Biology of Aggression
Randy J. Nelson
Abstract
The primary goal of this book is to summarize and synthesize recent advances in the biological study of aggression. Other than maternal aggression, most aggressive encounters among human and non-human animals represent a male proclivity; thus, most of the research in this book describes and discusses studies using the most appropriate murine model: testosterone-dependent offensive inter-male aggression, which is typically measured in resident-intruder or isolation-induced aggression tests. The research emphasizes various molecules that have been linked to aggression tests. It also emphasizes v ... More
The primary goal of this book is to summarize and synthesize recent advances in the biological study of aggression. Other than maternal aggression, most aggressive encounters among human and non-human animals represent a male proclivity; thus, most of the research in this book describes and discusses studies using the most appropriate murine model: testosterone-dependent offensive inter-male aggression, which is typically measured in resident-intruder or isolation-induced aggression tests. The research emphasizes various molecules that have been linked to aggression tests. It also emphasizes various molecules that have been linked to aggression by the latest gene-targeting and pharmacological techniques. Although the evidence continues to point to androgens and serotonin (5-HT) as major hormonal and neurotransmitter factors in aggressive behavior, recent work with GABA, dopamine, vasopressin, and other factors, such as nitric oxide, has revealed significant interactions with the neural circuitry underlying aggression.
Keywords:
aggressive encounters,
male proclivity,
murine model,
testosterone,
inter-male aggression,
gene-targeting,
pharmacological techniques,
androgens,
serotonin,
GABA
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2005 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780195168761 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: May 2009 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195168761.001.0001 |