NCJ Number
54019
Journal
PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY Dated: (1978) Pages: 541-552
Date Published
1978
Length
12 pages
Annotation
THIS REVIEW OF RESEARCH FROM 1968-1978 DISCUSSES NEUROENDOCRINE CORRELATES OF BEHAVIOR INCLUDING GONADAL HORMONES AND MALE AND FEMALE SEXUAL BEHAVIOR AND TESTOSTERONE AND AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR IN MALES.
Abstract
STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT APPARENT SEXUAL INTEREST IN MALES, AND THEIR SEXUAL ACTIVITY OR FANTASY LEVELS, ARE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BY REMOVING ALL OR MOST CIRCULATION OF FREE TESTOSTERONE EITHER BY SEXUAL ACTIVITY IN MALES IS NOT SIGNIFICANT, ALTHOUGH THE TENDENCY, PROPENSITY, OR INTEREST IN SEXUAL ACTIVITY MAY BE RELATED TO CHANGES IN TESTOSTERONE LEVELS. STUDIES ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TESTOSTERONE LEVELS AND IMPOTENCE AND MALE HOMOSEXUALITY CONCLUDE THAT THERE IS NO SIMPLE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THESE VARIABLES. ALMOST ALL THE LITERATURE THAT RELATES TO POTENTIAL INFLUENCES ON FEMALE SEXUAL BEHAVIOR IS LIMITED TO REPORTING CHANGES IN BEHAVIOR ASSOCIATED WITH PRESUMED CHANGES IN ENDOCRINE STATUS. STUDIES ON ADRENALECTOMY, HYPOPHYSECTOMY, AND GONADECTOMY RELATING TO SEXUAL INTEREST AND ACTIVITY ARE CITED AS WELL AS RESEARCH ON CHANGES IN SEXUAL BEHAVIOR AND THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE. A REVIEW OF RESEARCH ON TESTOSTERONE AND AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR IN NONISTITUTIONALIZED MALES--PERSKY (1971), MEYER-BALBURG (1973), DOERING (1974)--AND INSTITUTIONALIZED MALES--KREUZ AND ROSE (1972) AND EHRENBRAZ (1974)--IS PRESENTED. MOST OF THE RESEARCHERS EMPLOYED THE BUSS-DURKEE HOSTILITY INVENTORY TO MEASURE AGGRESSIVENESS AND RELIED HEAVILY ON SELF-REPORTING. NO CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE LINKING TESTOSTERONE AND AGGRESSIVENESS WAS DISCOVERED. STUDIES ARE ALSO CITED ON ALCOHOL USE, TESTOSTERONE AND AGGRESSIVE MALE BEHAVIOR AND TESTOSTERONE LEVEL LEVEL IN MALES WITH AN XYY CHROMOSOME COMPLEMENT. THE STUDIES DO NOT DRAW FIRM CONCLUSIONS ABOUT PSYCHOENDOCRINE RELATIONSHIPS IN HUMANS. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (DAG)