Citation

Dougherty DM, Moeller FG, Bjork JM, Marsh DM. Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 1999; 467: 57-65.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas-Houston Medical School 77030, USA. ddoughrt@msi.uth.tmc.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

10721038

Abstract

There is a well-established relationship between aggression and lowered serotonin neuro-transmission. Recently developed methodologies for manipulating L-tryptophan levels (and brain serotonin) have been applied to human laboratory studies of aggression. Collectively, these studies provide further evidence for the serotonin-aggression relationship. Two important findings have been made recently: (1) subsets of individuals (e.g., persons self-rating high on aggressive or hostility scales) may differ in their susceptibility to aggression produced through plasma tryptophan depletion; and (2) alcohol in combination with L-tryptophan depletion has an additive effect on aggression. All previous studies have been conducted with men. Extending these studies to women appears to be the much-needed next step given that serotonergic levels appear to vary both as a function of the menstrual cycle phase and menstrual symptomatology.

Language: en