Dopamine Involved In Aggression

Dopamine Involved In Aggression

rats and soccer

Aggression is something I could never get enough of!  As a member of the women’s Rugby team, we are always striving to become more aggressive and to intimidate the other team if nothing else, that is why this article caught my eye. It did not shock me that Dopamine is involved with aggression because Dopamine is involved in everything. This article makes the argument Dopamine serves as  a positive reward for aggression and that “an individual will intentionally seek out an aggressive encounter solely because they experience a rewarding sensation from it”. This article makes a valid point because Dopamine is the “happy” neurotransmitter because as Dopamine is released when you experience pleasure. At the University of Vanderbilt, the researchers conducted an experiment that brought aggression in mice. They discovered that when mice were treated with a drug that suppressed their Dopamine receptors, they were less aggressive. So for all my athletes out there that get a rush off of being aggressive, your brain supports it!

For more details on this awesome study follow the link!

One thought on “Dopamine Involved In Aggression

  1. That’s really interesting. I wonder if there is some connection between dopamine and aggression, and testosterone and excitation from athletics. Even if you just watch a sports match if your team wins you will have heightened levels of testosterone; whereas if your team looses your testosterone levels will decrease. I wonder if this is also true with dopamine/ if these mechanisms interact or feed off of each other.

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