FACTORS UNDERLYING AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR IN MACAQUES

该子项目是利用 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源。子项目和 研究者（PI）可能从另一个NIH来源获得主要资金， 因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。列出的机构是 中心，不一定是研究者的机构。 随着暴力行为发生率的上升，越来越多的研究集中在攻击性和相关特征的生理和遗传基础上。 与攻击性有关的一个因素是肾上腺素能系统。5-羟色胺缺乏症已被发现与攻击性和相关特征的增加有关，例如人类和其他动物的冲动行为。一个被发现调节血清素的基因是血清素转运基因（5-HTT）。 第二个基因是单胺氧化酶A（MAO A），它调节血清素，也可能在攻击性中发挥作用。 虽然有相当多的证据支持这些基因和攻击行为之间的关联，但其他研究未能复制这些发现。或者，非人灵长类动物可能提供了一个很好的模型，用于检查这些基因在攻击和相关行为的表达中可能发挥的作用，以及识别可能与基因型相互作用以影响行为结果的环境因素。该项目的主要目标是研究一组半自由生活的日本猕猴的行为和生理相关的侵略。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. As rates of violent behavior rise, more work is focusing on physiological and genetic underpinnings of aggression and associated traits. One factor that has been associated with aggression is the serotonergic system. Serotonin deficiencies have been found to correlate with increased rates of aggression and related traits, such as impulsive behavior in humans and other animals. One gene found to regulate serotonin is the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTT). A second gene that serves to regulate serotonin, and may also play a role in aggression, is monoamine oxidase A (MAO A). While there is considerable evidence to support the association between these genes and aggressive behavior, other studies have failed to replicate these findings. Alternatively, nonhuman primates may provide an excellent model for examining the role that these genes may play in the expression of aggression and related behaviors, as well as identifying environmental factors that may interact with genotype to influence behavioral outcome. The main goal of the project is to examine behavioral and physiological correlates to aggression in a group of semi-free living Japanese macaques.