Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Welcome to the MindWhale Podcast, where we talk about kids and teens mental health, mood, and behavior from a holistic perspective. I'm your host, Nicholas Hundley, and I'm excited to talk about today's topic. Today, I am going to discuss aggression in kids and teens from a biological perspective. What do I mean by aggression?
[00:00:26] Well, aggression has been a part of humanity from time immemorial. However, as parents, we may notice that some kids are more aggressive than others, and in some kids it can be a problem. Aggression includes physical harm to others, like hitting or biting, and destroying things could also be a form of physical aggression.
[00:00:52] There are other forms besides physical aggression, however. Non physical aggression includes relational aggression [00:01:00] that might be verbal, such as arguing or name calling or rude behavior or bullying, putting people down. Non-verbal relational aggression could include things like shouting or using a tone that is derogatory or condescending.
[00:01:18] Even facial expressions can denote relational aggression. Things like spreading rumors is also aggressive. And aggression takes its toll on relationships because it causes stress. As I will talk about later, stress leads to aggression, so it can be a vicious circle. And as parents, it can be really distressing if your child exhibits a lot of aggression.
[00:01:47] Of course, it can be embarrassing, but also it harms the child's interests and success in the long term if they are excessively aggressive and they don't learn to [00:02:00] tone it down, but also it can affect other people negatively and it can affect family life and it can affect school performance as well.
[00:02:11] Aggression is associated with psychological diagnoses like Autism or ASD, ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder or ODD, Intermittent Explosive Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Substance Use Disorders, Bipolar Disorder, and substance exposures in the womb such as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and other substances.
[00:02:40] . And as I'll talk about, this is because these conditions are associated with changes in the, anatomical structure of the brain. Also the biological functioning of the brain, but don't despair because there are things that have been discovered. Lots of things. There's lots of research that I will share [00:03:00] about how these things can be addressed and potentially healed according to what we've discovered in the scientific literature about it.
[00:03:10] Today's topic is the biological roots of aggression in kids and teens. I want to emphasize that like everything mental health-related, aggression is caused by a complicated set of factors in the categories of body, mind, and spirit. It's helpful to know the contributors to kids' and teens' mood and behavior so that you can identify what area or areas your child needs support in and (hint!) it's usually all of them, but often there will be one or two areas that need extra support.
[00:03:47] And so it's good to be able to identify where that may be for your particular child. Today's episode focuses specifically on the bodily or the biological and [00:04:00] biochemical aspects of aggressive behavior in kids and teens. It turns out we have a lot of scientific literature on the topic, and this translates to specific things that you can do as a caregiver to support calm, kindness, empathy, and patience in your loved one through supporting their biochemistry.
[00:04:20] Today I'm not covering much in the realm of the spiritual or the psychological or heart aspects, which are also equally important. Maybe even more important. But at the foundation is love and genuine concern for our children. That's what's going to help them the most. Because if we have love and concern for our kids, then we will have insight into their triggers and what's going on.
[00:04:53] But, perhaps even more importantly, we will seek out information, such as the information here in this [00:05:00] podcast, that will give you insight into your child's behavior and how you can help address it. So I'm going to go over a lot of the science in regards to the biological aspects of aggression in kids and teens, and that will point toward ways to support the biology of their brains and body, which will hopefully help with their levels of aggression with their happiness, patience, and overall health. So, in line with that idea is the fact that one of the things that harms our ability in modern society to address mental health adequately is our implicit societal belief in a separation between the brain and the body, or a separation between behavior and mood and physical health.
[00:05:54] The biochemistry of the brain and body can dramatically affect the child's level of irritability, [00:06:00] their level of anger, and their aggression, and conversely, it will affect their levels of patience, contentment, and calm. And I'm going to show you studies and the science behind that. My hope is that the information here will enlighten you and motivate you to support your kids in living their best lives.
[00:06:20] Now, I've created a behavior assessment and workbook that anyone can do. The workbook covers topics above and beyond what I'm going to talk about here, including poor focus, fearfulness, timidity, anxiety, negative mood, aggression, sleep problems, poor sociability or poor development. So go ahead and download the assessment and the PDF guide at MindWhale. com/MoodyKidWorkbook. Again, that's mindwhale. com /MoodyKidWorkbook, all one word, [00:07:00] Mind Whale is spelled MINDWHALE.
[00:07:05] So, without further ado, let's discuss the physical and biochemical contributors to aggression in kids and teens.
