Changes in ion channel expression during in vitro differentiation of trout oligodendrocyte precursor cells

A prospective study of conduct disorder (CD) was conducted using 4 annual structured diagnostic interviews of 171 clinic-referred boys, their parents, and their teachers. Only about half of the 65 boys who met criteria for CD in Year 1 met criteria again during the next year, but 88% met criteria for CD again at least once during the next 3 years. For most boys with CD, the number of symptoms fluctuated above and below the diagnostic threshold from year to year but remained relatively high. Lower socioeconomic status, parental antisocial personality disorder (APD), and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder were significant correlates of CD in Year 1, but the interaction of parental APD and the boy's verbal intelligence predicted the persistence of CD symptoms over time (i.e., only boys without a parent with APD and with above-average verbal intelligence clearly improved).     

Predicting Future Antisocial Personality Disorder in Males From a Clinical Assessment in Childhood.

It is essential to identify childhood predictors of adult antisocial personality disorder (APD) to target early prevention. It has variously been hypothesized that APD is predicted by childhood conduct disorder (CD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or both disorders. To test these competing hypotheses, the authors used data from a single childhood diagnostic assessment of 163 clinic-referred boys to predict future APD during early adulthood. Childhood Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., rev.; American Psychiatric Association, 1987) CD, but not ADHD, significantly predicted the boys' subsequent APD. An interaction between socioeconomic status (SES) and CD indicated that CD predicted APD only in lower SES families, however. Among children who met criteria for CD, their number of covert but not overt CD symptoms improved prediction of future APD, controlling for SES. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conduct disorder: Parsing the confounded relation to parental divorce and antisocial personality.

Previous research has shown an association between parental divorce and child conduct problems. This relation is confounded, however, because antisocial personality disorder (APD) is common among the parents of children with conduct disorder (CD) and divorce is very frequent for adults with this disorder. Twenty-eight clinic-referred boys who received a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III; American Psychiatric Association, 1980) diagnosis of conduct disorder and 34 who received any other diagnosis served as subjects. A 2 (APD vs. not APD)?×? 2 (divorced vs. not divorced) log-linear analysis revealed a significant main effect for APD with the number of sons given the diagnosis of conduct disorder as the dependent variable, but the main effect for divorce and the interaction were not significant. Among boys with divorced parents, more than twice as many boys with a parent with APD received a diagnosis of CD than boys without a parent with APD, but there was no significant association between divorce and CD in the absence of parental APD. A similar 2?×?2 analysis of variance of the number of 13 specific DSM-III symptoms of conduct disorder resulted in essentially identical findings. These results suggest the hypothesis that parental APD is directly linked to both parental divorce and child CD, but the divorce and CD are not directly related. Methodological limitations of the present dataset are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictive validity of childhood oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder: Implications for the DSM-V.

Data are presented from 3 studies of children and adolescents to evaluate the predictive validity of childhood oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD) as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM–IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) and the International Classification of Diseases, Version 10 (ICD-10; World Health Organization, 1992). The present analyses strongly support the predictive validity of these diagnoses by showing that they predict both future psychopathology and enduring functional impairment. Furthermore, the present findings generally support the hierarchical developmental hypothesis in DSM–IV that some children with ODD progress to childhood-onset CD, and some youth with CD progress to antisocial personality disorder (APD). Nonetheless, they reveal that CD does not always co-occur with ODD, particularly during adolescence. Importantly, the present findings suggest that ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for ODD, which treat CD symptoms as ODD symptoms when diagnostic criteria for CD are not met, identify more functionally impaired children than the more restrictive DSM–IV definition of ODD. Filling this “hole” in the DSM–IV criteria for ODD should be a priority for the DSM–V. In addition, the present findings suggest that although the psychopathic trait of interpersonal callousness in childhood independently predicts future APD, these findings do not confirm the hypothesis that callousness distinguishes a subset of children with CD with an elevated risk for APD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Yeast cells expressing differential levels of human or yeast DNA topoisomerase II: a potent tool for identification and characterization of topoisomerase II-targeting antitumour agents

A large school-based sample of children in Grades 1, 2, 3, and 4 were screened for disruptive behavior and subsequently assessed over a 5-year period for DSM-III-R symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other externalizing and internalizing behavior disorders. Parents completed structured diagnostic interviews in Years 1, 4, and 5, and teachers completed Behavioral Assessment for Children-Teacher Rating Scales behavioral ratings annually. For parent-derived diagnostic data, both inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptom groups declined from Year 1 to Year 4, with hyperactivity showing more significant decline. For teacher-rated behavioral dimensions, the Attention Problems scale declined from Year 1 to Year 3 and stabilized thereafter. The Hyperactivity scale showed stability during the first 3 years before declining in Year 4. Of those children diagnosed with ADHD in Year 1, 69% still met criteria for ADHD in either Year 4 or 5. Persisters were more likely to exhibit coexisting conduct disorder in Year 1 and oppositional defiant disorder in Years 1, 4, and 5. Parents of persisters reported more psychosocial adversity on measures of parenting and marital satisfaction.     

