RESULTS: Infusion of DiMe-C7 into the VTA increased locomotor activity and induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behaviour. Both SCH23390 and haloperidol blocked intra-VTA DiMe-C7-induced locomotor activation. In addition, SCH23390 attenuated DiMe-C7-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behaviour, while haloperidol had no effect. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that interactions between SP and the mesocorticolimbic DA system may play a role in mediating reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behaviour and that the involvement of these interactions in reinstatement are dependent upon D(1) receptor mechanisms.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Human nicotine conditioning requires explicit contingency knowledge: is addictive behaviour cognitively mediated?

RATIONALE: Two seemingly contrary theories describe the learning mechanisms that mediate human addictive behaviour. According to the classical incentive theories of addiction, addictive behaviour is motivated by a Pavlovian conditioned appetitive emotional response elicited by drug-paired stimuli. Expectancy theory, on the other hand, argues that addictive behaviour is mediated by an expectancy of the drug imparted by cognitive knowledge of the Pavlovian (predictive) contingency between stimuli (S+) and the drug and of the instrumental (causal) contingency between instrumental behaviour and the drug. AIMS AND METHOD: The present paper reviewed human-nicotine-conditioning studies to assess the role of appetitive emotional conditioning and explicit contingency knowledge in mediating addictive behaviour. RESULTS: The studies reviewed here provided evidence for both the emotional conditioning and the expectancy accounts. The first source of evidence is that nicotine-paired S+ elicit an appetitive emotional conditioned response (CR), albeit only in participants who expect nicotine. Furthermore, the magnitude of this emotional state is modulated by nicotine deprivation/satiation. However, the causal status of the emotional response in driving other forms of conditioned behaviour remains undemonstrated. The second source of evidence is that other nicotine CRs, including physiological responses, self-administration, attentional bias and subjective craving, are also dependent on participants possessing explicit knowledge of the Pavlovian contingencies arranged in the experiment. In addition, several of the nicotine CRs can be brought about or modified by instructed contingency knowledge, demonstrating the causal status of this knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these data suggest that human nicotine conditioned effects are mediated by an explicit expectancy of the drug coupled with an appetitive emotional response that reflects the positive biological value of the drug. The implication of this conclusion is that treatments designed to modify the expected value of the drug may prove effective.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Behavioural effects of acute and repeated cocaine treatments: a comparative study in sensitisation-prone RHA rats and their sensitisation-resistant RLA counterparts.

RATIONALE: Dopamine (DA) transmission is critically involved in the motor effects of psychostimulants and opiates, as well as in the augmentation of these effects resulting from repeated drug administration-a process termed behavioural sensitisation. The latter is known to play a central role in the development and maintenance of drug addiction as well as in the high frequency of relapse observed in drug addicts following detoxification. The selective breeding of Roman high- (RHA) and low-avoidance (RLA) rats for extreme performances in the acquisition of avoidant behaviour has generated two phenotypes that differ in the functional properties of the mesocortical and mesolimbic DA systems and in their behavioural and neurochemical responses to the acute administration of psychostimulants and opiates. More recently, we showed that repeated morphine or amphetamine injections induce behavioural sensitisation in RHA, but not RLA, rats. OBJECTIVE: To further characterize the differences in the susceptibility to develop psychostimulant sensitisation between the Roman lines, we evaluated the behavioural effects of acute cocaine (5 and 10 mg kg(-1), i.p.) 1 day before and 8 days after repeated administration of saline (2 ml kg(-1), i.p.) or cocaine (10 mg kg(-1), i.p. for 14 consecutive days). RESULTS: We show that repeated cocaine administration elicits augmented behavioural responses to both challenge doses of the same drug only in RHA rats. CONCLUSIONS: The Roman lines represent a useful model to investigate how, and to what extent, the genetic make-up influences the neural substrates of individual vulnerability to addiction.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Behavioural profiles in the mouse defence test battery suggest anxiolytic potential of 5-HT(1A) receptor antagonists.