[00:07:13] Quick overview of today's episode. I'm going to talk about the anatomy of the brain and the body a little bit. I'm going to talk about hormones. I'm going to talk about neurotransmitters and how they influence aggression. I'm going to talk a little bit about genetics. I'm going to talk about the microbiome. I'm going to talk about nutrients. I'm going to talk about dietary patterns associated with aggression.
[00:07:34] This is very interesting because there is a lot of science behind (specifically) aggression and what children eat. We're going to talk about stress levels, we're going to talk about loneliness, we're going to talk about inflammation in the body, and also inflammation in the brain. Don't despair, I'm not going to go into massive detail on these topics. I'm going to talk about how they relate specifically to aggression.[00:08:00]
[00:08:00] I will, however, have other episodes that will dive deeply into the topics of specific nutrients and how they affect mental health, the microbiome and how it affects mental health, inflammation and mental health, and much, much more. I will also have specialists who will talk about kids' and teens' aggression, trauma, similar topics like that.
[00:08:22] So stay tuned and look for those other episodes in the feed as we go along. So, first let's discuss the neurological roots of aggression so that you have basic understanding of the biology of what's happening when someone is aggressive and also if someone has a propensity to aggression. And it's good to have a little bit of background knowledge on it, because that will allow you to see that a lot of these things actually can be influenced by supporting the health, primarily, of the brain and body and the [00:09:00] biochemistry, and having insights into what specific things might be able to help a child become more calm and happy. And a lot of this can be simplified. First, I'm going to talk about all the complexity of it, but then I'll talk about how all the complexity can be simplified through supporting brain health in your child and how to specifically do that.
[00:09:22] Neurologically, the anatomy of aggression involves the anterior cingulate cortex, the prefrontal cortex, and the limbic system, primarily the amygdala. One major area of the brain that is very influential in levels of aggression is the anterior cingulate cortex. This is a part of the brain that's behind the prefrontal cortex, which is the very front part of your brain. The anterior cingulate cortex has a lot of receptors for a hormone that you may have heard about called oxytocin.
[00:09:57] Oxytocin is considered the [00:10:00] love hormone. It's involved in friendship and camaraderie and feeling safe with other people. When we have oxytocin, in that part of the brain, it can definitely lower aggression. Also, oxytocin, specifically in the anterior cingulate cortex, will influence GABA transmission, and GABA is the primary calming neurotransmitter. Of course, usually when people are aggressive, they are the opposite of calm. So you can see how if someone has oxytocin on board, which will increase their levels of GABA, that will calm their brain, and that will help with aggression. So if we can support oxytocin levels, then that may help with aggression.
[00:10:48] This part of the brain is also involved in empathy. And empathy would mean understanding and maybe even caring about another person's experience. So, aggression [00:11:00] can be lowered if a person has more empathy. In children, in the long run, we do want them to learn empathy and I'll talk about how to help fortify this part of the brain functioning.
[00:11:13] The next part of the brain I want to talk about is the prefrontal cortex, right behind your forehead. It's the furthest-most-forward part of the brain. One major function of the prefrontal cortex is impulse control. It's also involved in emotional regulation. Impulse control is important in aggression because if someone is angry and they feel an impulse to hit someone or say something rude, the prefrontal cortex, if it's strong and healthy, will tell the rest of the brain, like, wait a second, think about this for a second before you act.
[00:11:48] And there's different types of aggression. There's aggression that's preplanned and calculated, and that is different from reactive aggression, which would be aggression that someone [00:12:00] performs because of a specific stress. The prefrontal cortex would be involved in refraining from reactive aggression.
[00:12:08] And that thinking twice process in the brain uses dopamine so we can support healthy levels of dopamine in the brain to help the prefrontal cortex work better.
[00:12:19] And that's a whole topic in and of itself because ADHD, which has been briefly mentioned, is also associated with increased aggression primarily because of that impulse control problem, but also stress.
[00:12:33] Aggression involves activity of the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is part of the fight or flight nervous system. The brain extends into the body by way of the nervous system, and when we are stressed, then the sympathetic aspect of the nervous system gets activated. People who are more aggressive tend to be more [00:13:00] stressed, more in the sympathetic nervous system. So when they get stressed, they tend to be fighters.
[00:13:05] Some of that is genetic and some of that also can be affected through other calming techniques, which I will talk about at the end of this episode as we talk about how to address aggression. I did mention briefly GABA, which is a calming neurotransmitter.. I talked about dopamine, which is important in the prefrontal cortex. the MAO gene and the COMT gene and dopamine beta hydroxylase gene are genetics that affect dopamine function in the brain, associated with increased aggression.
