Self-reported aggression is related to oxidative stress in men and women

Abstract

Aggression is an important element of social behavior. Increased aggression has been observed in many mental disorders, posing a serious public health concern. However, the proximal biological mechanisms underlying an individual’s proneness to aggressive behavior remain poorly understood. Studies in both non-human animals and humans with aggressive disorders have shown that aggression is positively related to oxidative stress levels. Whether this relationship exists in healthy individuals has not yet been verified. We investigated the relationship between the serum level of 8-hydroxy-20-deoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG), a marker of oxidative damage to deoxyribonucleic acid, and self-reported aggression in 213 healthy men and women ( Mage = 27.41, SD = 2.70). We controlled for serum free testosterone, cortisol, and subclinical inflammatory state (evaluated with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level). We found that 8-OH-dG level was positively related to physical aggression. Our findings provide preliminary evidence that healthy individuals with higher levels of oxidative stress are more physically aggressive. We hypothesize that evaluating markers of oxidative stress levels may be useful for screening healthy populations to identify individuals who may be particularly susceptible to the development of mental issues related to aggression.