Low serotonin has been linked to impulsive aggression. Aggression, unlike impulsivity, is not a personality trait, but a behavior wherein one injures or harms others.
In the last decade, data from both animal and human studies have been suggested that serotonin has more associated with impulsive aggression than with aggression subtypes, with more “waiting impulsivity” in impulsivity subtypes.
Serotonin affects psychological characteristics and social interactions that have an impact on violent behavior, while psychological and social factors exert an influence on serotonergic function.
Too much serotonin, however, could result in serotonin syndrome, which could lead to symptoms of restlessness, hallucinations, and confusion. Serotonin is also known as a hormone within the enteric nervous system of the body, primarily found within the gastrointestinal tract (gut).
Serotonin plays several roles in your body, including influencing learning, memory, happiness as well as regulating body temperature, sleep, sexual behavior and hunger. Lack of enough serotonin is thought to play a role in depression, anxiety, mania and other health conditions.
The findings suggest that when serotonin levels are low, it may be more difficult for the prefrontal cortex to control emotional responses to anger that are generated within the amygdala. Using a personality questionnaire, they also determined which individuals have a natural tendency to behave aggressively.
What Are The Symptoms of Serotonin Deficiency? You may have a shortage of serotonin if you have a sad depressed mood, low energy, negative thoughts, feel tense and irritable, crave sweets, and have a reduced interest in sex. Other serotonin-related disorders include: Depression.
In both primates and humans, serotonin function tends to covary positively with prosocial behaviors such as grooming, cooperation, and affiliation, and tends to covary negatively with antisocial behaviors such as aggression and social isolation.
Serotonin helps regulate the body's internal clock, including the ability to feel sleepy, remain asleep, enter rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and wake in the morning. People with chronic insomnia, unusual sleep patterns, chronic fatigue, or consistently vivid dreams may have serotonin deficiency.
Testosterone activates the subcortical areas of the brain to produce aggression, while cortisol and serotonin act antagonistically with testosterone to reduce its effects.
Under normal circumstances, the neurotransmitter serotonin works on the frontal areas of the brain to inhibit the firing of the amygdala, the part of the limbic system in the brain that controls fear, anger and other emotional responses.
Epinephrine which is also known as adrenaline, is a chemical compound with formula (HO) 2C6H3CH (OH) CH2NHCH3 and is released while becoming angry. Epinephrine is among the chemicals that are released by the adrenal gland when an individual experiences anger or any other form of stress.
Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medications
Antidepressants such as Prozac, Celexa and Zoloft are commonly prescribed for anger issues. These drugs do not specifically target anger within the body, but they do have a calming effect that can support control of rage and negative emotion.
The serotonin levels were measured by ELISA every hour at night (20:00-08:00 h) and every 4 h during the daytime (08:00-20:00 h). Ours results show that the maximum levels of serotonin in plasma were obtained at 09:00 and 22:00 and a minor peak at 01:00 h.
The serotonin test measures the level of serotonin in the blood. Blood is drawn from a vein (venipuncture), usually from the inside of the elbow or the back of the hand. A needle is inserted into the vein, and the blood is collected in an air-tight vial or a syringe. Preparation may vary depending on the specific test.
Guilt, therefore, was uniquely affected by the interaction between trait empathy and the serotonin-depleted state. Serotonin induced a distinct emotional profile in highly empathic individuals.
Definition. Dominance describes high status of an individual in social hierarchy that allows for priority access to limited resources such as food, mates, and space. Serotonin, a monoamine neurotransmitter, contributes to the formation of social hierarchy and positively affects dominance in humans and other primates.
Serotonin syndrome symptoms usually occur within several hours of taking a new drug or increasing the dose of a drug you're already taking. Signs and symptoms include: Agitation or restlessness. Insomnia.
SSRIs that have been shown to help with anger include citalopram (Celexa), fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), among others. Sertraline seems to have the most supporting data. Other classes of antidepressants, like serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), aren't widely used for treating anger.
Both irritability and anxiety are fairly rare side effects of antidepressants, but they do occur in a small number of patients. The reason is probably related to serotonin.
While the triggers for each person may vary, Moore said there are some common causes of pent-up anger, such as feeling unheard or unappreciated, lack of acceptance of a situation, or unmet needs. Some people may also experience anger when they're hurt.
Of the 19 patients, 13 were assessed both on and off SSRIs: verbal aggression (p = 0.04), physical aggression toward objects (p = 0.05), and physical aggression toward self (p < 0.02) occurred significantly more frequently on SSRIs than off; no increase was observed in physical aggression toward others.
Under some circumstances, oxytocin may increase aggression by enhancing reactivity to provocation and simultaneously lowering perceptions of danger that normally inhibit many women from retaliating. There is some evidence that high levels of estradiol and progesterone are associated with low levels of aggression.