RATIONALE: Compounds varying in selectivity as 5-HT1A receptor antagonists have recently been reported to produce anxiolytic-like effects comparable to those of benzodiazepines in the mouse elevated plus-maze procedure. OBJECTIVE: In view of the potential clinical significance of these findings, the present experiments compared the behavioural effects of diazepam (0.5-3.0 mg/kg) with those of several non-selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonists [NAN-190, 0.1-3.0 mg/kg, MM-77, 0.03-1.0 mg/kg, (S)-UH-301, 0.3-3.0 mg/kg and pindobind-5-HT1A, 0.03-1.0 mg/kg], and three selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonists (WAY100635, 0.01-3.0 mg/kg, p-MPPI, 0.1-3.0 mg/kg and SL88.0338, 0.3-3.0 mg/kg) in the mouse defence test battery (MDTB). METHODS: In this well-validated anxiolytic screening test, Swiss mice are directly confronted with a natural threat (a rat) as well as situations associated with this threat. Primary measures taken during and after rat confrontation were flight, risk assessment (RA), defensive threat/attack and escape attempts. RESULTS: Diazepam significantly decreased flight reactions after the rat was introduced into the runway, reduced RA activities of mice chased by the rat, increased RA responses displayed when subjects were constrained in a straight alley and reduced defensive upright postures and biting upon forced contact. All the selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonists and NAN-190 also reduced flight, RA in the chase test, and defensive threat and attack behaviours. (S)-UH-301 and pindobind-5-HT1A reduced RA in the chase test, but only partially modified defensive threat and attack. Unlike the other drugs tested, MM-77 produced significant effects only at doses which also markedly reduced spontaneous locomotor activity, suggesting a behaviourally non-specific action. In contrast to diazepam, the 5-HT1A receptor ligands failed to affect RA in the straight alley test. Following removal of the rat from the test area, only diazepam and (S)-UH-301 reduced escape behaviour (contextual defence) at doses which did not decrease locomotion. Overall, the present findings indicate that except for one RA behaviour and escape responses, the 5-HT1A receptor ligands studied modified the same defensive behaviours as diazepam, suggesting potential therapeutic efficacy in the management of anxiety disorders. However, the magnitude of the effects of the 5-HT1A compounds on defence was generally smaller than that of the benzodiazepine. CONCLUSION: As all of the 5-HT1A compounds tested in this series share antagonistic activity in models of postsynaptic 5-HT1A receptor function, it is proposed that this action accounts for their effects on defence.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

A comparison between Dark Agouti and Sprague-Dawley rats in their behaviour on the elevated plus-maze, open-field apparatus and activity meters, and their response to diazepam.