[00:13:43] Okay, let's talk about hormones in relation to aggressive behavior in kids and teens. We may think of testosterone when we think of aggression, and in fact higher testosterone levels are correlated with aggression. The interesting [00:14:00] thing, however, is that like all things biological, there's a lot of nuance to it, and there's a lot of complexity. Besides testosterone that's involved in levels of aggression, there's progesterone, which is calming. Allopregnanolone, is a hormone that is considered a neurosteroid. And that means it's a hormone that functions in the brain. So it is kind of like a neurotransmitter and it's kind of like a hormone. That is primarily calming as well because it increases GABA function in the brain. And remember, GABA is calming.
[00:14:40] Cortisol is another major hormone in the body. You may know that it's associated with fear and stress. Cortisol can be a two-edged sword in aggression because higher cortisol is associated with stress, which may increase aggression. But at the same time, higher [00:15:00] cortisol is associated with more fear as well. And one contributor to aggression in some kids might be a lack of fear. Indeed, some kids, when they wake up, don't have high cortisol levels. These people are more likely to be aggressive and delinquent.
[00:15:18] Oxytocin has been mentioned, that's a hormone that is involved in primarily the anterior cingulate cortex when it comes to aggression and it increases the amount of GABA, as does allopregnanolone, which I mentioned earlier.
[00:15:33] DHEA is a precursor hormone that is used by the brain and body to create all of the other hormones. Levels of that have also been correlated with levels of aggression.
[00:15:48] I will discuss how, as a parent, you can potentially support healthy hormone levels in your kids, which is very important, especially as a child is going through puberty, hormones are changing, [00:16:00] neurosteroids in the brain are changing, and it can be difficult for kids to adjust to those changes.
[00:16:08] Additionally, hormone levels are intimately connected to the health of the body, so it is very important to have a healthy body and support that, which again, I will talk about further on in this discussion.
[00:16:21] The ingredients for aggression, from a neurological perspective, are the levels of drive that the person has, the levels of irritability that they have, the amount of empathy, that they have for other people and their level of impulse control. And interestingly, different parts of the brain tend to be involved in those different ingredients.
[00:16:47] So drive can be involved with the anterior cingulate and the frontal cortex. Irritability with the amygdala and other parts of the limbic system. Empathy [00:17:00] also appears to be in the anterior cingulate cortex, and impulse control is generally controlled by the prefrontal cortex of the brain. Empathy is being able to understand other people's emotions as well as have concern for those emotions, recognize that the other person has their own internal experience that's going on within them. And , compassion is closely aligned with empathy because if there's compassion then there will be concern for the other person's experience. So better levels of empathy and compassion, not surprisingly, are associated with less aggression. Empathy is something that can be developed and there are parts of the brain that are associated with empathy and compassion. One key takeaway from that is that, because there is a biological component, it probably can be supported, or at least the person can develop empathy. Mindfulness [00:18:00] practices in ancient religious practices and rituals, and modern practices are specifically designed to develop empathy. . However, these psychological practices work best when the nerves and the brain are healthy, meaning that those parts of the brain are going to develop better in a environment that is healthy to the nervous system.
[00:18:24] I will talk later about nutrition and how specific nutrients can support the neuroplasticity of the brain so that perhaps empathy and compassion can be developed.
[00:18:36] If someone's more irritable, they're more likely to be aggressive. A huge contributor, unbeknownst to most of us in modern society, is neurological inflammation and bodily inflammation. Irritability is associated with poor functioning of serotonin in certain parts of the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that your body creates from [00:19:00] an amino acid called trip to fan. Irritability within the the amygdala, which is part of the limbic nervous system, manifest as a negative mood, can manifest as anxiety and of course, aggression.
[00:19:11] If we can support the health of the body, then that will actually affect levels of fear, anxiety, depression and irritability.
[00:19:19] Okay, so I've given you an overview of the factors in aggression, like irritability, drive, and empathy. I've talked about different parts of the brain, like the anterior cingulate gyrus, the prefrontal cortex, and the limbic system. I've talked about neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine. GABA was a big one that was mentioned as a calming neurotransmitter.
[00:19:45] I also talked about the hormones, progesterone, allopregnanolone, testosterone, estrogen, DHEA, and cortisol involved in aggression. Now I'm going to talk about how these things can be [00:20:00] supported for health. And remember, genetically, and biologically, your child's body and brain are trying to heal and they are able to do so better when they're supported.