Familial risk factors to oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder: Parental psychopathology and maternal parenting.

In a sample of 177 clinic-referred children (aged 7–13 yrs), an association was found between a diagnosis of conduct disorder (CD) and several aspects of family functioning: maternal parenting (supervision and persistence in discipline) and parental adjustment (paternal antisocial personality disorder and paternal substance abuse). Children with oppositional defiant disorder were intermediate to families of children with CD and clinic control children on all variables, but differed from control children only in having a higher rate of paternal substance abuse and paternal antisocial personality disorder (APD). When both parental APD and deviant maternal parenting were entered into 2?×?2 logit-model analyses predicting CD, only parental APD was significantly associated with CD, and no interactions between parental adjustment and maternal parenting were found. The importance of these findings for understanding the etiology of CD and for disentangling correlated risk factors in future studies is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuropsychological characteristics and test behaviors of boys with early onset conduct problems.

School-age children and adolescents with conduct problems typically exhibit deficits in verbal IQ, language abilities, and executive functions. This study examined the extent to which this pattern was evident in a clinic group of preschool boys with early onset conduct problems who met criteria for oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A 2nd question focused on the strength of relation between clinic boys' uncooperative or inattentive test behaviors and their test performance. As expected, the clinic boys showed a neuropsychological profile highly similar to the one found in older conduct problem populations. Verbal tests distinguished clinic from matched comparison boys even after controlling for observers' ratings of disruptive behavior during testing. Clinic boys with ODD and ADHD had lower verbal and executive function scores than clinic boys with ODD alone. After general vocabulary knowledge and test behavior were controlled, clinic boys were found to have poorer vocabularies for describing affective states than comparison group boys. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prospective analysis of personality and behavioral vulnerabilities and gender influences in the later development of disordered eating.

This article presents the 2-year findings of a prospective investigation of the precursors to the later development of an eating disorder in adolescents. The sample consisted of 852 girls and 815 boys who began the study in Grades 7–10 and participated for 3 consecutive years. For both genders, the strongest predictors of Year 3 risk status were Years 1 and 2 risk scores. When the effects of Year 1 and Year 2 risk were controlled, race (Caucasian) and poor interoceptive awareness at Year 2 were significant predictors of disordered eating at Year 3 for girls. Previous risk status was the only significant predictor of Year 3 risk for boys. Gender difference evaluations in the risk score components indicated that a significantly greater proportion of girls than boys endorsed behaviors that were similar to eating disorder diagnostic criteria. Poor interoceptive awareness may provide a vulnerability for eating disorders; possible pathways were discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social phobia, avoidant personality disorder and atypical depression: co-occurrence and clinical implications

BACKGROUND: Increasing attention has been directed in recent years to the detection and treatment of psychiatric co-morbidity among depressed individuals. The overlap of social phobia (SP) and avoidant personality disorder (APD) has been well recognized and a relationship between these disorders and depression has been suggested. METHODS: The pattern and clinical implications of co-morbidity of SP and APD with major depressive disorder (MDD), diagnosed by DSM-III-R criteria, were studied among 243 out-patients presenting with depression. RESULTS: Overall, 26.7% of adults in our sample with MDD met criteria for SP and 28.4% for APD. Almost two-thirds of depressed adults meeting criteria for social phobia or avoidant personality disorder met criteria for both (SP+APD). Depressed adults who met criteria for both SP+APD exhibited a significantly higher proportion of atypical depression (54.8%) compared with those with neither SP nor APD (31.1%). Among depressed patients, the co-occurrence of SP with APD was also associated with an earlier age of onset of MDD, a greater number of comorbid Axis I diagnoses, and greater impairment of social adjustment and assertiveness. CONCLUSIONS: Results confirm the overlap of SP and APD in a depressed population and the high prevalence of these disorders in MDD. They suggest that depressed individuals with both SP and APD but not SP alone are at particularly high risk for atypical depression and for social dysfunction in excess of that caused by a current major depression.     

Clarifying the role of defensive reactivity deficits in psychopathy and antisocial personality using startle reflex methodology.

