Here’s three papers (full citations and links, scroll down), two from Finland and one from Russia. These deal with being mean and drinking. And serotonin.
People have alcohol to loosen up, to remove inhibitions, to relax. But what about people who pick fights when they’re drunk? Are they tightly wound and naturally hostile — an anger and paranoia set free with a few vodkas? Could be that lack of sufficient serotonin relates both to hostile bias as well as alcoholism. Combine that in a person who has premeditated aggression reinforced with dopamine circuits, and you could have a person who drinks to remove inhibitions against expressing a hostility bias, and gets a dopamine fix after an evening of planned drinking and aggression.
The two papers cited below correlate serotonin-genetics with hostile temperament. I thought it was interesting that one was from Finland (Keltikangas et al.) and one was from Russia (Alfimova et al.). There is also an old paper from Russia (not in English) that mice “under the influence of aggression” (what a great expression) have activated dopamine systems and suppressed serotonin systems. In other words, with premeditated aggression, they lack emotionality and go for the reward. (The abstract is copied below the jump).
Alcoholism in Russia is a problem. I looked up how much people drink in Finland and Russia — over 10 liters a year per capita in both places. Coincidently, Finnish investigators (Storvik et al., ), recently reported differences in the way serotonin-related proteins bind in the brains of people with alcoholism.
Here’s some information from the World Health Organization on how much alcohol people drink in Finland and in Russia (click on links or click graphic to enlarge):
In both Finland and Russia, people drink a little over 10 liters of pure alcohol a year, but in Finland, they drink mostly beer, and in Russia it’s mostly vodka (spirits).
Are Russian vodka-drinkers with suppressed serotonin systems prone to be hostile? What about Finnish beer drinkers? Are they self-selecting to have suppressed serotonergic systems and dialed-up dopamine with planned aggression? Do they cruise bars looking for a fight?
And why did I only turn up Pubmed abstracts from groups in the Baltic regions today?
Alfimova, M.V., Golimbet, V.E., Korovaitseva, G.I., Lezheiko, T.V., Abramova, L.I., Kaleda, V.G., Barkhatova, A.N. (2008). The modulatory influence of polymorphism of the serotonin transporter gene on characteristics of mental maladaptation in relatives of patients with endogenous psychoses. Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology, 38(3), 253-258. DOI: 10.1007/s11055-008-0037-8
Keltikangas-Järvinen, L., Puttonen, S., Kivimäki, M., Elovainio, M., Pulkki-Råback, L., Koivu, M., Rontu, R., Lehtimäki, T. (2007). Serotonin receptor genes 5HT1A and 5HT2A modify the relation between childhood temperament and adulthood hostility. Genes, Brain and Behavior DOI: 10.1111/j.1601-183X.2007.00324.x
Storvik, M., Haukijarvi, T., Tupala, E*., Tiihonen, J. (2007). Correlation between the SERT binding densities in hypothalamus and amygdala in cloninger type 1 and 2 alcoholics. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 43(1), 25-30. DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/agm157
(*One of the investigators, Erkki Tupala, is listed as having passed away). Full abstracts after the jump.
Genes Brain Behav. 2008 Feb;7(1):46-52. Epub 2007 May 14.
Serotonin receptor genes 5HT1A and 5HT2A modify the relation between childhood temperament and adulthood hostility.
Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. liisa.keltikangas-jarvinen@helsinki.fi
We examined a modifying role of 5HT1A and 5HT2A receptors in the relation between childhood difficult temperament and adulthood hostility in 729 subjects derived from a population-based sample. Subjects were 3-12 years when their childhood temperaments consisting of hyperactivity, low sociability and negative emotionality (i.e. the difficult temperament), were assessed by their mothers. Their adulthood hostility comprising anger, cynicism and paranoia, was measured twice, 17 and 21 years later. It was found that the 5HT1A and 5HT2A receptors were not related to childhood temperament or to adult hostility, but they modified the association between childhood hyperactivity and adult hostility in men. Male carriers of T/T genotype of 5HTR2A who were rated hyperactive by their mothers expressed a high level of hostility, especially that of cynicism, in adulthood. For men with other genetic variants, such an association was not seen. This finding was consistent across the two follow-ups 4 years apart. Further research is needed to clarify whether mother-related hyperactivity adequately describes the temperament of the child or is a reflection of mother’s hostile child-rearing attitudes.