[00:20:14] So I'm going to talk about ways that you can support the biochemistry and the health of your child's body and brain so that these things can perhaps be more in balance
[00:20:25] So we'll start with hormones. For balancing hormones, two major contributors are the gut microbiome and blood sugar balance, as well as nutrient balance in the child. Lifestyle factors are a huge modulator of hormones. For example, I mentioned neurosteroid allopregnanolone in the brain, that's highly influenced by insulin levels. Overall levels of testosterone are influenced by insulin, which is involved with blood sugar balance and metabolic [00:21:00] health as well. Other factors in hormone levels and hormone balance include appropriate nutrition. You need certain biochemicals like methylation, folate, vitamin B12, in order to process hormones, and you need proper amounts of sleep, social relations and stress levels. They've done studies with kids who feel isolated or lonely, and this will actually affect the amount of hormones in the brain. It affects cortisol because there's higher stress levels if someone feels lonely. It affects the amount of allopregnanolone in the brain. It affects epinephrine and testosterone as well.
[00:21:43] Okay, so let's talk about how to address neurotransmitter production and function as it relates to aggression in kids and teens.
[00:21:53] Number one factor is protein. Kids need protein in order to manufacture [00:22:00] neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are created from amino acids, which are the breakdown products of protein.
[00:22:07] For example, serotonin, which is, can be calming, is created from tryptophan. And tryptophan is converted into 5 HTP, which is then converted into serotonin, and then serotonin can also be converted into melatonin, which is calming because it promotes sleep. Additionally, tyrosine and phenylalanine are amino acids.
[00:22:29] They are precursors to catecholamines and dopamine. And dopamine is required for function of the prefrontal cortex and for impulse control. How to get the right amounts of protein is beyond the scope of this episode. But stay tuned because that's a big thing I talk about.
[00:22:47] Also download the Moody Kid Workbook at MindWhale. com /MoodyKidWorkbook. I have a PDF and an assessment that you can do at home [00:23:00] to see what kind of moody your kid may be.
[00:23:04] Another way to support healthy neurotransmitter function is through a large topic called methylation. There are a lot of different foods that include various forms of methyl groups. And methylation cycle is a very intricate cycle within the body that overlaps with neurotransmitter production and degradation. And having healthy levels of methylation can definitely affect levels of aggression. For example, vitamin B12 is heavily involved in methylation and may be associated with a better ability for the brain to handle neurotransmitters, which may be related to aggression.
[00:23:49] Okay, a very interesting topic that I enjoy learning about is lithium. Lithium is a light mineral in the [00:24:00] same family on the periodic table as sodium and potassium. However, up until recently, it hasn't been considered an essential nutrient. But that is in question because of the powerful effects that lithium seems to have at very low doses on people's brains. In other words, most people's brains tend to function a lot better when they have appropriate levels of lithium in the water supply. There are at least three epidemiological studies, that I'm aware of, associating the amount of natural lithium, just low levels of normal lithium in the water, which is like a trace mineral and aggression, specifically homicides and suicides. They've studied it in various locations in Japan. They've studied it in Alabama and the United States, and they've studied it in Texas in the United States Robustly and consistently higher levels of lithium in the water are associated [00:25:00] with less aggression, less violent crimes, less homicide, less suicide, which are all forms of aggression.
[00:25:06] And again, these are not huge levels of lithium, but even these little variations in the amount of lithium in the water supply is associated with calmer people. And they've done studies on it. It does. affect the expression of certain genes that are associated with aggression, like the COMT gene that I mentioned earlier in the episode.
[00:25:29] , Of course, lithium, in the general public, has a negative stigma because it's associated with mental health disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Lithium is prescribed in massive doses. I guess massive is probably hyperbolic, but large doses of 600 milligrams to 800, 1800 milligrams daily by psychiatrists, , for the treatment of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, other forms of psychosis. The [00:26:00] reality is that it actually has the most scientific evidence for effectiveness in aggressive behavior. There are a lot of psychiatric drugs that are used, and I will mention a few of those in a later section, for aggression specifically, but, lithium, in these doses that are prescribed by psychiatrists do have a lot of evidence for lowering aggression, and it's generally safe in children when it's prescribed by a qualified psychiatrist. But there also is a narrow dose range for these large doses because too much is stressful for the kidneys. So that is something to be concerned about and monitor with pharmaceutical levels of lithium. Now interestingly, dramatically lower doses of lithium have been studied. Not as much as the pharmaceutical lithium, but they've been studied and also anecdotally people are [00:27:00] reporting benefits in aggression with low, low, low levels of lithium.