RATIONALE: Preliminary unpublished studies in our laboratory suggested that the behaviour of Sprague-Dawley (SD) and Dark Agouti (DA) rats was markedly different on both the elevated plus maze and in the open-field apparatus. We wished to confirm and extend this initial finding. OBJECTIVE: The study was designed to examine the behaviour of SD and DA rats in the elevated plus maze, open-field apparatus and automated activity meters. The response of both strains on the elevated plus maze following diazepam (1 mg/kg and 1.5 mg/kg) administration was subsequently investigated. RESULTS: DA rats showed markedly greater anxiety-like behaviour than SD rats in both the plus maze and open field, with fewer percentage open/total arm entries and percentage time spent on open/total arms in the plus maze and fewer crossings in the open field. Acute handling plus administration of vehicle abolished this difference in anxiety levels, with DA rats showing similar open-arm behaviour to that of SD rats. Both strains demonstrated a clear anxiolytic response to diazepam (1 mg/kg) in terms of percentage time spent on the open arms, but only SD rats had a statistically significant increase in percentage open-arm entries compared with vehicle-injected control animals. CONCLUSIONS: While the high level of anxiety-like behaviour of DA rats versus SD rats could prove useful in future ethological studies on anxiety, the fact that acute handling decreased the anxiety-like behaviour on the elevated plus maze may limit the value of this strain for the study of putative anxiolytic drugs.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Alzheimer's disease and frontal variant of frontotemporal dementia-- a very brief battery for cognitive and behavioural distinction.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether a brief neuropsychological battery consisting of a limited number of cognitive tests and an evaluation of the behavioural domains intended to discriminate between frontotemporal dementia (fv-FTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), constitutes a useful instrument for making a differential clinical diagnosis between these two pathologies. Nineteen fv-FTD and 39 AD patients were compared on cognitive tasks (assessing memory, executive functions, language and constructional praxis) and on the NPI behavioural assessment. A stepwise discriminant analysis was performed to identify the linear combination of cognitive and behavioural measures able to best discriminate between the two groups. One test for each of the investigated cognitive domains (Delayed Prose Recall, FAS verbal fluency, Boston naming test, Rey's Figure A Copy) and the four subscales of the Neuropsychiatry Inventory (NPI) which best differentiated between fv-FTD and AD patients (apathy, disinhibition, euphoria, aberrant motor behaviour) were used. The analysis selected Rey's Figure A Copy, FAS verbal fluency and NPI apathy subscale as the best discriminants between fv-FTD and AD patients. The final equation assigned 73.7% of the fv-FTD patients and 94.7% of the AD patients to the correct diagnostic group. A validation study conducted on a new independent sample of 11 fv-FTD and 22 AD patients confirmed the high sensitivity (82.6 %) and specificity (81.8%) of the diagnostic equation in assigning fv-FTD and AD patients to the correct dementia group. Although both cognitive and behavioural differences exist between FTD and AD, previous studies have aimed at differentiating the two pathologies by considering the two aspects separately and discriminant analyses were focused only on neuropsychological or neuropsychiatric evaluations. The present results emphasise the importance of rating both cognitive and behavioural clinical features of the two syndromes as objectively as possible to improve differential diagnostic accuracy.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Autistic-like behaviour profile and psychiatric morbidity in Fragile X Syndrome: a prospective ten-year follow-up study.

In subjects with Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), the mutation of Fragile X Mental Retardation Type 1 ( FMR-1) gene at Xq27.3 predisposes to Mental Retardation (MR), autistic-like behaviour and to a variety of psychiatric syndromes. However, the longitudinal course of autistic-like behaviour profile and psychiatric morbidity is untested. In this study, we followed up people with FXS for 10 years to establish the stability of their autistic- like behaviour profile and psychiatric morbidity. The autisticlike behaviour profile was assessed using Brief Disability Assessment Schedule (B-DAS) and relevant items from Handicaps, Behaviour and Skills (HBS) Schedule. The psychiatric morbidity was assessed using data from the case notes, Mini Psychiatric Assessment Schedule for Adults with Developmental Disability (Mini PAS-ADD) and clinical interview. Our findings suggest that the autistic-like behaviour pattern is a stable phenotypic feature of FXS, but for increase in resistance to change over time. There is a tenfold increase in the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in FXS compared to the general population, which does not increase significantly over time.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Informant, gender and age differences in ratings of adolescent problem behaviour.

The aim of this study was to determine gender and age differences and agreement among the reports of adolescent problem behaviour by parents, teachers, and adolescents themselves. For 1,122 11- to 18-year-olds, reports by parents, teachers, and adolescents were obtained. Multivariate regressions were performed to investigate the effect of informant, gender, and age on problem behaviour. Adolescents reported higher levels of problems than parents and teachers for all types of behaviour. Parents reported higher levels of problem behaviour than teachers. Gender differences among informants were dependent on type of problem behaviour. With increasing age, scores of adolescents, parents, and teachers diverged for most types of problems, with larger differences for older adolescents than for younger adolescents. Norms for adolescents need age adjustments for reports by adolescents, parents, and teachers. To obtain a complete view on children's problem behaviours information from multiple informants and differences among them is needed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

The development of antisocial behaviour from childhood to adolescence. A longitudinal twin study.

