Citation

Olivier B. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 2004; 1036: 382-392.

Affiliation

Department of Psychopharmacology, Utrecht Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Sorbonnelaan 36, 3584CA Utrecht, the Netherlands. b.olivier@pharm.uu.nl

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1196/annals.1330.022

PMID

15817750

Abstract

The neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT) has been implicated in the modulation of aggression in animals and humans. A longstanding dogma that aggression and serotonergic activity are inversely related has to be abandoned in light of many new findings. Trait and state aggression are differentially regulated by the 5-HT system and different 5-HT receptors seem to be involved. Of the 14 different 5-HT receptors, the 5-HT(1B) receptor, particularly the postsynaptically located 5-HT(1B) heteroreceptor, plays a highly selective role in the modulation of offensive aggression. We are still far from understanding the complex role played by the serotonergic system in the modulation of a complex set of behaviors like aggression.

Language: en