[00:27:04] These doses are between 0. 1 mg and 30 mg. Now again the, pharmaceutical doses from a psychiatrist are 600 milligrams to 1, 800 milligrams, so this is much, much lower, and it doesn't present the same health risk to the kidneys because of the low levels, and low dose lithium has been studied in Alzheimer's. It's shown to improve neuroplasticity, and it stabilizes cognitive impairment, and also it's been studied in former drug users. The nutritional level is half a milligram, and it had a mood improving and a mood stabilizing effect. So, some researchers are now hypothesizing that lithium might be an essential nutrient for the brain. Stay tuned because I will be diving more in depth into lithium and how it can affect brain health and various [00:28:00] aspects of kids mood and behavior.
[00:28:02] Higher magnesium is associated with improved aggression in some studies as well. Most people are not getting enough
[00:28:09] Okay, so now let's move on to energy balance and mitochondrial function.
[00:28:16] To be very brief, our cells need adequate amounts of energy to function correctly. And this is no less true for the brain. Different parts of the brain have different energy needs. Remember, I've mentioned different parts of the brain that are involved in aggression, like the prefrontal cortex for impulse control and the anterior cingulate.
[00:28:38] While they all require energy to perform their functions accurately, and if they don't have enough energy, then things will start to fall apart, and this will manifest in behavior issues and mood issues in kids. Now, unfortunately, this doesn't translate to simply feeding your kid food.
[00:28:58] We know that if a child [00:29:00] is hungry, it can lead to anger, which we would call "hangry", and that's a very simple form of low energy in the brain that is affecting mood and causing aggression. However, in order for your child's brain to actually have the energy it needs, it needs to be able to absorb the energy, and it needs to be able to process that energy.
[00:29:23] And the processing of energy at the cellular level is done by mitochondria. Mitochondria require a whole host of vitamins, a whole host of minerals, for their functioning. Iron, sulfur, virtually all the B vitamins are used in energy production within the mitochondria. Carnitine is a compound that you may or may not have heard of, but carnitine is used by the mitochondria to process fats.
[00:29:52] So, unfortunately a lot of people don't have enough carnitine in their body for one reason or another. Primarily it's nutritional. And they're not able to [00:30:00] process energy as well. For example, they did do a study of 6 to 13 year olds, a double blind, placebo controlled study. And, half of the kids with ADHD improved when they were given carnitine. And, of those who improved, the range of improvement was 20 to 65 percent so carnitine has a lot of functions with energy production within the brain, but let's not forget about iron, vitamins, B vitamins, and things like that.
[00:30:31] Now let's talk about addressing inflammation, specifically how it relates to aggressive behavior from a biological perspective in kids and teens. Inflammation in the body, and specifically in the brain, affects both the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system. And remember, the prefrontal cortex is important for impulse control, and the limbic system is important for happiness and irritability. inflammation [00:31:00] can lower serotonin and often does. Serotonin, like I mentioned before, is produced from an amino acid in the diet called tryptophan. But tryptophan is also used to make niacin and for some reason or another, it can be used to create a neurotoxin called quinolinic acid.
[00:31:21] Quinolinic acid is toxic to nerve cells. The brain and body can manufacture quinolinic acid using the same precursors that it uses to make serotonin. And this happens when there's inflammation in the body. So it makes sense that perhaps, if someone's low in niacin, their tryptophan is gonna be used to make niacin instead of serotonin. Again, another reason that brain supportive and developmentally appropriate nourishment is going to help with specifically, serotonin production.
[00:31:56] Inflammation is a very broad concept. It [00:32:00] affects literally every part of the body, and the brain is very, very sensitive to inflammation. Mood goes down when there's inflammation in the body. When someone is sick, they will develop what's called sickness behavior. Sickness behavior is when the person just wants to curl up in a ball and lay in bed, not do anything. Of course, they're not motivated. Of course, they're sad and basically depressed. However, people can have levels of inflammation that are not overtly recognized as being ill. but it's still affecting their brain, and this is where this type of inflammation can be very insidious and it can be very influential on a child's behavior.
[00:32:46] For example, kids with aggression have higher levels of high sensitivity C reactive protein, or C reactive protein in the blood, which is an inflammatory marker that's commonly used to see how much inflammation the [00:33:00] body has, in terms of stress on the body systems, but even levels that are within the normal range, but higher than the average are associated with aggression in kids.
