---
title: Does reducing serotonin increase aggression in women during the late luteal phase?
description: Yes. Women given a drink designed to lower serotonin showed more aggressive behavior during a competitive task in the late luteal phase, suggesting serotonin
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/tryptophan-depletion-increases-aggression-in-women-during-the-premenstrual-phase-2001/
---

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- Does reducing serotonin increase aggression in women during the late luteal phase?

Randomised trial, 2001

# Does reducing serotonin increase aggression in women during the late luteal phase?

Yes. Women given a drink designed to lower serotonin showed more aggressive behavior during a competitive task in the late luteal phase, suggesting serotonin affects aggression in women as well as men.

 Early or limited evidence

Healthy women during the late luteal phase

## What they did

Healthy women were randomly assigned to drink either an amino acid drink depleted of tryptophan (which lowers serotonin) or a balanced amino acid drink. Four and a half hours later, they played a competitive reaction time game designed to measure behavioral aggression in response to provocation.

## What they found

Women who received the tryptophan-depleted drink showed more behavioral aggression in response to provocation compared to those who received the balanced drink.

## What it means for you

Serotonin appears to play a role in controlling aggression in women during the late luteal phase. The study is limited because sample size is not reported, only healthy women were tested (not women with PMDD), and aggression was measured once during a single task.

4.5

hours between drink and aggression test

## About the study

Original title Tryptophan depletion increases aggression in women during the premenstrual phase Authors Bond AJ, Wingrove J, Critchlow DG Journal Psychopharmacology Year 2001 Study design Randomised trial What was tested Tryptophan-depleted drink versus balanced amino acid drink Read the paper [doi.org/10.1007/s002130100795](https://doi.org/10.1007/s002130100795)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)

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