Primate Models & Human Behavior

Scientists at the Laboratory of Clinical Studies in Poolesville, Maryland are studying the qualities which distinguish primate leaders from minions, incline females to prefer some males over others, and cause some monkeys to be ejected from a troop (Segell, 1996). The study has shown that the dominant males are not necessarily the most aggressive ones. Rule is usually be consensus rather than fiat, and their main leadership strategy is a political one: building coalitions with neighbors rather than dominating competitors. Monkeys at the "top" of the heap are those willing to take turns, to help others, and with the ability to assess allies. Leaders among monkeys do not use aggression to resolve problems, but call up their disciples with a simple glance, and they handle the

The most successful male monkeys are willing to groom needy ones, and executive-type monkeys are good at making up after disputes by returning to grooming one another to reestablish bonds. In contrast to those who top the social ladder, the most aggressive monkeys show li

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relation between ratings of aggressive behavior and glucose metabolism in the brains of the monkeys and CSF 5-HIAA concentrations. There was also a negative correlation between CSF 5-HIAA concentration and the amount of pentobarbital required to induce anesthesia. The conclusion from the study was that aggressive monkeys with low CSF 5-HIAA concentrations may have an "innate" tolerance toward functional [gamma]-aminobutyric acid A receptor agonists such as pentobarbital, isoflurane, and possibly alcohol. This may be important because of a similar correlation of low CSF 5-HIAA levels with aggressiveness in humans, and may lead to an understanding of, and possibly development of a treatment for, aggression in humans. Research has shown that about 10 percent of both human and nonhuman primates are considerably inhibited. The pattern of shyness in humans and monkeys is similar, with males becoming less shy as they mature than females do. It has been thought by psychologists that this difference was because of pressures from society for males to mask their shyness and become more dominant, but recent studies in monkeys has shown that there may be a biological basis for these changes (Adler, 1994). Studies of Rhesus monkeys a
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