[00:33:12] One major component of inflammation is the immune system. The brain and the immune system are tightly linked. They use a lot of the same language, and this language is cytokines. The brain can affect the immune system, and the immune system can affect the brain. They talk to each other.
[00:33:31] You may be surprised to hear that the microbiome may have a huge influence on aggressive behavior in kids and teens, and I'll tell you why. There are a lot of studies on this, but, in a nutshell, the microbes in the gut communicate with the brain, and they do this directly through the vagus nerve, which the vagus nerve does not go through the spinal cord, it is a direct connection from the [00:34:00] brain to the internal organs.
[00:34:03] Also, the microbes communicate with the brain indirectly through the immune system, and I'll give you some examples of how this works. If the microbiome, which by definition is the gut microbes that are in your intestines are imbalanced or you have maybe certain strains that are producing more toxins, then these can enter the bloodstream and stimulate the immune system to cause inflammation. A primary toxin that these bacteria produce is called endotoxin or lipopolysaccharide. It is the coat of these bacteria and it is not supposed to be in the bloodstream. If it does get in the bloodstream, then the immune system freaks out, and it thinks you're being invaded by microbes, and the person very well may be being invaded. With an [00:35:00] imbalanced microbiome, the amount of endotoxin is not going to cause immediate death, but it will cause immune system upregulation, which will then signal to the brain that things are not well. And the brain registers that subconsciously. It's not conscious, it's subconscious. And that translates into depression, anxiety, irritability, uneasiness, aggression and anger. This is because of toxins that are coming from the gut.
[00:35:32] Now, if you don't believe that these microbes can control brain function. I can give you various examples of how microbes are actually very capable of controlling behavior of their hosts. A good example is rabies. Rabies is a microbe that infects mammals of all sorts. It could infect humans. Most humans don't [00:36:00] have it, but when an animal gets rabies, in order for the rabies virus to spread to another animal, it needs that animal to bite another animal.
[00:36:09] And so rabies has evolved to control the nervous system of its host and cause it to bite other animals. There's other examples like toxoplasmosis, which has its own ability to control its host in similar ways so that it can transmit itself. But they've done some studies on animals and in humans where they've taken the gut flora from one mouse, for example, and transplanted it into another.
[00:36:40] Maybe they take the gut flora from a calm mouse and transplant it into an aggressive mouse and that aggressive mouse becomes more calm. We can cite lots of studies around this. One of these is lactobacillus that directly produces a neurotransmitter that is calming called GABA [00:37:00] and so a lot of lactobacillus strains are associated with good behavior in kids, which is interesting because we don't think of the intestines as being part of the brain, but a lot of researchers do call the digestive system the second brain.
[00:37:17] There is a lot of influence that the digestive system has on our brain and the function of it. Now, interestingly, microbes can create what I would call an anti-neurotransmitter, one example of this is called HPHPA. It mimics dopamine, but it's not dopamine, and it blocks the enzyme that converts dopamine into norepinephrine.
[00:37:41] Genes associated with this enzyme are also associated with aggression, and autism spectrum disorder also is associated with increased aggression for various reasons, and this may be one of those reasons.
[00:37:55] Another indirect influence that the microbiome [00:38:00] has is that in a healthy gut microbiome, a lot of B vitamins are being produced and humans actually depend on these, microbes for production of biotin and pantothenic acid or B5 and other B vitamins and, if the microbiome is not balanced, then it will cause less production of these B vitamins in a lot of cases, which can also directly affect brain function.
[00:38:28] They're studying this pretty intensively with Parkinson's disease. They've shown that B5 production and biotin production are lower in the microbiome of these individuals who later go on to develop Parkinson's disease.
[00:38:42] The human microbiome has dramatically deteriorated in the last hundred years or so, and it's really important that we safeguard and support our children's microbiome for their mental and physical health.
[00:38:57] Nutrition is the best [00:39:00] way to affect gut flora. One way to look at this concept of the microbiome and nutrition is that protein for your child provides the raw materials for neurotransmitters. Remember the amino acids that can produce the serotonin and dopamine, but the child needs an adequate variety of certain non starchy veggies to ensure that those raw materials are being used correctly by the microbiome and by the body.
[00:39:32] One thing I do is teach how these things can be affected and influenced, but you can go and grab my kids and teens mood and behavior assessment for a more personalized assessment. It's a checklist of things you can check off and see what kind of profile your child may have in terms of mood. And you can download that assessment and the PDF workbook at [00:40:00] MindWhale.com/MoodyKidWorkbook. That's m i n d w h a l e dot com forward slash Moody Kid Workbook .