PMID: 17504248 [PubMed - in process]
Neurosci Behav Physiol. 2008 Mar;38(3):253-8
The modulatory influence of polymorphism of the serotonin transporter gene on characteristics of mental maladaptation in relatives of patients with endogenous psychoses.
Scientific Center for Mental Health, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow.
A number of studies have reported an association between 5-HTTLPR, a polymorphism of the serotonin transporter gene, and the development of depressive states in response to a variety of distal and proximal stressors. We report here studies of the effects of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism on the probability that an individual will develop mental maladaptation in 224 close relatives of patients with severe chronic mental disorders – schizophrenia and schizoaffective and affective psychoses. The ss genotype of the serotonin transporter gene contributes to the formation predominantly of manifestations of distress, reflected by increases on the hypochondriasis scale of the MMPI scale of factors such as the extent of the autonomic component of anxiety reactions and increased attention to own health, as well as increases in sensitivity. At the same time, the ss genotype was less likely to influence the appearance of depression and anxiety, as determined on the depression scale. These tendencies were more marked in males than females. Furthermore, males with the ss genotype were characterized by some increase in tension, suspicion, detachment, and attention difficulty (on the paranoia and schizophrenia scales). These data can be regarded as supporting the role of the short allele of the serotonin transporter gene in enhancing and modulating psychopathological reactions to chronic stress situations in relatives of mental patients.
PMID: 18264772 [PubMed - in process]
Alcohol Alcohol. 2008 Jan-Feb;43(1):25-30. Epub 2007 Nov 25.
Correlation between the SERT binding densities in hypothalamus and amygdala in Cloninger type 1 and 2 alcoholics.
Department of Forensic Psychiatry, University of Kuopio, Niuvanniemi Hospital, Kuopio, FI-70240, Finland. markus.storvik@uku.fi
Serotonin plays a role in the regulation of emotional states in amygdala which in turn affect the function of hypothalamus. The physiological effects of emotions are mediated to autonomic nervous system by the hypothalamus, also innervated by the serotonergic Raphe nuclei. AIMS: We evaluated the putative alterations of the serotonin transporter (SERT) density in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of hypothalamus of Cloninger type 1 and 2 (early onset, anti-social) alcoholics and controls. METHODS: The study was performed by human whole-hemisphere auto-radiography with [3H]citalopram. RESULTS: Substantially sparser SERT density (-26%) with a moderate effect size (0.53) was observed in the hypothalamus of alcoholic subjects in relation to non-alcoholic comparison subjects, although the result failed to reach statistical significance. In type 2 alcoholics, there was a trend towards decreased SERT binding with large effect size (0.88), and no correlation between the SERT binding and the age at the time of death. There was a strong positive correlation between the SERT binding in amygdala and in PVN in type 2 alcoholics (P = 0.001), and negative correlation in type 1 alcoholics (P = 0.05), and no correlation in the control subjects. The difference between the groups was significant (chi2 = 16.75, P = 0.0002). CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these preliminary results support the hypothesis that the serotonergic regulation in the hypothalamus and amygdala are defected especially in type 2 alcoholics.
PMID: 18039673 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Usp Fiziol Nauk. 2001 Oct-Dec;32(4):23-35.
[Neurobiological correlates premeditated (learned) aggression: seeking new experimental approaches]
[Article in Russian]
Institute of Cytology and Genetics SD RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia.
Theoretical possibility of experimental modeling of learned (premediated) aggression developing in human after experience of aggression is considered. The sensory contact technique increases aggressiveness in male mice and allows aggressive type of behavior to be formed as a result of repeated experience of victories in daily agonistic confrontations. Some behavioral domains confirm the development of learned aggression in males similar to those in humans. The features are: repeated experience of aggression reinforced by victories; elements of learned behavior after period of confrontations; intent, measured by increase of the aggressive motivation prior agonistic confrontation; decreased emotionality estimated by parameters of open field behavior. Relevant stimuli provoke demonstration of aggression. This review summarized data on the influence of positive fighting experience in daily intermale confrontations on the behavior, neurochemistry and physiology of aggressive mice (winners). This sort of experience changes many characteristics in individual and social behaviors, these having been estimated in different tests and in varied situations. Some physiological parameters are also changed in the winners. Neurochemical data confirm the activation of brain dopaminergic systems and functional inhibition of serotonergic system in winners under influence of repeated experience of aggression. The expression of the neurochemical and behavioral changes observed in winners has been found dependent on the mouse strain and on the duration of their agonistic confrontations. Similarities in mechanisms of learned aggression in humans and mice are considered.
PMID: 11764644 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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