Citation

Runions KC, Morandini HAE, Rao P, Wong JWY, Kolla NJ, Pace G, Mahfouda S, Hildebrandt CS, Stewart R, Zepf FD. Acta Psychiatr. Scand. 2019; 139(2): 117-144.

Affiliation

Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Clinics of the Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/acps.12986

PMID

30446991

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The role of serotonin (5-HT) in human aggression has been the subject a large number of studies, mostly with adults. Meta-analyses indicate a small but significant inverse relationship between central nervous 5-HT availability and aggression, but genetically-informed studies suggest two pathways: one to reactive aggression, the other to proactive aggression.

METHOD: We conducted a systemic review on central nervous 5-HT function in children and adolescents, with attention to the function of aggression.

RESULTS: In total, 675 articles were screened for relevance, with 45 reviewed. These included blood assays (e.g., plasma, 5-HIAA; platelet 5-HTR_2A ), epigenetic studies, retrospective PET studies, and 5-HT challenge paradigms (e.g., tryptophan depletion). Overall, findings were mixed, with support both for negative and positive associations of central nervous 5-HT function with aggression in children and adolescents.

CONCLUSION: We propose factors that may be blurring the picture, including problems in the conceptualization and measurement of aggression in young people, the lack of prospective designs, and the bias towards clinical samples of boys. Research needs to account for variance both in the motivation for and implementation of aggression, and look to the behavioural economics literature to consider the roles of reward, vengeance and self-control more clearly. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Aggression; adolescents; children; serotonin