The Hormonal Basis of Reconciliation in Humans

Butovskaya, Marina; Boyko, Elizaveta Y.; Сельверова, Н. Б.; Ермакова, И. В.

doi:10.2114/jpa.24.333

Cited by 16 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Plasma DHEA‐S (but not testosterone) levels were positively correlated with individual aggression ratings. Similar data have been reported in additional studies (88–90). Other research has examined children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), who have clinically high levels of DHEA‐S.…”

Section: Neuroendocrine Control Of Aggression In Other Speciessupporting

confidence: 91%

Testosterone and Aggression: Berthold, Birds and Beyond

Soma

2006

J Neuroendocrinology

209

133

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Berthold's classic study of domesticated roosters in 1849 demonstrated that testicular secretions are necessary for the normal expression of aggressive behaviour. Although this conclusion is undoubtedly correct, field studies of wild songbirds have yielded important modifications and limitations of Berthold's original hypothesis. For example, studies of the North American song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) during the breeding season reveal that not only does testosterone increase aggression, but aggressive interactions also increase plasma testosterone levels. Furthermore, in winter, nonbreeding song sparrows have low plasma testosterone levels but are very aggressive, and castration of nonbreeding song sparrows does not decrease aggression. Interestingly, an aromatase inhibitor (fadrozole) does decrease male aggression in the nonbreeding season, and the effects of fadrozole can be rescued with oestradiol. In winter, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) from the periphery can be metabolised within the brain to supply oestradiol to specific neural circuits. Additionally, oestradiol might be synthesised de novo from cholesterol entirely within the brain. These mechanisms may have evolved to avoid the 'costs' of circulating testosterone in the nonbreeding season. Recent studies in tropical birds, hamsters, and humans suggest that these neuroendocrine mechanisms are important for the control of aggression in many vertebrate species. Keywords 3β-HSD; aromatase; AVT; bird; BNST; brain; c-fos; dehydroepiandrosterone; DHEA; oestradiol; oestrogen; neurosteroid; season; songbird; stress; vasotocin; ZENK oestradiol; oestrogen Studies in birds have contributed greatly to understanding the neuroendocrine regulation of aggression (1-7). The first study of hormones and aggressive behaviour was conducted in roosters in the 19th Century. More recently, field studies of wild songbirds have been central in unravelling hormone-behaviour relationships across seasons and habitats. Free-living animals are often more aggressive and generally have higher circulating hormone levels than captive animals (8-10). In addition, testing conditions in the laboratory can have large unexpected effects on behaviour, particularly when animals are forced to interact in constrained spaces. For these reasons, field studies can be an important complement to laboratory studies. Combined field-laboratory approaches in birds have produced novel CIHR Author Manuscript CIHR Author Manuscript CIHR Author Manuscriptinsights into the social regulation of testosterone levels, the expression of aggression during the nonbreeding season, and the 'costs' of elevated circulating testosterone levels (4). Berthold's caponsThe study of hormones and aggression, and of hormones in general, can be traced back to the classic experiment of Arnold Berthold in 1849 (11). He removed the testes of immature male chickens (the castrated animals are called capons) and found a decrease in some secondary sex characteristics (comb, wattles) and male-typical behaviours (11). Capons di...

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Section: Neuroendocrine Control Of Aggression In Other Speciessupporting

confidence: 91%

Testosterone and Aggression: Berthold, Birds and Beyond

Soma

2006

J Neuroendocrinology

209

133

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“…The mean level of cortisol for both conditions (n ϭ 22) at baseline was 0.31 Ϯ 0.038 g/dl and after treatment was 0.24 Ϯ 0.03 g/dl. These are consistent with the manufacturer's guidelines and within the range found in the literature (e.g., Bishop et al, 2006;Butovskaya et al, 2005;Strazdins et al, 2005;Cahill et al, 2003), providing internal validation of the method. An overall repeated measures test showed that cortisol values were significantly decreased from baseline regardless of treatment condition (F 1,7 ϭ 6.861; p Ͻ 0.05).…”

Section: Results From Data Analysissupporting

confidence: 87%

A Semester-long Student-directed Research Project Involving Enzyme Immunoassay: Appropriate for Immunology, Endocrinology, or Neuroscience Courses

Goyette

DeLuca

2007

LSE

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The following project aimed at promoting integrated and long-lasting learning is described for an Immunology course, but it may be adapted to other disciplines. Students were asked to develop and carry out a research project to examine the relationship between immune function and stress. The experiments were required to include the assessment of salivary cortisol and salivary IgA (sIgA) with enzyme immunoassays. All other aspects of the experiments were developed by student groups with appropriate guidance from the instructor. Data are presented for one group project that assessed the effect of music on cortisol and sIgA. Overall levels of sIgA and cortisol were consistent with reported values. Students found a significant decrease in cortisol over time. Additionally, there was a trend that supported the overall student hypothesis regarding the effect of stress and immune function. Compared with the same Immunology course that included an instructor-designed experiment using enzyme immunoassays for cortisol and sIgA, several assessments (e.g., final grades and comments on student evaluations) show that overall learning seemed to be much better in the course with the student-directed research project.

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“…There are notable parallels in timing and function between reconciliation observed in young children and in non-human primates. For example, across both populations, reconciliation typically occurs in the first four minutes after a conflict [16], with the exchange often reducing the opponents' distress [15,[33][34][35][36][37]. Reconciliation is more likely to occur when opponents have an established relationship and shared social interest [38].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

[Post-print] Reconciliation in human adults: A video-assisted naturalistic observational study of post conflict conciliatory behaviour in interpersonal aggression

Philpot¹,

Ls²,

Mr³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Reconciliation is an aspect of natural conflict resolution with similar behaviour patterns documented in non-human primates, human children, and human adults in hunter gather societies. However, actual or potential post-conflict reconciliation behaviour amongst adults living in industrialized societies has rarely been studied systematically. In this paper, we observed naturally occurring conflicts between adults that were captured by public space security cameras in England. Reconciliation was found in in one-quarter of all conflicts and was significantly more prevalent in milder than in severe conflicts. Reconciliation typically occurred spontaneously between opponents – and was found both within friendship groups and across stranger groups. Reconciliation between opponents also appeared to be facilitated by peers, law enforcement, or shared objects. In some instances, reconciliation extended beyond the initial conflict dyad to include conciliatory interactions towards victimized third-party mediators. These findings add to a growing body of cross-cultural and cross-species evidence demonstrating the presence and function of post-conflict reconciliation Taken together, the paper extends knowledge about the repertoire of behaviours that form part of a reconciliation ethogram and introduces a typology of five reconciliation types that are central to the study of conciliation in post-conflict adult aggression.

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The Hormonal Basis of Reconciliation in Humans

Cited by 16 publications

References 19 publications

Testosterone and Aggression: Berthold, Birds and Beyond

Testosterone and Aggression: Berthold, Birds and Beyond

A Semester-long Student-directed Research Project Involving Enzyme Immunoassay: Appropriate for Immunology, Endocrinology, or Neuroscience Courses

[Post-print] Reconciliation in human adults: A video-assisted naturalistic observational study of post conflict conciliatory behaviour in interpersonal aggression

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