Citation

Moeller FG, Dougherty DM. Alcohol Res. Health 2001; 25(1): 5-11.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas-Houston, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

11496966

Abstract

Epidemiologic studies and laboratory research consistently link alcohol use with aggression. Not all people, however, exhibit increased aggression under the influence of alcohol. Recent research suggests that people with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) may be more prone to alcohol-related aggression than people without ASPD. As a group, people with ASPD have higher rates of alcohol dependence and more alcohol-related problems than people without ASPD. Likewise, in laboratory studies, people with ASPD show greater increases in aggressive behavior after consuming alcohol than people without ASPD. The association between ASPD and alcohol-related aggression may result from biological factors, such as ASPD-related impairments in the functions of certain brain chemicals (e.g., serotonin) or in the activities of higher reasoning, or "executive," brain regions. Alternatively, the association between ASPD and alcohol-related aggression may stem from some as yet undetermined factor(s) that increase the risk for aggression in general.

Language: en