Does central serotonergic function correlate inversely with aggression? A study using D-fenfluramine in healthy subjects

Much research has investigated possible links between serotonergic function and aggression in violent or personality disordered populations, but few studies have looked at healthy subjects. In this study we administered 30 mg of the specific 5-HT releasing agent D-fenfluramine to 35 healthy subjects, along with questionnaire measures of hostility and aggression. Prolactin and cortisol responses were used as indices of central 5-HT function. In males, there were significant inverse correlations between 5-HT mediated cortisol responses and both the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory total score and the aggression factor. There were no such relations in female subjects or using prolactin responses. There was also an inverse relation between basal cortisol levels and both prolactin and cortisol responses, but no relation between basal cortisol levels and aggressive measures. These results provide some support for the existence of an inverse relationship between central serotonin function and aggression/hostility in healthy males, similar to that seen in previous studies using violent or highly aggressive populations. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.