Introduction:

Homicide, suicide, and assault rates are higher in males. Testosterone may play an important role in the development of these behaviors.

Objective:

To review the endocrine and neurobiological aspects of testosterone and its relationship with aggressive, homicidal and suicidal behaviors.

Materials and methods:

A literature review was conducted using different search strategies in the PubMed, SpringerLink, ScienceDirect and SciELO databases. Research articles, reviews and case reports published in Spanish and English between 2002 and 2018 were included.

Results:

Out of the 66 studies included in the review, over 50% reported an association between aggressive or homicidal behavior with high levels of testosterone, a hormone that may modulate the activity of serotonergic and dopaminergic brain pathways involved in aggressive behavior via androgen and estrogen receptors. Associations between anabolic steroid use and homicide, and between circulating testosterone in women and antisocial personality traits were found. Changes in serum testosterone concentrations were also observed in individuals with suicidal tendencies.

Conclusion:

The information found in this review suggests that there is indeed an association between testosterone levels and the development of aggressive, homicidal and suicidal behaviors.

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