THE EFFECT OF BUSPIRONE ON CHALLENGING BEHAVIOR IN MENTALLY-RETARDED PATIENTS - AN OPEN PROSPECTIVE MULTIPLE-CASE STUDY

During the past few decades, suggestive evidence has been accumulated that abnormalities in serotonin neurotransmission are involved in the pathogenesis of aggressive behaviour disorders and impulsivity. Suppor t for this idea can be derived from clinical studies using 5-HT1 agoni stic compounds and serotonergic antidepressants. In the present study, the efficacy of the 5-HT1a agonist buspirone was investigated in eigh t patients with mental retardation and severe, long-lasting challengin g behaviour, characterized by aggressive outbursts, self-injurious beh aviour and impulsivity. The findings demonstrate that buspirone, in a daily dosage varying between 20 and 50 mg, may be effective in reducin g this type of behavioural disturbance and associated with an improvem ent in sociability. It is hypothesized that the responsiveness to busp irone treatment may be the result of a de-arousing phenomenon, mediate d via corticosteroid dependent stress homeostatic mechanisms.