Abstract
The Dexamethasone Suppression Test was administered to 13 autistic children and adolescents. Following either 1 or 2 mg of dexamethasone, this test was found to have an overall sensitivity of 84.6% when nonsuppression is defined as levels of cortisol greater than 5 mg/dl. Infantile autism must be included as further evidence of the lack of DST specificity. The authors speculate that infantile autism and major depression may show an underlying abnormal substrate that may be mediated by serotonin and norepinephrine which are ineffective in shutting off cortisol secretion.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 263-265 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry |
Volume | 24 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 1985 |