ABSTRACT
The current literature suggests that there is a reciprocal interaction between aggression and immune function such that aggressive behaviors affect immune system functioning and immune events contribute to aggressive behavior. Thus, the interplay of aggression and immune function has been studied from a variety of vantage points, including (1) the role of social status on immune function, (2) the effect of an aggressive act on the recipient, (3) the effect of an aggressive act on the perpetrator, and (4) the effect of immune events on aggressive behaviors. Rather than providing an exhaustive review of these interactions, this chapter will use illustrative examples that represent the larger body of knowledge. The objective of this chapter is to review the interplay of aggression with immune function with particular attention to these vantage points. While the discussion of interspecific aggression may add further dimensions to this interaction, this chapter will specifically focus on intraspecific aggression. Following review of the interaction between aggression and immunity, we briefly review the converging neuronal circuitry that may account for this phenomenon.
