Lecture 15 from a college level neuropharmacology course taught in the spring 2012 semester by Brian J. Piper, Ph.D. (psy391@gmail.com) at Willamette University.
6. Steroids and Animal
5.2 Aggression
• Rats received different steroids
(5 mg/kg) beginning at puberty
(PD 40) for nine weeks.
• Resident-intruder aggression
tests were conducted with and
without a physical provocation.
• Adolescent steroid treatment
caused a persistent increase in
aggressive behavior.
Farell et al. (2004) Hormones & Behavior, 46, 193-203.
7. Aggression in Humans?
• Adult men were randomly assigned to receive escalating
doses of testosterone or placebo.
• Testosterone increased self-rated mania and the Point
Subtraction Aggression test.
8. Brain Changes Vehicle Steroid
Dopamine (D1)
Receptor Binding
Male rats received
15 mg/kg of nandrolone for 14
days.
Brains were sectioned and the
density of dopamine receptors
were determined.
Steroid treatment had opposite
effects on D1 and D2 levels.
Dopamine (D2)
Receptor Binding
Kindlundh et al. European J Neuroscience, 13, 291-296.