NEUROTRANSMITTER-HORMONAL RESPONSES TO PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS IN PERIPUBERTAL SUBJECTS - RELATIONSHIP TO AGGRESSIVE-BEHAVIOR

The relationship between different degrees of normal aggressiveness (l ow, medium, high) and neurotransmitter-neuroendocrine responses to the administration of psychologically stressful tests (Mental Arithmetic, Stroop Color Word Interference task, Trial Social Stress test) was ex amined in thirty male peripubertal junior school adolescents. Plasma c oncentrations of norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (EPI), ACTH, cortiso l (CORT), growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL) and testosterone (T) we re measured immediately before the beginning of the tests and at their end, 30 min later. High-normal aggressiveness have been found associa ted with significantly higher basal concentrations of NE, ACTH, PRL, a nd T and with a significant increase of GH responses to the stressful stimuli.