Serotonin may be the "aggression hormone" in most living organisms

haidut

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So much for the "happiness hormone", which medicine keeps telling us should be kept as high as possible. This idiotic hypothesis gave birth to an entire drug industry, which continues to poison people to this day with its SSRI drugs, despite solid evidence that they are no better than placebo, do not reduce depressive symptoms, increase risk of suicide and may even be responsible for turning vulnerable individuals into serial killers. Yes, I do mean serial killers. The few studies that have been done on the topic have found drastically higher serotonin levels in cerebrospinal fluid of executed serial killers, as well as much lower levels of the SERT protein responsible for deactivating serotonin. Interestingly, in basic research circles, apparently it is well-known that serotonin drives aggression in most mammals, including humans! According to the study below, the role of serotonin in mammalian aggression has been known for decades, and has now also been confirmed in fruit flies. Given the conserved role of serotonin in such vastly different species, it suggests that its role in controlling aggression is very ancient and relates to some very basic aspects of life shared across all species. Namely, fight for dominance/survival when resources become scarce. So, we can now rephrase the famous "survival of the fittest" motto into "survival of the meanest", or at least survival of whomever takes the most SSRI :): For some reason, this "inconvenient truth" about serotonin is not allowed to percolate up to the top and become public knowledge. Or maybe, just like so many other human inventions, society knows about the risks of serotonin, but the profit of selling serotonergic drugs is too big to ignore...so the charade will go on for as long as it is profitable to keep around.

Manufacturing aggression: The science behind the fiction of Zootopia's evil conspiracy
Similar Brain Chemicals Influence Aggression In Fruit Flies And Humans
"...Serotonin is a major signaling chemical in the brain, and it has long been thought to be involved in aggressive behavior in a wide variety of animals as well as in humans. Another brain chemical signal, neuropeptide Y (known as neuropeptide F in invertebrates), is also known to affect an array of behaviors in many species, including territoriality in mice. A new study by Drs. Herman Dierick and Ralph Greenspan of The Neurosciences Institute in San Diego shows that these two chemicals also regulate aggression in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. In a series of studies that used drug treatments and genetic engineering we have produced flies that make increased or decreased amounts of serotonin, or whose nerve cells that use serotonin or neuropeptide F are silent or inactive. Our investigations showed that the more serotonin a fly makes, the more aggressive it will be towards other flies. Conversely, presence of neuropeptide F has an opposite modulatory effect on the flies' behavior, reducing aggression. Serotonin and neuropeptide F are part of separate circuits in the brain, circuits which also differ to some extent between males and females. Male flies are much more aggressive. Both of these chemical modulators affect aggression in mammals, and finding these effects in flies suggests that the molecular and neural roots for this complex social behavior are of ancient evolutionary origin.
 

Regina

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So much for the "happiness hormone", which medicine keeps telling us should be kept as high as possible. This idiotic hypothesis gave birth to an entire drug industry, which continues to poison people to this day with its SSRI drugs, despite solid evidence that they are no better than placebo, do not reduce depressive symptoms, increase risk of suicide and may even be responsible for turning vulnerable individuals into serial killers. Yes, I do mean serial killers. The few studies that have been done on the topic have found drastically higher serotonin levels in cerebrospinal fluid of executed serial killers, as well as much lower levels of the SERT protein responsible for deactivating serotonin. Interestingly, in basic research circles, apparently it is well-known that serotonin drives aggression in most mammals, including humans! According to the study below, the role of serotonin in mammalian aggression has been known for decades, and has now also been confirmed in fruit flies. Given the conserved role of serotonin in such vastly different species, it suggests that its role in controlling aggression is very ancient and relates to some very basic aspects of life shared across all species. Namely, fight for dominance/survival when resources become scarce. So, we can now rephrase the famous "survival of the fittest" motto into "survival of the meanest", or at least survival of whomever takes the most SSRI :): For some reason, this "inconvenient truth" about serotonin is not allowed to percolate up to the top and become public knowledge. Or maybe, just like so many other human inventions, society knows about the risks of serotonin, but the profit of selling serotonergic drugs is too big to ignore...so the charade will go on for as long as it is profitable to keep around.

