Program & Abstract Book - EPFL Latsis Symposium 2009

EPFL Latsis Symposium 2009: Understanding Violence
P-28
82
February 11-13 2009
ef f e c t s o f a c u t e a n D c h r o n i c hpa a X i s
a c t i v i t y o n a g g r e s s i o n - D i f f e r i n g e f f e c t s
f o r m a l e s a n D f e m a l e s
Khan, Robina 1 ; Bertsch, Katja 1 ; Kruk, Menno 2 ; Naumann,
Ewald 1
1 University of Trier, Trier, Germany; 2 Leiden University, Leiden,
the Netherlands
Aggression and the understanding of its causes and biological mechanisms
in men and women is today as important as ever. Animal studies suggest
that aggressive behavior is influenced by both basal and reactive Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal
(HPA) axis activity. In humans, results from
clinical samples are inconsistent, experimental studies are rare, and both
are mostly conducted with male samples. We therefore pharmacologically
enhanced cortisol levels in 28 healthy subjects by administering 20mg of
hydrocortisone (stress group), 28 others were given a placebo (placebo
group). We then induced aggressive behavior with the Taylor Aggression
Paradigm in half of the stress and the placebo group, respectively. Sex
was balanced across groups. We furthermore analyzed the relationship of
basal HPA axis activity, which was measured prior to the experiment, and
aggression. Preliminary analysis suggests, that while the administration of
hydrocortisone enhanced aggressive behavior in women compared to the
placebo group, it reduced aggressive behavior in men. Furthermore, basal
HPA axis activity seems to be negatively correlated with aggressive behavior,
but only in women. The results suggest, that the acute and chronic
state of the HPA axis activity are differentially related to aggressive behavior
in men and women.