AGGRESSIVE-BEHAVIOR AND ALTERED AMOUNTS OF BRAIN-SEROTONIN AND NOREPINEPHRINE IN MICE LACKING MAOA

Deficiency in monoamine oxidase A (MAOA), an enzyme that degrades serotonin and norepinephrine, has recently been shown to be associated with aggressive behavior in men of a Dutch family. A line of transgenic mice was isolated in which transgene integration caused a deletion in the gene encoding MAOA, providing an animal model of MAOA deficiency, in pup brains, serotonin concentrations were increased up to ninefold, and serotonin-like immunoreactivity was present. in catecholaminergic neurons, In pup and adult brains, norepinephrine concentrations were increased up to twofold, and I cytoarchitectural changes were observed in the somatosensory cortex. Pup behavioral alterations, including trembling, difficulty in righting, and fearfulness were reversed by the serotonin synthesis inhibitor parachlorophenylalanine. Adults manifested a distinct behavioral syndrome, including enhanced aggression in males.