Psychopharmacology of aggression: an overview

Aggression is not a single unitary behavioral entity, then it is impossible to find a single drug showing "specific' and "universal' antiaggressive efficacy and potency. Furthermore, spontaneous aggression is essential to the self-and species preservation, and plays an important role in the process of evolution. In contrast, aggressiveness induced by prolonged socioenvironmental deprivation or isolation, raises the feature of anomalous behavior. The effect of drugs on aggressive behavior must therefore be considered in the light of this distinction, that accounts for discrepancies between the results of literature on "antiaggressive' properties and potency of psychoactive drugs. In addition, and impaired inhibitory control of the brain may be responsible for violent aggression and drugs capable of restoring such control may prove useful in managing the pathology of aggressiveness.