Aggressiveness and hyperactive behaviour as related to adrenaline excretion

Abstract

The central question concerns the relationship between aspects of behaviour and physiological reactions. Measures of sympathetic‐adrenal activity in terms of adrenaline excretion in a normal and a stressful situation as well as teacher ratings of behaviour were analysed for a representative group of 86 boys aged 13. Adrenaline excretion was in both situations significantly negatively related to ratings of aggressiveness, motor restlessness, and concentration difficulties and also to the sum of the latter two, used as an indicator of hyperactive behaviour. The association between hyperactive behaviour and adrenaline excretion persisted in the stressful situation when aggressiveness was controlled, whereas there was no significant relationship between aggressiveness and adrenaline output when hyperactive behaviour was controlled. Furthermore, hyperactive boys differed significantly from non‐hyperactive boys in displaying lower adrenaline excretion in both situations. The results are discussed in terms of low sympathetic‐adrenal reactivity to external demands as a risk factor and as a possible indicator of vulnerability for social and/or pervasive conduct disturbances.

Childhood behaviour as related to subsequent drinking offences and violent offending: a prospective study of 11‐ to 14‐year‐old youths into their fourth decade

“…Our findings here are congruent with the assumptions of some underlying biochemical mechanisms of hyperactive behaviour, including attention difficulties (af Klinteberg and Magnusson, 1989;af Klinteberg and Oreland, 1995). Connections were found between hyperactive behaviour versus low adrenaline excretion and low activity of an indirect marker of central serotonergic turnover.…”

Urinary Catecholamine Excretion and Behavioral Differences in ADHD and Normal Boys

“…The trend for a 30% decrease in urinary EPI concentration in the ADHD subjects is consistent with previous reports of an inverse relationship between EPI excretion and inattentive, restless behaviors (Elwood et al 1986, Frankenhaeuser and Johansson 1975, Klinteberg and Magnusson 1989, Pliszka et al 1994, Tennes et al 1986). The results from the multivariate analyses demonstrate that DOPEG and EPI each contributed significantly to the variance in the behavioral symptoms within the full sample.…”

“…Children with increases in urinary EPI levels during a Stressor situation demonstrated improved selective attention and less deterioration in sustained attention, whereas those with decreases in urinary EPI levels during the Stressor had poorer task performance (Elwood et al 1986). Interestingly, urinary EPI levels have been reported to be significantly lower in ADHD children than in controls (Klinteberg and Magnusson 1989).…”

Individual development: A longitudinal perspective

“…We could early observe a significant correlation in 12-to 13-year-old boys between behavioural problems in terms of aggressiveness/motor restlessness/concentration difficulties and low secretion of adrenaline in the urine, collected in two different situations in school, i.e. after a normal lesson and after an examination (Johansson, Frankenhaeuser and Magnusson, 1973;af Klinteberg and Magnusson, 1989). Other analyses disclosed an interesting interplay between adrenaline output, manifest behaviour, and concentration difficulties .…”