The role of serotonin in impulsive aggression, suicide, and homicide in adolescents and adults: a literature review.
This is a literature review discussing previous studies on the associations between impulsive aggression and the serotonergic system in adults, adolescents, and children. The review demonstrates that there is a clear association between low cerebrospinal fluid serotonin and impulsive aggression. However, studies on neurotransmitter receptor profiles, functional imaging, genetics, and epigenetics reviewed in this article suggest a more complicated picture that includes consideration of gene vs. environment in the evaluation of risk. Serotonin supplementation studies suggest that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors may reduce impulsive aggression in some adults but are less effective in adults with pathological aggression and also in children and adolescents. Child and adolescent studies are less conclusive, in part due to the heterogeneous physiologic and psychosocial changes occurring over the course of development. The author thus concludes that psychiatrists can reduce risk in these special patient populations by creating safer environments in the form of changes in policy and increased support services.
Amy R
AR
Glick
D000293:Adolescent; D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D004777:Environment; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006708:Homicide / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter / Q000502:physiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012701:Serotonin / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000378:metabolism*; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D012737:Sex Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000378:metabolism; D014481:United States
D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter; D012701:Serotonin; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; D014364:Tryptophan; C493230:SLC6A4 protein, human