Endogenous plasma testosterone levels and commission errors in women: A preliminary report

Area of Science:

• Neuroendocrinology
• Behavioral Neuroscience
• Psychopharmacology

Background:

• Elevated testosterone is linked to aggression in animals and humans, often in dominance contexts.
• Non-premeditated aggression involves impaired impulse control, measurable by commission errors in continuous performance tests (CPT).
• Previous research connects commission errors to self-reported impulsivity and aggressive histories.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if testosterone directly influences aggression by impairing impulse control.
• To examine the relationship between plasma total testosterone concentrations and commission errors in women.

Main Methods:

• Assessed plasma total testosterone levels in 27 psychiatrically healthy women.
• Administered two variants of the continuous performance test (CPT) with and without distracters.
• Analyzed correlations between testosterone levels and commission errors, controlling for age and IQ.

Main Results:

• Testosterone did not correlate with correct detection rates in either CPT variant.
• Plasma total testosterone concentrations positively correlated with commission errors in the CPT variant with distracters.
• This finding supports a link between testosterone and commission errors, indicative of impaired impulse control.

Conclusions:

• The study supports a positive relationship between testosterone and impulsivity in women.
• Testosterone may contribute to aggression through its effects on impulse control mechanisms.
• Further research is warranted to elucidate the direct neurobiological pathways involved.