ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the putative role that central neurotransmitters play in impulsive–aggressive behavior in humans. Although there is a growing literature in this area, other factors (both biological and nonbiological) also contribute to the development and display of this behavior in humans. Many of these factors are discussed in other chapters in this volume. However, one of the appeals of studying neurotransmitter correlates in relation to behavior is that abnormalities in neurotransmitter function often translate directly into psychopharmacological interventions. For example, if individuals with a prominent history of impulsive–aggressive behavior have a deficit in a particular central neurotransmitter system, treatment with agents that enhance the function of that system may well diminish the frequency or severity of the behavior. Conversely, if impulsive–aggressive behavior seems to be enhanced by activation of certain neurotransmitter systems, then inhibition of that system by agents that blockade the relevant receptors or inhibit neurotransmitter synthesis may diminish the behavior in selected individuals.
