Cited by 984Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual OffendingNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorNeural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

Neurobiology of Aggression and Violence

Open access
Siever, Larry J.·2008·American Journal of Psychiatry

Abstract

Acts of violence account for an estimated 1.43 million deaths worldwide annually. While violence can occur in many contexts, individual acts of aggression account for the majority of instances. In some individuals, repetitive acts of aggression are grounded in an underlying neurobiological susceptibility that is just beginning to be understood. The failure of "top-down" control systems in the prefrontal cortex to modulate aggressive acts that are triggered by anger provoking stimuli appears to play an important role. An imbalance between prefrontal regulatory influences and hyper-responsivity of the amygdala and other limbic regions involved in affective evaluation are implicated. Insufficient serotonergic facilitation of "top-down" control, excessive catecholaminergic stimulation, and subcortical imbalances of glutamatergic/gabaminergic systems as well as pathology in neuropeptide systems involved in the regulation of affiliative behavior may contribute to abnormalities in this circuitry. Thus, pharmacological interventions such as mood stabilizers, which dampen limbic irritability, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which may enhance "top-down" control, as well as psychosocial interventions to develop alternative coping skills and reinforce reflective delays may be therapeutic.

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Research works printed but not linked: 6

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Authors
Siever, L. J.
Affiliations
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (US)
Corresponding author
Siever, Larry J.
Venue
American Journal of Psychiatry
Published
2008-04
Volume
165
Issue
4
Pages
429-442
ISSN
  • 0002-953X (ISSN-L)
  • 1535-7228
OpenAlex
W2143884902
Cited by
984
References
268
Citations by year
2026: 33 · 2025: 38 · 2024: 45 · 2023: 55 · 2022: 53 · 2021: 54 · 2020: 46 · 2019: 56 · 2018: 60 · 2017: 66 · 2016: 70 · 2015: 69 · 2014: 53 · 2013: 56 · 2012: 56
FWCI
9.85
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • American Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
  • National Institutes of Health (MO1-RR-00071)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH063875, MO1-RR-00071, MH 56140, MH-63875, R01MH056140)
  • National Center for Research Resources (MO1RR00071, M01RR000071, M01-RR-00071)
  • NIH Clinical Center
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
Keywords
aggression, violence, neurobiology of aggression, prefrontal cortex, top-down control, amygdala, limbic system, serotonergic system, catecholaminergic system, neuropeptides, affiliative behavior, mood stabilizers, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, psychosocial interventions, coping strategies
MeSH terms
Aggression, Amygdala, Brain, Cognition Disorders, Disease Susceptibility, Kindling, Neurologic, Limbic System, Models, Neurological, Models, Psychological, Terminology as Topic, Violence, Prefrontal Cortex, Neurotransmitter Agents

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