Preliminary results from a double blind study, comparing the effects of fluoxetine with placebo in a carefully selected group of 67 perpetrators of domestic violence, show that both abstinence from alcohol and the administration of fluoxetine decrease the likelihood that perpetrators will be aggressive. During the past year accrual for the protocol has been completed and we are in the process of performing the data analysis. In this analysis we will be examining the effect of fluoxetine on aggression, alcohol consumption, mood, emotional expressions during interactions with their spouse/significant others, and response to emotional stimuli using functional MRI (fMRI). It is hoped that the results from this study will: 1) help us to better understand the interaction between alcohol and aggression, and 2) lead to new forms of treatment for alcohol dependent individuals who have a history of domestic violence.
| Salloum, Jasmin B; Ramchandani, Vijay A; Bodurka, Jerzy et al. (2007) Blunted rostral anterior cingulate response during a simplified decoding task of negative emotional facial expressions in alcoholic patients. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 31:1490-504 |
| Hibbeln, Joseph R; Bissette, Garth; Umhau, John C et al. (2004) Omega-3 status and cerebrospinal fluid corticotrophin releasing hormone in perpetrators of domestic violence. Biol Psychiatry 56:895-7 |