Manufacturing aggression: The science behind the fiction of Zootopia's evil conspiracy
Similar Brain Chemicals Influence Aggression In Fruit Flies And Humans
"...Serotonin is a major signaling chemical in the brain, and it has long been thought to be involved in aggressive behavior in a wide variety of animals as well as in humans. Another brain chemical signal, neuropeptide Y (known as neuropeptide F in invertebrates), is also known to affect an array of behaviors in many species, including territoriality in mice. A new study by Drs. Herman Dierick and Ralph Greenspan of The Neurosciences Institute in San Diego shows that these two chemicals also regulate aggression in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. In a series of studies that used drug treatments and genetic engineering we have produced flies that make increased or decreased amounts of serotonin, or whose nerve cells that use serotonin or neuropeptide F are silent or inactive. Our investigations showed that the more serotonin a fly makes, the more aggressive it will be towards other flies. Conversely, presence of neuropeptide F has an opposite modulatory effect on the flies' behavior, reducing aggression. Serotonin and neuropeptide F are part of separate circuits in the brain, circuits which also differ to some extent between males and females. Male flies are much more aggressive. Both of these chemical modulators affect aggression in mammals, and finding these effects in flies suggests that the molecular and neural roots for this complex social behavior are of ancient evolutionary origin.
(and grasshoppers)
 
B

Braveheart

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Mr Georgi, So what happened to me yesterday?...for the first time I took Cypro...I was as happy and relaxed and stress free as could be, singing and whistling to music...then I also became very irritated and angered and became enraged...aggressively so....wow!...what happened?...serotonin and cypro...don't understand their relationship.....cold/flu was nipped in the bud though and slept beautifully long for a change...But will stay away from the world if I ever take again.
 

gaze

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how come serotonin causes both anxiety/weakness/withdrawal and aggression/dominance/anger ? what causes serotonin to go down one path vs the other
 

opethfeldt

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how come serotonin causes both anxiety/weakness/withdrawal and aggression/dominance/anger ? what causes serotonin to go down one path vs the other
I think it depends on androgen levels. I know androgens are generally considered to not be tied to aggression here but I think it's safe to say most guys in prison have higher testosterone and androgens than average. It's the serotonin that causes the aggression, though. The androgens probably just facilitate "approach" behavior vs "withdrawal". Cortisol may be the underlying factor here. The androgens may help reduce cortisol even with the background of higher serotonin.
 

Sam321

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So much for the "happiness hormone", which medicine keeps telling us should be kept as high as possible. This idiotic hypothesis gave birth to an entire drug industry, which continues to poison people to this day with its SSRI drugs, despite solid evidence that they are no better than placebo, do not reduce depressive symptoms, increase risk of suicide and may even be responsible for turning vulnerable individuals into serial killers. Yes, I do mean serial killers. The few studies that have been done on the topic have found drastically higher serotonin levels in cerebrospinal fluid of executed serial killers, as well as much lower levels of the SERT protein responsible for deactivating serotonin. Interestingly, in basic research circles, apparently it is well-known that serotonin drives aggression in most mammals, including humans! According to the study below, the role of serotonin in mammalian aggression has been known for decades, and has now also been confirmed in fruit flies. Given the conserved role of serotonin in such vastly different species, it suggests that its role in controlling aggression is very ancient and relates to some very basic aspects of life shared across all species. Namely, fight for dominance/survival when resources become scarce. So, we can now rephrase the famous "survival of the fittest" motto into "survival of the meanest", or at least survival of whomever takes the most SSRI :): For some reason, this "inconvenient truth" about serotonin is not allowed to percolate up to the top and become public knowledge. Or maybe, just like so many other human inventions, society knows about the risks of serotonin, but the profit of selling serotonergic drugs is too big to ignore...so the charade will go on for as long as it is profitable to keep around.

