title: Neuroendocrine correlates of the type A behavior pattern: a review and new hypotheses.
abstract: Various studies have tried to identify the possible neuroendocrine correlates of the action/emotion complex defined as Type A behavior pattern. Type A subjects have been observed quite consistently to respond to laboratory stressors with a greater sympathetic nervous system response than Type B subjects. There also seems to be a trend towards a hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis in Type A individuals. The clinical relevance of these findings lies in the fact that there is an increasing clinical and laboratory evidence of a pathogenic role of catecholamines in coronary artery disease (CAD) and that some of these neuroendocrine correlates might actually be the mediators of the risk of CAD conferred by the Type A behavior pattern. We hypothesize that dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S), an adrenal weak androgen, is inversely correlated with the degree of Type A behavior pattern and this hypothesis seems to be confirmed by the results of a preliminary investigation that we have conducted.
mesh_terms: D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000502:physiology; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate; D006728:Hormones / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000502:physiology*; D014434:Type A Personality
chemical_list: D006728:Hormones; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate