Swallow publishes on sex difference in aggression

Published: Feb. 12, 2019

John G. Swallow, Professor and Chair of Department of Integrative Biology, recently co-published Sex differences in aggression: Differential roles of 5-HT2, neuropeptide F and tachykinin. Despite the conserved function of aggression across taxa in obtaining critical resources such as food and mates, serotonin’s (5-HT) modulatory role on aggressive behavior appears to be largely inhibitory for vertebrates but stimulatory for invertebrates. However, critical gaps exist in our knowledge of invertebrates that need to be addressed before definitively stating opposing roles for 5-HT and aggression. Specifically, the role of 5-HT receptor subtypes are largely unknown, as is the potential interactive role of 5-HT with other neurochemical systems known to play a critical role in aggression.