Abstract
Alcohol-related violence is a serious and common social problem. Moreover, violent behaviour is much more common in alcohol-dependent individuals. Animal experiments and human studies have provided insights into the acute effect of alcohol on aggressive behaviour and into common factors underlying acute and chronic alcohol intake and aggression. These studies have shown that environmental factors, such as early-life stress, interact with genetic variations in serotonin-related genes that affect serotonergic and GABAergic neurotransmission. This leads to increased amygdala activity and impaired prefrontal function that, together, predispose to both increased alcohol intake and impulsive aggression. In addition, acute and chronic alcohol intake can further impair executive control and thereby facilitate aggressive behaviour.
Highlights
Of all psychoactive substances, alcohol is arguably the most potent agent for eliciting aggression and reducing behavioural control in certain individuals[1]
Summary and outlook Alcohol-related aggression is characterized by a nexus of interacting factors including, but not limited to, alcohol-associated alterations of key neurotransmitter systems and their respective effects on frontal and limbic brain areas, cognitive deficits associated with acute and chronic alcohol intake, social learning and contextual influences, and associative connections between alcohol and aggression in memory
Individual differences in alcohol-associated aggression seem to be partly mediated by differences in functioning of the serotonin system and its interaction with raphe and prefrontal GABAergic neurotransmission, which affect both limbic processing of aversive, threatening environmental stimuli and flexible behavioural control by the prefrontal and cingulate cortex
Summary
Alcohol is arguably the most potent agent for eliciting aggression and reducing behavioural control in certain individuals[1]. Alcohol-related aggression is associated with chronic alcohol intake and alcohol dependence: the incidence of violent behaviour in various samples of male alcohol-dependent subjects is estimated to be between 20 and 50%6-9, and individuals with alcohol abuse or dependence are more likely to be involved in violence compared to individuals without a psychiatric disorder[10,11]. Numerous studies have sought to determine the mechanisms and processes that underlie alcoholrelated aggression, and have indicated that multiple mechanisms play important roles in the relationship between acute and chronic alcohol consumption and aggressive behaviour. We discuss animal experiments and human studies that address why despite alcohol’s well-established and robust effect on behavioural inhibition, some individuals respond aggressively following acute consumption, and that describe genetic and environmental factors that point to an important role for the serotonin system in determining vulnerability to alcohol-induced aggression. In piecing together conclusions from animal experiments and human correlative studies, we aim to develop an integrative model of alcohol-related aggression and to highlight research areas that warrant further, interdisciplinary study
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