Recent theory proposes that aggressive and nonaggressive antisocial behaviour (ASB) represent different pathways toward delinquency. It has also been suggested that Aggressive ASB is heritable, whereas nonaggressive ASB is more influenced by shared environment. The twin study of child and adolescent development is a Swedish population-based study of 1,480 twin pairs. The present study included 1,226 twin pairs. We used the parental-reported Aggression and Delinquency scales from the CBCL measured at age 8-9. Delinquent behaviour was measured through self-report at age 16-17. We explored how genetic and environmental effects influence the relationships between aspects of ASB in childhood and adolescent delinquency using structural equations modelling. For girls we found that the relationship between Aggressive Behaviour and Self-Reported Delinquency was explained by genetic influences. The correlation between Delinquent Behaviour and Self-Reported Delinquency was due to continuity of genetic influences. For boys, there was no significant mediation between Aggressive Behaviour and Self-Reported Delinquency, but there were significant shared environmental effects on the relationship between Delinquent Behaviour and Self-Reported Delinquency. Our results suggest that there are sex differences in the development of ASB. The hypothesis that the aggressive pathway is genetically mediated was supported in girls, whereas the hypothesis that the nonaggressive pathway is environmentally dependent was supported in boys.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Suicidal ideation, deliberate self-harm behaviour and suicide attempts among adolescent outpatients with depressive mood disorders and comorbid axis I disorders.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to analyse and compare prevalence and associated clinical features of suicidal ideation, self-harm behaviour with no suicidal intent and suicide attempts among adolescent outpatients with depressive mood disorders with or without comorbidity. METHOD: A sample of 218 consecutive adolescent outpatients aged 13-19 years with depressive mood disorders was interviewed using K-SADS-PL for DSM-IV Axis I diagnoses. They filled out self-report questionnaires assessing depressive and anxiety symptoms. Suicidal behaviour was assessed by K-SADS-PL suicidality items. RESULTS: Half of the subjects reported suicidal ideation or behaviour. There was no difference in prevalence of suicidal behaviour between non-comorbid and comorbid mood disorder groups. Multivariate logistic regression analyses produced the following associations: (1) suicidal ideation with self-reported depressive symptoms and poor psychosocial functioning, (2) deliberate self-harm behaviour with younger age and poor psychosocial functioning, and (3) suicide attempts with self-reported depressive symptoms and poor psychosocial functioning. CONCLUSIONS: Depressed mood disorders, whether comorbid or not, are associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Diagnostic assessment should be supplemented by self-report methods when assessing suicidal behaviour in depressed adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Behavioural problems and autism in children with hydrocephalus : a population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of behavioural problems and autism in a population-based group of children with hydrocephalus and to see whether learning disabilities, cerebral palsy (CP), epilepsy, myelomeningocele (MMC) or preterm birth increase the risk of these problems. METHOD: In the 107 children with hydrocephalus born in western Sweden in 1989-1993, behaviour was assessed using the Conners' parent rating scales in 66 and the teacher's rating scales in 57. Autism was investigated using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale. RESULTS: Parents rated 67% of the children and teachers 39% of the children as having behavioural problems (>1.5 SD, or T score >65). Learning disabilities increased the risk significantly and almost all the children with CP and/or epilepsy had behavioural problems. Autism was present in nine children (13%), in 20% of those without MMC and in one of 26 with MMC. Autism was significantly more frequent in children with learning disabilities (27% vs. 7%) and in children with CP and/or epilepsy (33% vs. 6%). CONCLUSION: The majority of children with hydrocephalus have behavioural problems and many have autism. It is therefore important to assess and understand all the aspects of cognition and behaviour in these children in order to minimise disability and enhance participation for the child.

Autistic Disorder↗