neural and hormonal explanation

• What is the main neural explanation of aggression?

  Papez-Maclean limbic theory
• What is the limbic system?

  A collection of brain structures involved in processing emotions and memory.
• What structures are within the limbic system?

  Amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus
• What is the most important part of the limbic system for understanding aggression?

  Amygdala
• What is the amygdala?

  A part of the limbic system that interprets sensory information as a threat or not, and can trigger fear or aggression.
• When is the amygdala activated?

  When someone enters a potentially stressful situation
• With regards to the amygdala, what is associated with aggression?


  Increased amygdala activity is associated with aggression
• Why is high amygdala activity associated with aggression?

  The amygdala has a role in the assessment of threats and challenges
• What is serotonin?


  A neurotransmitter involved in neuronal communication, it has inhibitory effects, slowing down and reducing neuronal activity
• What does serotonin do?

  Works on the frontal areas of the brain to inhibit the firing of the amygdala
• How has serotonin been linked to aggression?

  Lower levels of serotonin is linked to aggression
• Who studied serotonin and aggression?

  Virkkunen et al. (1994)
• What did Virkkunen et al. (1994) find?

  Lower levels of 5-HIAA in impulsive offenders compared to non-impulsive offenders.
• What is 5-HIAA?


  A serotonin breakdown product
• What have observations in aggression found?

  Aggression is more evident in males than in females
• What has observations that aggression is more evident in males than in females led to?

  To focus on testosterone
• What is testosterone?


  An androgen responsible for the development of male features
• who conducted study on testosterone

  wagner
• what did wagner do

  removed source of testosterone (castrated male mice)
• what did wagner find

  mice showed decreased aggression, which then increased when given synthetic testosterone
• what is a limitation of testosterone

  too simplistic to blame aggression on testosterone alone, so it's reductionist, interactions would be better
• who conducted a study for support of the role of the amygdala

  kluver and bucy
• What did Kluver and Bucy do?

  used monkeys and removed their amygdala and other areas, found that in monkeys they had absent emotional reactions in the brain
• what did syrian hamster research support

  the role of the amygdala
• what did research on syrian hamsters do

  used syrian hamsters to stimulate the amygdala and found that it increased aggression
• what is a limitation of limbic system and its role of aggression

  non limbic brain structures are also involved
• who conducted research against amygdala

  Coccaro
• what did coccaro find

  OFC activity was decreased in patients with psychiatric disorders where aggression is prominent so its reductionist