Impulsive aggression is also said to be characterized by low cerebrospinal fluid levels of serotonin. Lower serotonin levels in the brain are also thought to be linked to poor orbitofrontal cortex function, which is in turn seen to be present in people with antisocial behavior.
On the transmitter level, aggression has frequently been associated with alterations of serotonergic neural activity (Duke et al., 2013). Pharmacological serotonin challenges have been reported to influence both PFC-amygdala connectivity and aggressive feelings (Klasen et al., 2013).
Serotonin, a monoamine neurotransmitter, contributes to the formation of social hierarchy and positively affects dominance in humans and other primates.
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 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.
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.
People who have high serotonin activity (or who take SSRI antidepressants) are more sociable, more eager to belong. They're quite traditional in their values and less inclined toward exploration. People expressive of the testosterone system are tough-minded, direct, decisive, skeptical, and assertive.
The Role of Serotonin in Brain Function
In addition to depression, serotonin may play a role in other brain and mental health disorders, including anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), phobias, and even epilepsy.
Norepinephrine (NE) is responsible for fear and anger emotions that trigger “fight or flight” response; fear and anger are classified as one core emotion—the stressful emotion—like two sides of the same coin.
Cortisol is a steroid and the body's main stress hormone, released from the adrenal cortex. One of the first studies described a model in which the HPA axis was linked to aggression (47) and later, cortisol and aggression were seen in wrestlers who after fighting showed an increased level in serum cortisol (48).
These drugs target serotonin, a chemical that carries messages between nerve cells in the brain and has been dubbed the 'pleasure chemical'. One of the widely-reported side effects of SSRIs is 'blunting', where patients report feeling emotionally dull and no longer finding things as pleasurable as they used to.
Researches indicated that increased of serotonin level was related to positive mood (23). Norepinephrine is another neurotransmitter that associated with the level of happiness.
Accordingly, the elevated cortisol induced by stress increases serotonin uptake, under both rest and nerve stimulation, which is overtly expressed in symptoms of depression.
Serotonin helps regulate mood. People who feel unusually irritable or down for no apparent reason may have low serotonin activity.
Serotonin syndrome occurs when someone has an excess of the neurotransmitter serotonin in their nervous system. The condition's symptoms generally fall into three categories: Altered mental status (irritability, agitation, restlessness, and anxiety)
The research suggests that while serotonin deficiency is certainly part of the picture for some people with anxiety, it doesn't capture the full complexity of the condition. Patients with some anxiety disorders, including social anxiety, have been found to have higher, not lower, levels of serotonin.
Moderate quality evidence suggests increases in serotonin receptors (5-TH1R) in the hippocampus, parahippcampus, and amygdala of people with acute bipolar depression compared to controls. There were also increases in serotonin transporters (SERT) in the cingulate and insula of people with acute bipolar depression.
Serotonin syndrome happens when you have too much serotonin (a normal chemical) in your body. It's usually caused by taking drugs or medications that affect serotonin levels. Stopping the drug(s) or medication(s) causing serotonin syndrome is the main treatment.
Hydration: Intravenous fluids may be needed to address dehydration caused by high body temperature and sweating. Cyproheptadine : This antihistamine is sometimes used to block serotonin production in the body. It's been shown to reduce the severity of symptoms associated with serotonin syndrome.
Serotonin types are very social, traditional, calm and controlled, conscientious and detail-oriented. They love structure and making plans.
They found that serotonin produced by these cells is a signal to other neurons in the circuit, leading to an increase in anxiety.
Certain drugs and substances such as caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, NutraSweet, antidepressants, and some cholesterol-lowering medications deplete serotonin and other neurotransmitter levels.