Prior research has demonstrated deficits in defensive reactivity (indexed by potentiation of the startle blink reflex) in psychopathic individuals. However, the basis of this association remains unclear, as diagnostic criteria for psychopathy encompass two distinct phenotypic components that may reflect differing neurobiological mechanisms—an affective–interpersonal component and an antisocial deviance component. Likewise, the role of defensive response deficits in antisocial personality disorder (APD), a related but distinct syndrome, remains to be clarified. In the current study, the authors examined affective priming deficits in relation to factors of psychopathy and symptoms of APD using startle reflex methods in 108 adult male prisoners. Deficits in blink reflex potentiation during aversive picture viewing were found in relation to the affective–interpersonal (Factor 1) component of psychopathy, and to a lesser extent in relation to the antisocial deviance (Factor 2) component of psychopathy and symptoms of APD—but only as a function of their overlap with affective–interpersonal features of psychopathy. These findings provide clear evidence that deficits in defensive reactivity are linked specifically to the affective–interpersonal features of psychopathy and not to the antisocial deviance features represented most strongly in APD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interactions between early parenting and a polymorphism of the child's dopamine transporter gene in predicting future child conduct disorder symptoms.

Mounting evidence suggests that genetic risks for mental disorders often interact with the social environment, but most studies still ignore environmental moderation of genetic influences. The authors tested interactions between maternal parenting and the variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism in the 3′ untranslated region of the dopamine transporter gene in the child to increase understanding of gene–environment interactions involving early parenting. Participants were part of a 9-year longitudinal study of 4- to 6-year-old children who met criteria for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and demographically matched controls. Maternal parenting was observed during standard mother–child interactions in Wave 1. The child's conduct disorder (CD) symptoms 5–8 years later were measured using separate structured diagnostic interviews of the mother and youth. Controlling for ADHD symptoms and child disruptive behavior during the mother–child interaction, there was a significant inverse relation between levels of both positive and negative parenting at 4–6 years and the number of later CD symptoms, but primarily among children with 2 copies of the 9-repeat allele of the VNTR. The significant interaction with negative parenting was replicated in parent and youth reports of CD symptoms separately. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of antisocial personality disorder in detained youths: The predictive value of mental disorders.

Antisocial personality disorder (APD) is a serious public and mental health concern. Understanding how well conduct disorder (CD) and other mental disorders predict the development of APD among youths involved in the juvenile justice system is critical for prevention. The authors used a stratified random sample of 1,112 detained youths to examine the development of APD at a 3-year follow-up interview. Nearly one fifth of male juvenile detainees later developed APD; approximately one quarter of male juvenile detainees with CD at baseline later developed APD. Significantly more males than females developed APD; no differences were found by race/ethnicity. Having 5 or more symptoms of CD, dysthymia, alcohol use disorder, or generalized anxiety disorder was significantly associated with developing modified APD (M-APD; APD without the CD requirement). Some disorders were strong predictors of APD; however, none were adequate screeners for identifying which detainees would later develop M-APD. The findings of this study have implications for interventions and further research in developmental psychopathology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Antisocial personality disorder, conduct disorder, and substance abuse in schizophrenia.

The validity of subtypes based on antisocial personality disorder (APD) or childhood conduct disorder without adult APD (CD only) in patients with schizophrenia (or schizoaffective disorder) and a substance use disorder (abuse or dependence) was examined. APD patients scored lower on personality measures related to socialization and higher on antisocial bebavior, psychopathy, and aggression. APD patients also reported higher rates of aggression and legal problems. APD, and to a lesser extent CD only, was associated with more severe psychiatric symptoms, an earlier age of onset of substance abuse, more severe symptoms of substance abuse, and a stronger family history of substance abuse and psychiatric hospitalization. The findings suggest that schizophrenia patients with APD represent a high-risk subgroup vulnerable to more severe substance abuse, psychiatric impairment, aggression, and legal problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contribution of ADHD symptoms to substance problems and delinquency in conduct-disordered adolescents

We examined adolescents with conduct disorder (CD) and substance problems to determine if those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptomatology had more severe delinquency and substance involvement. ADHD symptomatology was assessed in two ways: (1) by self-reports using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC) and (2) by use of DISC plus reports of others (parents, program staff, and program teacher). We divided boys into three ADHD groups based on DISC: those who met criteria, those who reported at least eight current symptoms, and those who reported fewer than eight symptoms. We also divided the same boys into two groups: those with reports of ADHD by two or more sources and those without this multisource ADHD. Examining these definitions of ADHD revealed that boys with either self- or multisource ADHD had more CD symptoms, earlier age of CD onset, more substance dependence diagnoses, and more comorbid depression and anxiety.     