Manufacturing aggression: The science behind the fiction of Zootopia's evil conspiracy
Similar Brain Chemicals Influence Aggression In Fruit Flies And Humans
"...Serotonin is a major signaling chemical in the brain, and it has long been thought to be involved in aggressive behavior in a wide variety of animals as well as in humans. Another brain chemical signal, neuropeptide Y (known as neuropeptide F in invertebrates), is also known to affect an array of behaviors in many species, including territoriality in mice. A new study by Drs. Herman Dierick and Ralph Greenspan of The Neurosciences Institute in San Diego shows that these two chemicals also regulate aggression in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. In a series of studies that used drug treatments and genetic engineering we have produced flies that make increased or decreased amounts of serotonin, or whose nerve cells that use serotonin or neuropeptide F are silent or inactive. Our investigations showed that the more serotonin a fly makes, the more aggressive it will be towards other flies. Conversely, presence of neuropeptide F has an opposite modulatory effect on the flies' behavior, reducing aggression. Serotonin and neuropeptide F are part of separate circuits in the brain, circuits which also differ to some extent between males and females. Male flies are much more aggressive. Both of these chemical modulators affect aggression in mammals, and finding these effects in flies suggests that the molecular and neural roots for this complex social behavior are of ancient evolutionary origin.
Have any strong opinions on dopamine reuptake inhibitors?
 

CreakyJoints

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There was a study a while ago about alpha monkeys having the highest levels of serotonin in their societies comparative to other monkeys, I can't find it anymore, though. I'll look around, I'm sure I have it saved somewhere.

@haidut do you think that serotonin is required for memory to function properly? I've read from a number of neuroscientists that serotonin, dopamine, and acetylcholine (as well as DMT to an extent) are all implicated to a certain degree in memory and recall; as a staunch critic of serotonin at large, I wonder where you stand on the subject.

I hasten to add; I don't think it's a useful neurotransmitter to promote, have in excess, or mess with through SSRIs, but my understanding was that a small amount is actually necessary to some degree for certain basic functionality in the brain.
 

rei

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What happens if you take serotonin powder directly?
You throw up and have diarrhea, nausea, abdominal cramping etc.

Injecting serotonin into the skin is extremely painful and it is main component in many insect venoms.
 

David90

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@haidut

True. I notice this especially in Women around my Social Circle. Some of them acting indeed like Psychopaths due to increased Serotonin. My Best (Female) Friend was even in psychiatry. And was getting SSRI. She even sounded like a Different Person if i was Talking to her (via WhatsApp Audio Message). Some other ones are even more Aggresive or acting even Manly (at times), which i think is not normal.
 

Regina

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@haidut

True. I notice this especially in Women around my Social Circle. Some of them acting indeed like Psychopaths due to increased Serotonin. My Best (Female) Friend was even in psychiatry. And was getting SSRI. She even sounded like a Different Person if i was Talking to her (via WhatsApp Audio Message). Some other ones are even more Aggresive or acting even Manly (at times), which i think is not normal.
 

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David90

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@Regina
This is just my 2 Cents to this Theme. But i don't like the direction of all of this going. Women should be Cute, Playful and Feminine in my Perspective. Of Course Times can Change and are Changing. But with the Serotonin and Covid Situation it's not for the better. In case of my best Female Friend, i feel really sorry for her, that she has gone down a SSRI Route via Psychiatry (depsite telling her, no to do so because of the Negative Effects it has). I Remember like it was yesterday. Even her Voice was like Emotionless and without this ''Energy'' in it. Like a Serial Killer or Robot. Can't Describe it.

Also in Terms of Covid Situation, i have the Feeling that Most People in my Country have at least some sort of High Serotonin (at least the Older People). Becuase i noticed an Increase in senseless Aggression....
 

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