title: GH response to intravenous clonidine challenge correlates with history of childhood trauma in personality disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Childhood trauma is a risk factor for personality disorder. We have previously shown that childhood trauma is associated with increased central corticotrophin-releasing hormone concentration in adults with personality disorder. In the brain, the release of corticotrophin-releasing hormone can be stimulated by noradrenergic neuronal activity, raising the possibility that childhood trauma may affect the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis by altering brain noradrenergic function. In this study, we sought to test the hypothesis that childhood trauma is associated with blunted growth hormone response to the α-2 adrenergic autoreceptor agonist clonidine.
  
  
  METHODS
  All subjects provided written informed consent. Twenty personality disordered and twenty healthy controls (without personality disorder or Axis I psychopathology) underwent challenge with clonidine, while plasma Growth Hormone (GH) concentration was monitored by intravenous catheter. On a different study session, subjects completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and underwent diagnostic interviews.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Contrary to our a priori hypothesis, childhood trauma was associated with enhanced GH response to clonidine. This positive relationship was present in the group of 40 subjects and in the subgroup 20 personality disordered subjects, but was not detected in the healthy control subjects when analyzed separately. The presence of personality disorder was unrelated to the magnitude of GH response.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Childhood trauma is positively correlated with GH response to clonidine challenge in adults with personality disorder. Enhanced rather that blunted GH response differentiates childhood trauma from previously identified negative predictors of GH response, such as anxiety or mood disorder.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Neuroscience & Psychopharmacology Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Royce J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Clinical Neuroscience & Psychopharmacology Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Fanning
authors.affiliation: Clinical Neuroscience & Psychopharmacology Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Emil F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Coccaro
mesh_terms: D058647:Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D003000:Clonidine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D058647:Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Agonists; D013006:Growth Hormone; D003000:Clonidine
keywords: Childhood trauma; Clonidine; Noradrenergic; Personality disorder