Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Intrauterine nutrition and aggression

Abstract

WITH the increase in conflict and aggression in human society, the underlying causes of aggression take on added significance. The laboratory investigation of human aggression is difficult primarily because of ethical considerations. Animal aggression must therefore serve as a model for the experimental study of suspected causes of aggression. One potential cause is malnutrition, which has been assessed by studies of the effects of prenatal zinc deficiency and intra-uterine undernutrition on aggressive behaviour in the adult rat. Prenatal zinc deficiency was chosen because it has been found to significantly reduce the size of the brains of foetal1 and neonatal rats2, to impair the synthesis of DNA in the rat brain3, and to decrease the activity of RNA polymerase in neonatal rat liver4 and brain5. When zinc deficiency is very severe an increased incidence of central nervous system teratology occurs in the foetal rat6. Behavioural deficits such as impaired avoidance learning have also been observed1,7.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Sandstead, H. H., Fosmire, G. J., McKenzie, J. M., and Halas, E. S., Fedn Proc., 34, no. 1, 86 (1975).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Fosmire, G. J., Al-Ubaidi, Y. Y., and Sandstead, H. H., Pediat. Res., 9, 89 (1975).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Sandstead, H. H., Gillespie, D. D., and Brady, R. N., Pediat. Res., 6, 119 (1972).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Terhune, M. W., and Sandstead, H. H., Science, 177, 68 (1972).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Fosmire, G. J., Al-Ubaidi, Y. Y., Halas, E. S., and Sandstead, H. H., Proc. ACS Symp. Protein–Metal Interactions, Adv. exp. Med. Biol., 48, 329 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Hurley, L. S., and Shrader, R. E., in Neurobiology of the Trace Metals Zinc and Copper, International Review of Neurobiology, Suppl. 1 (edit. by Pfeiffer, C.C.), 7 (Academic, New York, 1972).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  7. Halas, E. S., and Sandstead, H. H., Pediat. Res., 9, 94 (1975).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Eichelman, B., Dejong, W., and Williams, R. B., Physiol. Behav., 10, 301 (1973).

  9. Winer, B. J., Statistical Procedures in Experimental Design, second ed., 283 (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1971).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Guilford, J. P., Fundamental Statistics in Psychology and Education, fourth ed., 185 (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1965).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

HALAS, E., HANLON, M. & SANDSTEAD, H. Intrauterine nutrition and aggression. Nature 257, 221–222 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/257221a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/257221a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing