Dopamine modulation of aggression
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213_2025_Article_6893.pdf
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1.86 MB
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Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
a716352ff2f0c4bc61edd2521565ebad
Author(s)
Dai, Bing
Lin, Dayu
Date Issued
September 23, 2025
Journal
Psychopharmacology
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Citation
Dai, B., Lin, D. Dopamine modulation of aggression. Psychopharmacology (2025).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Rationale Aggression is an innate social behavior prevalent across animal species. However, in modern human society, inter-personal aggression is considered disruptive and detrimental to both families and communities. Clinically, antipsychotics, which primarily target dopamine (DA) receptors, have been widely used to suppress hyper-aggression. However, the mechanisms underlying the effect of the antipsychotics remain incompletely understood. Objectives We reviewed key steps in brain DA synthesis and summarized genetic and pharmacological evidence supporting the role of the mesolimbic DA system in aggression. Next, we discussed recent circuit studies that elucidate the DA action in modulating aggression-related brain regions. These lines of evidence collectively suggest that DA acts on different brain regions to facilitate aggression and self-learning, and signals the valence of the fighting experience.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-025-06893-w
