Leiden University, Clinical Child and Adolescent Studies, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Psychol Med. 2011 Sep;41(9):1815-22. doi: 10.1017/S0033291710002576. Epub 2011 Jan 21.
The peak in age of onset of psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia during puberty and early adulthood suggests a relationship between the expression of psychopathology and the changes in the brain and body that take place during this dynamic maturational period, including a dramatic increase in circulating oestrogens and androgens. This study examined levels of salivary testosterone and oestradiol in adolescents with prepsychotic, prodromal symptoms, as this may mediate risk for psychosis by having an impact on brain development.
In 21 male adolescents with prodromal symptoms and 21 male non-clinical controls levels of testosterone and oestradiol were measured in saliva. Tanner pubertal stage and prodromal symptoms were also assessed.
Levels of testosterone were significantly lower in adolescents with prodromal symptoms as compared with non-clinical controls. No group differences in oestradiol were found. In the total sample, level of testosterone was significantly correlated with age and Tanner pubertal stage.
Our observations are in line with current hypotheses stressing the role of neuroendocrine factors during adolescence in the expression of psychotic symptoms. From a developmental perspective, susceptibility to psychotic disorders increases during adolescence. Our data suggest that testosterone might, in part, mediate this increased vulnerability. Further research is needed to assess the mediating, neural, mechanisms through which testosterone may have an impact on the development of psychotic symptoms. In the search for early risk markers for psychosis, studying neuroendocrine factors might increase our understanding of 'at-risk' developmental pathways.
精神分裂症等精神障碍的发病高峰出现在青春期和成年早期，这表明精神病理学的表现与大脑和身体在这个动态成熟阶段的变化之间存在关系，包括循环雌激素和雄激素的显著增加。本研究检测了有前驱症状的青少年唾液中的睾酮和雌二醇水平，因为这可能通过对大脑发育产生影响来影响精神病的风险。
在 21 名有前驱症状的男性青少年和 21 名非临床对照者中，测量了唾液中的睾酮和雌二醇水平。还评估了 Tanner 青春期阶段和前驱症状。
与非临床对照组相比，有前驱症状的青少年的睾酮水平显著降低。未发现雌二醇的组间差异。在总样本中，睾酮水平与年龄和 Tanner 青春期阶段显著相关。
我们的观察结果与当前强调青春期神经内分泌因素在精神症状表达中的作用的假设一致。从发展的角度来看，青少年时期患精神病的易感性增加。我们的数据表明，睾酮可能在一定程度上介导了这种易感性的增加。需要进一步研究来评估睾酮可能通过哪些神经机制对精神病症状的发展产生影响的中介作用。在寻找精神病的早期风险标志物时，研究神经内分泌因素可能会增加我们对“风险”发育途径的理解。
