Platelet serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor characteristics and parenting factors for boys at risk for delinquency: a preliminary report.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the cross-sectional association between platelet membrane serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor variables in children and characteristics of their parents that place these children at risk for antisocial behavior.

METHOD

As part of a larger prospective study investigating predictors of antisocial behavior, 38 younger brothers of convicted delinquents provided platelet samples; samples from 34 boys (mean age=8.3 years) were usable. The authors determined the density (Bmax) and affinity (Kd) of platelet membrane 5-HT2A receptors by using [3H]lysergic acid diethylamide. They also measured parental characteristics related to serotonergic dysfunction in prior studies, the quality of parent-child interactions, and psychiatric profiles of the boys who provided platelets.

RESULTS

Bmax was significantly lower in boys whose parents had histories of substance abuse or incarceration. Bmax was also inversely related to harsh parenting; boys raised in environments characterized by frequent parental physical punishment and anger had a significantly lower Bmax. Bmax was not related to boys' disruptive behavior.

CONCLUSIONS

In boys at risk for antisocial behavior, the density of 5-HT2A receptors on platelets is inversely related to parental factors known to place youth at risk for antisocial behavior.