Fluoxetine and Aggressive Behaviour

Abstract

Troisi et al. (1995) report that fluoxetine 20 mg daily increased aggressive behavior in nine of 19 adult inpatients with mental retardation and epilepsy. The neurobiologic manifestations are suggested by serotonergic-mediated inhibition of dopamine (McCrath et al., 1995) lateralized to the right hemisphere. This hypothesis is supported by optimal response organization at intermediate dopamine tone in a medial-frontal-striatal activation system (Friedman, 1995) and by inhibition of the right hemisphere promoting dominance of the left hemisphere (Friedman and Naver, 1995) subserving violence (Friedman, 1992).