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Updated: Sep 2, 2025

A General Method for Evaluating Deep Brain Stimulation Effects on Intravenous Methamphetamine Self-Administration
Published on: January 22, 2016
Methamphetamine, amphetamine, and aggression in humans: A systematic review of drug administration studies
Kate Y O'Malley1, Carl L Hart2, Sharon Casey3
1Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University, 427-451 Burwood Road, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia; Department of Psychology, Columbia University, 1190 Amsterdam Avenue, 406 Schermerhorn, MC 5501, New York, NY 10027, USA.
Abstract:
The relationship between amphetamine use and aggressive or violent behaviour is unclear. This review examined laboratory data collected in humans, who were administered an acute dose of amphetamine or methamphetamine, in order to investigate the link between amphetamines and aggression. It is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42019127711). Included in the analysis are data from twenty-eight studies. Behavioural and/or subjective measures of aggression were assessed in one thousand and sixty-nine research participants, with limited amphetamine-use histories, following a single amphetamine dose (0-35 mg). The available published evidence indicates that neither amphetamine nor methamphetamine acutely increased aggression as assessed by traditional laboratory measures. Future research should assess supratherapeutic amphetamine doses as well as include a broader range of multiple aggression measures, facilitating simultaneous assessment of the various components that comprise this complex, multifaceted construct.
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