Citation

Carré JM, Geniole SN, Ortiz TL, Bird BM, Videto A, Bonin PL. Biol. Psychiatry 2016; 82(4): 249-256.

Affiliation

Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Sudbury, Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.biopsych.2016.06.009

PMID

27524498

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Although traditional wisdom suggests that baseline levels of testosterone (T) promote aggressive behavior, decades of research have produced findings that have been largely weak and inconsistent. However, more recent experimental work suggests that exogenous administration of T rapidly potentiates amygdala and hypothalamus responses to angry facial expressions. Notably, these brain regions are rich in androgen receptors and play a key role in modulating aggressive behavior in animal models.

METHODS: The present experiment extends this work by examining whether acutely increasing T potentiates aggressive behavior in men. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-subject design, healthy adult men (n = 121) were administered either T or placebo, and subsequently engaged in a well-validated decision-making game that measures aggressive behavior in response to social provocation. In light of prior correlational research, we also assessed the extent to which T's effects on aggressive behavior would depend on variability in trait dominance and/or trait self-control.

RESULTS: Exogenous T on its own did not modulate aggressive behavior. However, T's effects on aggression were strongly influenced by variation in trait dominance and trait self-control. Specifically, T caused an increase in aggressive behavior, but only among men scoring relatively high in trait dominance or low in trait self-control.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings are the first to demonstrate that T can rapidly (within 60 minutes) potentiate aggressive behavior, but only among men with dominant or impulsive personality styles.

Copyright © 2016 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Language: en