Nutritional Interventions in Treating or Ameliorating Aggression with Dietary Regimes and Protocols

Oxidative stress has been implicated in aggressive human behavior. The effects of oxidative stress may be mediated by its effects on parvalbumin (PV)-positive neurons in the brain. The vulnerability of PV-positive neurons to oxidative stress may induce various neurodevelopmental disturbances, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, in which aggressive behavior is often observed. This chapter shows that genetic modification decreasing neuroprotective actions and perinatal exposure to dioxins causing oxidative stress reduce the cell density of PV-positive neurons, which is negatively correlated with aggressive behaviors in rodents, while foods and supplements with antioxidative actions decrease aggressive behaviors in humans with perinatal exposure to dioxins and rodents. Based on these findings, the authors discuss the neural mechanisms that may underlie aggressive behaviors and the potential usefulness of foods with antioxidative actions as a regimen for the treatment of aggressive behavior in children.