Hormone serotonin, impulsivity linked in British study

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2008

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Serotonin plays a key role in regulating emotions such as aggression and impulsivity during decision making, according to British research appearing Thursday in the United States.

Neurologists and psychiatrists have long linked serotonin, a hormone that transmits chemical messages between nerve cells, and social behavior, but its precise role is controversial.

The British study in the June 6 edition of the journal Science is among the first to show a causal link between low levels of serotonin in the brain and impulsivity.

It is also demonstrates why people can become combative on an empty stomach.

Serotonin levels naturally drop when a person hasn't eaten, because tryptophan, an essential amino acid necessary for the body to...