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This episode I describe the neural mechanisms that activate and control aggressive states and behaviors and the role of hormones—estrogen and testosterone—in mediating violent and/or competitive aggression. I also describe tools that can be used to modulate the factors that have been shown to ‘prime’ an individual for aggression, including sunlight, estrogen sensitivity, competition within social settings, and overall stress levels, and the hormone cortisol. I discuss how substances such as caffeine and alcohol can impact impulsive behaviors and how nutrition and supplementation can be used to regulate mood and aggression.
Articles
- Photoperiod reverses the effects of estrogens on male aggression via genomic and nongenomic pathways (PNAS)
- Testosterone and occupational choice: actors, ministers, and other men (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology)
- Age, Testosterone, and Behavior Among Female Prison Inmates (Psychosomatic Medicine)
- Testosterone Rapidly Increases Neural Reactivity to Threat in Healthy Men: A Novel Two-Step Pharmacological Challenge Paradigm (Biological Psychiatry)
- Caffeinated and non-caffeinated alcohol use and indirect aggression: The impact of self-regulation (Addictive Behaviors)
- Efficacy of carnitine in the treatment of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids)
- Functional identification of an aggression locus in the mouse hypothalamus (See “Supplementary information” for movies)
Books
- An Introduction to Behavioral Endocrinology 5th Edition
- The Nature of the Beast: How Emotions Guide Us
Other Resources
- Mouse switching from mating behavior to aggressive behaviors upon stimulation of VMH
- VMH stimulation causes mouse to display aggressive behaviors toward an inanimate object (e.g., glove)
Timestamps
Timestamp links will redirect to YouTube.
- 00:00:00 Aggression, Types of Aggression
- 00:03:33 AG1 (Athletic Greens), ROKA, Helix Sleep
- 00:08:29 Neural Circuits for Aggression, “Hydraulic Pressure Model”
- 00:15:50 Brain Regions Controlling Aggression, Ventromedial Hypothalamus (VMH)
- 00:22:14 Psychiatric Disorders & Aggression
- 00:23:36 Stimulation of the VMH, Estrogen Receptors & Aggression
- 00:31:57 Neural Circuits Mediating Physical Acts of Aggression, Biting
- 00:35:56 Testosterone & Competitiveness/Estrogen & Aggression
- 00:43:00 Sunlight, Melatonin & Aggression
- 00:45:46 Cortisol, Serotonin & Aggressive Behaviors
- 00:51:56 Tool: Omega-3 Supplementation & Mood
- 00:54:18 Tool: Sunlight, Sauna & Cortisol Reduction
- 00:55:54 Tool: Ashwagandha & Cortisol Reduction
- 00:57:06 Tool: Seasonality/Sunlight, Genetic Variation in Estrogen Sensitivity
- 01:00:37 Testosterone & Aggression, Competitive Work Environments
- 01:05:07 Testosterone, Amygdala, Challenge & Effort
- 01:09:27 Caffeine, Alcohol & Impulsivity
- 01:13:15 Tool: Caffeinated Alcohol Beverages, Impulsivity & Aggression
- 01:17:18 Tool: ADHD, Acetyl-L Carnitine & Aggressive Behavior
- 01:24:10 Factors Affecting the “Hydraulic Pressure Model” of Aggression
- 01:25:44 Book by Dr. David Anderson, Aggression & Social Relationships
- 01:27:35 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Patreon, Momentous Supplements, Neural Network Newsletter, Instagram, Twitter