[00:40:08] To continue with the specific nutrients that are associated with aggressive behavior, there's a vast literature showing that omega 3 is necessary for optimal mental health, mood, impulse control, and yes, even aggression.
[00:40:25] It helps with aggression both short term and long term, and in the show notes I'm going to include research studies if you're curious. . As far as minerals go, I mentioned iron before, but copper and zinc levels are also associated with aggression.
[00:40:40] Vitamins are associated with aggression, specifically lower levels of certain ones. Vitamin D is a good example. A meta analysis, which is a synthesis of multiple studies, concluded that lower vitamin D status increased the likelihood of A DHD in kids by [00:41:00] 2. 57 times.
[00:41:02] Interestingly, researchers have also studied processed food in relation to aggressive behavior. Too much insulin from processed food and excess sugar causes hormone imbalances that may lead to aggression, according to one study.
[00:41:18] Also, processed food tends to be inflammatory. This is well established in the research, as well as having lower levels of vitamins and minerals. So with aggressive behavior, decreasing the amount of processed food and increasing the amount of good, healthy nutrition, is very important. Stay with me, because my intention with this podcast and with everything I do with MindWhale is to help parents be able to implement these things so that children can live happy and healthy lives and be their best selves in the long run.
[00:41:55] So that's the end goal. And I'm not gonna leave you [00:42:00] stranded.
[00:42:00] I do encourage you to grab the Moody Kid Workbook at MindWhale. com forward slash Moody Kid Workbook. That, and other episodes that I'll have can help you to address these things and start on the journey to healthy lifestyle if you so choose.
[00:42:19] Moving on with specific nutrients, we can also look at studies on supplementing with multivitamins and minerals and omega 3 fatty acids and how that affects aggression. There was one study that was done on prison inmates who were given a specific combo of vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids, and aggression reduced by 26 percent in those who received the supplement.
[00:42:47] The study was repeated with similar results in the Netherlands as well. Supplementing can be powerful in the right context and when it provides the right needs for your specific child. [00:43:00] However, supplements don't cover all the nutritional bases and they don't replace an overall adequate diet in the long run.
[00:43:08] As always, consult your physician or other qualified healthcare practitioner for advice on supplements and any mental health or physical health concerns.
[00:43:19] I've talked a lot about amino acids, about phytonutrients, I've talked about the microbiome, inflammation, blood sugar, and the immune system. A major, if not the major, lynchpin for all these factors is what your kid eats. There's tons of studies about this. One study in girls showed a significant association between the United States dietary pattern and increased aggression. Many studies have shown associations between overall nutrition of the child and impulse control, which is associated with ADHD and aggression. All the biochemistry and scientific studies I've [00:44:00] shared show the complexity of the human brain and child behavior. But the great thing is that dialing in on developmentally appropriate nourishment supports your child's brain health and development and can potentially make a huge difference for their mood and behavior now and into the future.
[00:44:21] I've created a behavior assessment and workbook that covers topics above and beyond what I'm talk about here, including poor focus, fearfulness, timidity, anxiety, negative mood, aggression, sleep problems, poor sociability or poor development. So go ahead and download the assessment and the PDF guide at MindWhale. com/MoodyKidWorkbook. Again, that's mindwhale. com /MoodyKidWorkbook, all one word, Mind Whale is spelled [00:45:00] MINDWHALE.
[00:45:02] The autonomic nervous system can be supported by things like exercise, adequate amounts of rest, sunlight, avoiding too much screen time. Magnesium can help. And serotonin support can help with that.
[00:45:16] Lowering the sympathetic or the stress, fight or flight system may involve protein and carbohydrate balance and everything we've talked about with nutrition, relaxation, coping strategies, social support, family support, feeling loved, um, increasing oxytocin from friendships and support and talking. Not feeling lonely can help with lowering the sympathetic and supporting the parasympathetic.
[00:45:47] Pharmaceuticals from the psychiatrist might be involved. Clonidine directly affect the sympathetic nervous system in the brain. And lithium might be involved as well.
[00:45:59] [00:46:00] Antipsychotics can sometimes be used in severe cases for aggression. Antipsychotics affect the immune system. They damp down dopamine production. So, it can dramatically lower a person's drive. It's probably not going to be the first choice for lowering aggression, but in severe cases it can be used.