Worries and obsessions in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder with and without comorbid generalized anxiety disorder

Participants from the DSM-IV field trial for OCD (N = 381) were divided into two groups based on the SCID interview: those who met current criteria for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) but not generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and those who met current diagnostic criteria for both. The groups were compared on their severity of obsessive and compulsive symptoms, as well as on the percent of individuals who reported excessive worry concerning everyday issues (e.g. health, finances). The comorbidity rate was 20%. While the presence of GAD did not elevate OCD symptoms per se, it was associated with more pathological responsibility and indecisiveness. Excessive worries were significantly more common in those with comorbid OCD and GAD. The relationship between obsessions and worries is discussed.     

Diagnostic conundrum of oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder.

Evidence for a diagnostic distinction of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD) is reviewed, and alternative conceptualizations and definitions for the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) are considered. Studies suggest that CD and ODD are strongly and developmentally related but clearly different. Factor analyses indicate that distinct covarying groups of ODD and CD symptoms can be identified, but certain symptoms relate to both (particularly mild aggression and lying). Age of onset for ODD is earlier than for most CD symptoms. Nearly all youths with CD have a history of ODD, but not all ODD cases progress to CD. The disorders demonstrate the same forms of parental psychopathology and family adversity but to a greater degree for CD than for ODD. Alternative conceptualizations for the disorders are presented for further study before the introduction of the DSM-IV. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of parental anxiety in the treatment of childhood anxiety

Sixty-seven children aged 7 to 14 who met diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder were assigned to conditions according to parental anxiety level. Within these conditions, children were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatments: child-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or child-focused CBT plus parental anxiety management (CBT + PAM). At posttreatment, results indicated that within the child-anxiety-only condition, 82% of the children in the CBT condition no longer met criteria for an anxiety disorder compared with 80% in the CBT + PAM condition. Within the child + parental anxiety condition, 39% in the CBT condition no longer met criteria compared with 77% in the CBT + PAM condition. At follow-up, these differences were maintained, with some weakening over time. Results were not consistent across outcome measures. The interpretation and potential clinical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Validity of the distinction between generalized social phobia and avoidant personality disorder.

Disorders of pervasive social anxiety and inhibition are divided into 2 categories: generalized social phobia (GSP) and avoidant personality disorder (APD). The authors explored the discriminative validity of this categorization by examining the comorbidity of GSP and APD and by comparing these groups on anxiety level, social skills, dysfunctional cognitions, impairment in functioning, and presence of concurrent disorders. Results from 23 Ss showed high comorbidity of the 2 diagnoses: All Ss who met criteria for APD also met criteria for GSP. APD was associated with greater social anxiety, impairment in functioning, and comorbidity with other psychopathology, but no differences in social skills or performance on an impromptu speech. GSP and APD seem to represent quantitatively different variants of the same spectrum of psychopathology rather than qualitatively distinct disorders. The authors also investigated a proposed social phobia subtyping scheme. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder from preschool diagnostic assessments.

The present study examined the power of measures of early preschool behavior to predict later diagnoses of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)/conduct disorder (CD). Participants were 168 children with behavior problems at age 3 who underwent a multimethod assessment of ADHD and ODD symptoms and were followed annually for 3 years. Fifty-eight percent of 3-year-old children with behavior problems met criteria for ADHD and/or ODD/CD 3 years later. Using a diagnostic interview and rating scales at age 3, the authors could accurately predict later diagnostic status for 3/4 of children for ADHD and for 2/3 of children for ODD/CD. Predictive power of the best models did not increase significantly at age 4 and age 5 compared with age 3. Results provide support for the validity of early diagnoses of ADHD, although caution is needed in making diagnoses because a significant minority of children with early hyperactivity and inattention do outgrow their problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Avoidant personality disorder and the generalized subtype of social phobia.

Social phobia and avoidant personality disorder (APD) may be given as comorbid diagnoses. However, it is not known if the labels provide independent, useful diagnostic information. The authors classified social phobics by social phobia subtype and presence of APD. Generalized social phobics with and without APD (ns?=?10 and 10) and nongeneralized social phobics without APD (n?=?10) were distinguished on measures of phobic severity. The generalized groups also showed earlier age at onset and higher scores on measures of depression, fear of negative evaluation, and social anxiety and avoidance than did the nongeneralized group. APD criteria of general timidity and risk aversion were more frequently endorsed by social phobics with AD. The data suggest that both the generalized subtype of social phobia and the presence of APD do provide useful diagnostic information, but the additional diagnosis of APD may simply identify a severe subgroup of social phobics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)