Dual-Hormone Regulation of Psychopathy: Evidence from Mass Spectrometry

People high in trait psychopathy tend to have low empathy, low anxiety, fearlessness, aggression, impulsivity and antisocial behaviors (Lykken, 1995; Hunt et al., 2005; Visser et al., 2012). At a glance, these characteristics have much in common with the behavioral and psychological correlates of the hormones testosterone and cortisol. Testosterone, a steroid hormone released by the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, has been associated with elevated aggression and impulsivity, but low empathy and anti-social behavior (Mazur& Booth, 1998; Archer et al., 2005; Hermans et al., 2006; Zilioli et al., 2015).

Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - September 13, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Ashlin R.K. Roy, Terence Cook, Justin M. Carr é, Keith M. Welker Source Type: research