[00:46:22] Mood stabilizers can be used as well by psychiatrists to help with aggressive behaviors. SSRIs kind of have a mixed history with this. Some of them do increase aggression, which seems maybe counterintuitive. But, these neurotransmitter systems in the brain are very complicated and messing with them can have unwanted effects.
[00:46:47] Certain SSRIs increase the risk of suicide, which is an aggressive act, so that's something to be aware of with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors when it comes to aggression. [00:47:00] Even though serotonin is involved, you may want to look at all the different factors in concert with your doctor or health care provider.
[00:47:08] So another one I want to discuss, and,
[00:47:12] Psychiatrists at treatment center I've worked at have used this, especially for kids who have had substance exposure in the womb, like fetal alcohol syndrome.
[00:47:22] The pharmaceutical called amantadine is not very widely used, but there is research on it and I will link to the research studies in the show notes.
[00:47:34] Amantadine was shown to reduce irritability and anger in about 50 percent of kids with psychiatric diagnoses. It reduced aggression in about 30 percent of kids with oppositional defiant disorder. And 30 percent of kids with ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and it reduced aggression by 50 percent in depressed kids.
[00:47:58] These are very strong [00:48:00] effects. And amantadine does appear to affect the glutamate system in the brain which is balanced with the GABA system, and so it will probably reduce irritability substantially. Similar to lithium, it does have a calming effect.
[00:48:20] It does seem to actually promote brain health in certain cases. But of course, it is a psychiatric drug that does that. does need to be prescribed by a physician. Definitely needs to be talked about with them.
[00:48:32] We have covered a lot of information in this episode and we will cover a lot in this series. There are more topics we can discuss that will be coming in future episodes, so stay tuned.
[00:48:45] And if you're listening to this at a later date, you'll be able to listen to those upcoming episodes already.
[00:48:52] In quick summary of what we learned today, we talked about kids' and teens' aggression, and we talked about the [00:49:00] holistic perspective, how it involves mind, body, and spirit.
[00:49:04] We talked about the anatomy of aggression in the brain, including the anterior cingulate cortex, the prefrontal cortex, and the limbic system, and then the autonomic nervous system. We talked about hormones and how they're involved in aggression and how those can be supported developmentally.
[00:49:23] We talked about specific neurotransmitters like GABA, which is calming, we talked about serotonin, which is also calming, we talked about dopamine that can help with impulse control, we talked about norepinephrine, and hormones or neurotransmitters in the autonomic nervous system.
[00:49:42] We talked a little bit about genetics, we talked about microbiome and how microbes can dramatically affect mood and behavior directly and indirectly through the vagus nerve and neurotransmitter production and antineurotransmitter production.
[00:49:57] We talked about how [00:50:00] the microbiome affects inflammation and the immune system and how the immune system and the brain speak the same language, in the form of cytokines in the blood. We talked about specific nutrients and how they affect the functioning of the brain. We talked about the mitochondria and how the mitochondria create energy for the brain and the brain needs a lot of nutrients in order to function correctly.
[00:50:26] Finally, we talked about how nutrition ties into this and how specific nutrients are associated with aggression, specifically omega 3 fatty acids, minerals like magnesium and zinc and how the overall nourishment of the child is most important.
[00:50:45] We talked about supplementation, but supplementation, even though it can be helpful and it is appropriate under guidance, it does not replace a good overall nourishing diet for the child. So, [00:51:00] stay tuned to other episodes and articles and resources that I will provide around that. We talked about stress levels, we talked about loneliness and how that can increase aggression.
[00:51:12] I don't want to leave you with the impression that psychological and environmental factors and spiritual factors aren't involved because they are. I will explore these topics with experts who are more qualified in these topics than I am. So stay tuned for those as well. again, I want to remind you that the biological aspects are best done in the context of a diet and lifestyle that promotes brain health in kids.
[00:51:39] Exactly how to do that is beyond the scope of this here, but I encourage you to download the Kids and Teens Mood and Behavior Assessment I've made, so that you can dive deeper into the causes of child mood and behavior, like fearfulness, timidity, anxiety. negative mood, aggression, poor sociability, or [00:52:00] poor development. You can download the assessment and the PDF workbook at mindwhale. com forward slash moody kid workbook. The material presented in this episode or any other episode of the MindWhale podcast is for educational purposes only. It is not medical or nursing advice and is not intended to diagnose, prevent or cure any disease. The information does not substitute for consultation with a qualified therapist or medical professional. Consult your physician or other qualified health provider for any physical or mental health concerns you have for yourself and your dependents.
