Biochemical differences in children with conduct disorder socialized and undersocialized.

The authors compared plasma dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH), platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO), whole blood serotonin, and RBC catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) in 25 children with conduct disorder and 20 control children. They found that children diagnosed as having conduct disorder undersocialized had significantly lower DBH activity than children diagnosed as having conduct disorder socialized and the control group. The children with conduct disorder socialized had significantly higher COMT activity than the other two groups. When children with a diagnosis of conduct disorder plus a diagnosis of attention deficit disorder were compared with the control group, no significant biochemical differences were found because of the mixing of the two diagnoses.