The Biology of Aggression, Mating, & Arousal | Dr. David Anderson

My guest is David Anderson, PhD, a world expert in the science of sexual behavior, violent aggression, fear and other motivated states. Dr. Anderson is a Professor of Biology at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), a member of the National Academy of Sciences and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). We discuss how states of mind and body arise and persist and how they probably better explain human behavior than emotions per se. We also discuss the many kinds of arousal that create varying levels of pressure for certain behaviors to emerge. We discuss different types of violent aggression and how they are impacted by biological sex, gender, context, prior experience and hormones and the neural interconnectedness of fear, aggression and sexual behavior. We also discuss peptides and their role in social isolation–induced anxiety and aggression. Dr. Anderson also describes novel, potentially powerful therapeutics for mental health. This episode should interest anyone wanting to learn more about mental health, human emotions and sexual and/or violent behavior.

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Dr. David Anderson
Dr. David Anderson: https://davidandersonlab.caltech.edu/...
The Nature of the Beast: https://amzn.to/3qsrdOH
Dr. David Anderson’s Lab: https://davidandersonlab.caltech.edu
Dr. Anderson’s publications: https://bit.ly/3L5uGMl

Articles
Two Different Forms of Arousal in Drosophila Are Oppositely Regulated by the Dopamine D1 Receptor Ortholog DopR via Distinct Neural Circuits: https://bit.ly/3Dmyh7b

Resources
Mouse switching from mating behavior to aggressive behaviors upon stimulation of VMH:    • The neural circuitry of sex and violence, ...  
VMH stimulation causes mouse to display aggressive behaviors toward an inanimate object (e.g., glove):    • The neural circuitry of sex and violence, ...  
Picture of Periaqueductal Gray (PAG): https://neuroscientificallychallenged...

Timestamps
00:00:00 Dr. David Anderson, Emotions & Aggression
00:03:33 Momentous Supplements
00:04:27 Levels, Helix Sleep, LMNT
00:08:10 Emotions vs. States
00:10:36 Dimensions of States: Persistence, Intensity & Generalization
00:14:38 Arousal & Valence
00:18:11 Aggression, Optogenetics & Stimulating Aggression in Mice, VMH
00:24:42 Aggression Types: Offensive, Defensive & Predatory
00:29:20 Evolution & Development of Defensive vs. Offensive Behaviors, Fear
00:35:38 Hydraulic Pressures for States & Homeostasis
00:38:33 AG1 (Athletic Greens)
00:39:46 Hydraulic Pressure & Aggression
00:44:50 Balancing Fear & Aggression
00:48:31 Aggression & Hormones: Estrogen, Progesterone & Testosterone
00:52:33 Female Aggression, Motherhood
00:59:48 Mating & Aggressive Behaviors
01:05:10 Neurobiology of Sexual Fetishes
01:10:06 Temperature, Mating Behavior & Aggression
01:15:25 Mounting: Sexual Behavior or Dominance?
01:20:59 Females & Male-Type Mounting Behavior
01:24:40 PAG (Periaqueductal Gray) Brain Region: Pain Modulation & Fear
01:30:38 Tachykinins & Social Isolation: Anxiety, Fear & Aggression
01:43:49 Brain, Body & Emotions; Somatic Marker Hypothesis & Vagus Nerve
01:52:52 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous Supplements, AG1 (Athletic Greens), Instagram, Twitter, Neural Network Newsletter, Huberman Lab Clips

The Huberman Lab Podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.