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Tryptophan depletion increases aggression in women during the premenstrual phase
A J Bond1, J Wingrove, D G Critchlow
1Section of Clinical Psychopharmacology, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK. a.bond@iop.kcl.ac.uk
Rationale:
Reducing serotonin by the method of tryptophan depletion (TD) has led to increased aggression but experimental studies have not used female subjects.
Objective:
To evaluate the effects of TD on aggression in women in the late luteal phase of their menstrual cycle.
Methods:
Healthy women were recruited and randomly assigned to an amino acid drink either depleted or with a balanced amount of tryptophan. At 4.5 h later, they competed on the competitive reaction time task.
Results:
Women who had received the TD drink showed more behavioural aggression in response to provocation.
Conclusion:
Decreased serotonergic neurotransmission increases aggression in women as well as men.