Dietary interventions,the gut microbiome,and aggressive behavior: Review of research evidence and potential next steps

Research in biosocial criminology and other related disciplines has established links between nutrition and aggressive behavior. In addition to observational studies, randomized trials of nutritional supplements like vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and folic acid provide evidence of the dietary impact on aggression. However, the exact mechanism of the diet-aggression link is not well understood. The current article proposes that the gut microbiome plays an important role in the process, with the microbiota–gut–brain axis serving as such a mediating mechanism between diet and behavior. Based on animal and human studies, this review synthesizes a wide array of research across several academic fields: from the effects of dietary interventions on aggression, to the results of microbiota transplantation on socioemotional and behavioral outcomes, to the connections between early adversity, stress, microbiome, and aggression. Possibilities for integrating the microbiotic perspective with the more traditional, sociologically oriented theories in criminology are discussed, using social disorganization and self-control theories as examples. To extend the existing lines of research further, the article considers harnessing the experimental potential of noninvasive and low-cost dietary interventions to help establish the causal impact of the gut microbiome on aggressive behavior, while adhering to the high ethical standards and modern research requirements. Implications of this research for criminal justice policy and practice are essential: not only can it help determine whether the improved gut microbiome functioning moderates aggressive and violent behavior but also provide ways to prevent and reduce such behavior, alone or in combination with other crime prevention programs.     

睾酮与人类攻击行为

睾酮是一种可以在男性的睾丸间质细胞、女性卵巢和胎盘的皮层细胞中合成并分泌的雄性激素, 它可以调节个体的各种生理、形态和行为过程, 对个体生存和繁殖至关重要。大量研究表明, 睾酮与社会行为的关联存在双向性, 睾酮可以调节社会行为, 社会行为可以反馈并进一步影响睾酮水平。我们将关注点聚焦于睾酮与人类攻击行为之间的关联。早期研究发现, 高睾酮水平个体表现出更高的攻击性; 近期的研究根据挑战假设理论模型和生物社会地位模型得出, 人体内的睾酮水平对竞争性相互作用具有高度反应性。此外, 通过对大量研究的回顾与分析, 我们总结出睾酮水平的变化可以通过增强杏仁核的反应性或减少前额叶皮质-杏仁核功能耦合来影响攻击行为。未来的研究者应考虑其他激素(如皮质醇)和人格特征调节睾酮和人类攻击行为之间关系的潜在作用, 以及相关的生物学机制。     

Biosocial studies of antisocial and violent behavior in children and adults: a review

Despite increasing knowledge of social and biological risk factors for antisocial and violent behavior, we know surprisingly little about how these two sets of risk factors interact. This paper documents 39 empirical examples of biosocial interaction effects for antisocial behavior from the areas of genetics, psychophysiology, obstetrics, brain imaging, neuropsychology, neurology, hormones, neurotransmitters, and environmental toxins. Two main themes emerge. First, when biological and social factors are grouping variables and when antisocial behavior is the outcome, then the presence of both risk factors exponentially increases the rates of antisocial and violent behavior. Second, when social and antisocial variables are grouping variables and biological functioning is the outcome, then the social variable invariably moderates the antisocial–biology relationship such that these relationships are strongest in those from benign home backgrounds. It is argued that further biosocial research is critical for establishing a new generation of more successful intervention and prevention research.     

Cloninger的人格生物社会模型及其生理机制的证据

该文首先介绍了Cloninger的人格生物社会模型的7个维度,综述了该模型在神经递质、基因遗传学、脑血流以及脑电方面等的经验性证据。还探讨了该模型与其他人格生理模型之间的关系,特别是较详细比较了Cloninger的人格生物模型与Eysenck模型的差异。最后,对Cloninger的理论模型进行了评述,并提出研究生理机制、环境和个体行为的交互影响作用,是今后人格研究的一个发展方向     

The relationship between resting heart rate and aggression in males is racially variant

Although resting heart rate is thought to be a generalizable risk factor for aggression, very little research has examined whether this relationship varies by race. We addressed this limitation using longitudinal data from the Pittsburgh Youth Study. Current data are from 197 men who participated in a teenage biosocial study (mean age = 15.7 years) and adult follow-up study (mean age = 32.1 years). Teenage resting heart rate interacted with race to predict teenage and adult aggression. The relationship between heart rate and aggression was significant in White, but not in Black males. To our knowledge, this is the first study to find that the relationship between resting heart rate and aggression is racially variant, suggesting that resting heart rate may not be a generalizable biomarker for conduct problems. At an intervention-level, findings could contribute to the development of more accurate risk assessment tools that take into account racial variance in risk factors.