The role of neurotransmitters on aggression
NEUROTRANSMITTERS AND AGGRESSION
LARISSA BATISTA
PSY 407
SUMMARY According to various scientific research studies conducted over the past three decades suggest that central neurotransmitters play a key role in the modulation of aggression in all mammalian species including humans. Specific neurotransmitters systems involved in aggression include serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, GABA, and neuropeptides such as vasopressin and oxytocin. Neurotransmitters not only help to execute basic behavioral components but also serve to modulate these preexisting behavioral states by amplifying or reducing their effects (Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, 2011)
THE BIOLOGY AND GENETICS OF AGGRESSION Aggression is a form of behavior with the goal of causing damage to another individual. Evolutionarily it developed in response to competition for mates or vital resources. In humans aggressive behavior has become more nuanced, but its goals and causes are essentially the same. A genetic basis for aggression is shown in animals by the ability to selectively breed aggressive behavior to produce extremely aggressive strains in individuals. In humans, twin studies have also made clear that aggression has a strong genetic component. The role of the hormone testosterone is certainly involved, although the exact pathways are unclear. Brain levels of the neurotoxin serotonin correlate with aggression, and genetic manipulation of these levels can enhance or reduce aggressive behavior. A role for the neurotransmitter nitrous oxide has been demonstrated to influence aggression in both animals and humans (William R. Clark and Michael Grunstein 2014). Other than maternal aggression, most aggressive encounters among human and non-human animals represent a male proclivity; thus, studies using the most appropriate murine model: testosterone-dependent offensive inter-male aggression, which is typically measured in resident-intruder
LARISSA BATISTA
PSY 407
SUMMARY According to various scientific research studies conducted over the past three decades suggest that central neurotransmitters play a key role in the modulation of aggression in all mammalian species including humans. Specific neurotransmitters systems involved in aggression include serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, GABA, and neuropeptides such as vasopressin and oxytocin. Neurotransmitters not only help to execute basic behavioral components but also serve to modulate these preexisting behavioral states by amplifying or reducing their effects (Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, 2011)
THE BIOLOGY AND GENETICS OF AGGRESSION Aggression is a form of behavior with the goal of causing damage to another individual. Evolutionarily it developed in response to competition for mates or vital resources. In humans aggressive behavior has become more nuanced, but its goals and causes are essentially the same. A genetic basis for aggression is shown in animals by the ability to selectively breed aggressive behavior to produce extremely aggressive strains in individuals. In humans, twin studies have also made clear that aggression has a strong genetic component. The role of the hormone testosterone is certainly involved, although the exact pathways are unclear. Brain levels of the neurotoxin serotonin correlate with aggression, and genetic manipulation of these levels can enhance or reduce aggressive behavior. A role for the neurotransmitter nitrous oxide has been demonstrated to influence aggression in both animals and humans (William R. Clark and Michael Grunstein 2014). Other than maternal aggression, most aggressive encounters among human and non-human animals represent a male proclivity; thus, studies using the most appropriate murine model: testosterone-dependent offensive inter-male aggression, which is typically measured in resident-intruder
References: Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit (2011) , Department of Psychiatry, The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Retrieved April 9, 2014, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22078480 William R. Clark and Michael Grunstein (2014) The Generics of aggression. Retrieved from http://oxfordindex.oup.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195178005.003.0009 BBC News Wales (2011) Cardiff University on brain chemistry and aggression, Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-14467942 Dongju Seo, Christopher J. Patrick, and Patrick J. Kennealy (2008), Role of Serotonin and Dopamine System Interactions in the Neurobiology of Impulsive Aggression and its Comorbidity with other Clinical Disorders. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2612120/ Haden, Sara Chiara (2008, October 26). Norepinephrine and Aggression. SciTopics. Retrieved April 15, 2014, from http://www.scitopics.com/Norepinephrine_and_Aggression.html