Neurobiology of Aggression and Violence

Research has led to the conceptualization of various qualitatively different forms of human aggression, such as the so-called impulsive/defensive/affective aggression and non-impulsive/premeditated/offensive/predatory aggression. A growing amount of data is providing insight into the biological underpinnings of aggressiveness: at the molecular level, several mediators have been linked to such dimension, including serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid, vasopressin, oxytocin, opiates, cytokines, testosterone, and cortisol, while at the brain circuitry level, aggressive behaviour is thought to result from impaired complex relationships between cortical and sub-cortical structures. In the present chapter, an overview of the evidence related to clinical, genetic, molecular, and physiological characteristic associated with aggression is provided.