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Davis SM, Thomas AL, Nomie KJ, Huang L, Dierick HA. Tailless and Atrophin control Drosophila aggression by regulating neuropeptide signalling in the pars intercerebralis. Nat Commun 2016; 5:3177. [PMID: 24495972 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2013] [Accepted: 12/23/2013] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Aggressive behaviour is widespread throughout the animal kingdom. However, its mechanisms are poorly understood, and the degree of molecular conservation between distantly related species is unknown. Here we show that knockdown of tailless (tll) increases aggression in Drosophila, similar to the effect of its mouse orthologue Nr2e1. Tll localizes to the adult pars intercerebralis (PI), which shows similarity to the mammalian hypothalamus. Knockdown of tll in the PI is sufficient to increase aggression and is rescued by co-expressing human NR2E1. Knockdown of Atrophin, a Tll co-repressor, also increases aggression, and both proteins physically interact in the PI. tll knockdown-induced aggression is fully suppressed by blocking neuropeptide processing or release from the PI. In addition, genetically activating PI neurons increases aggression, mimicking the aggression-inducing effect of hypothalamic stimulation. Together, our results suggest that a transcriptional control module regulates neuropeptide signalling from the neurosecretory cells of the brain to control aggressive behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun M Davis
- 1] Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA [2]
| | - Amanda L Thomas
- 1] Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA [2]
| | - Krystle J Nomie
- 1] Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA [2]
| | - Longwen Huang
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Herman A Dierick
- 1] Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA [2] Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA [3] Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA [4] Program in Developmental Biology, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
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52
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White SF, VanTieghem M, Brislin SJ, Sypher I, Sinclair S, Pine DS, Hwang S, Blair RJR. Neural Correlates of the Propensity for Retaliatory Behavior in Youths With Disruptive Behavior Disorders. Am J Psychiatry 2016; 173:282-90. [PMID: 26441155 PMCID: PMC4950844 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2015.15020250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Youths with disruptive behavior disorders (DBD) (conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder) have an elevated risk for maladaptive reactive aggression. Theory suggests that this is due to an elevated sensitivity of basic threat circuitry implicated in retaliation (amygdala/periaqueductal gray) in youths with DBD and low levels of callous-unemotional traits and dysfunctional regulatory activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in youths with DBD irrespective of callous-unemotional traits. METHOD A total of 56 youths 10-18 years of age (23 of them female) participated in the study: 30 youths with DBD, divided by median split into groups with high and low levels of callous-unemotional traits, and 26 healthy youths. All participants completed an ultimatum game task during functional MRI. RESULTS Relative to the other groups, youths with DBD and low levels of callous-unemotional traits showed greater increases in activation of basic threat circuitry when punishing others and dysfunctional down-regulation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex during retaliation. Relative to healthy youths, all youths with DBD showed reduced amygdala-ventromedial prefrontal cortex connectivity during high provocation. Ventromedial prefrontal cortex responsiveness and ventromedial prefrontal cortex-amygdala connectivity were related to patients' retaliatory propensity (behavioral responses during the task) and parent-reported reactive aggression. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest differences in the underlying neurobiology of maladaptive reactive aggression in youths with DBD who have relatively low levels of callous-unemotional traits. Youths with DBD and low callous-unemotional traits alone showed significantly greater threat responses during retaliation relative to comparison subjects. These data also suggest that ventromedial prefrontal cortex-amygdala connectivity is critical for regulating retaliation/reactive aggression and, when dysfunctional, contributes to reactive aggression, independent of level of callous-unemotional traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart F. White
- Section on Affective Cognitive Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health,Correspondence to: Stuart White, Ph.D., 9000 Rockville Pike, Bldg. 15k, room 204, MSC 2670, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA, 301-496-4406,
| | | | | | - Isaiah Sypher
- Section on Affective Cognitive Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health
| | - Stephen Sinclair
- Section on Affective Cognitive Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health
| | - Daniel S. Pine
- Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health
| | - Soonjo Hwang
- Section on Affective Cognitive Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health
| | - R. James R. Blair
- Section on Affective Cognitive Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health
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Abstract
This selective review provides a model of the neurobiology of impulsive aggression from a cognitive neuroscience perspective. It is argued that prototypical cases of impulsive aggression, those associated with anger, involve the recruitment of the acute threat response system structures; that is, the amygdala, hypothalamus, and periaqueductal gray. It is argued that whether the recruitment of these structures results in impulsive aggression or not reflects the functional roles of ventromedial frontal cortex and dorsomedial frontal and anterior insula cortex in response selection. It is also argued that impulsive aggression may occur because of impaired decision making. The aggression may not be accompanied by anger, but it will reflect disrupted evaluation of the rewards/benefits of the action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J. R. Blair
- Section of Affective Cognitive Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
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54
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Fernández-Arcos A, Iranzo A, Serradell M, Gaig C, Santamaria J. The Clinical Phenotype of Idiopathic Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder at Presentation: A Study in 203 Consecutive Patients. Sleep 2016; 39:121-32. [PMID: 26940460 DOI: 10.5665/sleep.5332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To describe the clinical phenotype of idiopathic rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (IRBD) at presentation in a sleep center. METHODS Clinical history review of 203 consecutive patients with IRBD identified between 1990 and 2014. IRBD was diagnosed by clinical history plus video-polysomnographic demonstration of REM sleep with increased electromyographic activity linked to abnormal behaviors. RESULTS Patients were 80% men with median age at IRBD diagnosis of 68 y (range, 50-85 y). In addition to the already known clinical picture of IRBD, other important features were apparent: 44% of the patients were not aware of their dream-enactment behaviors and 70% reported good sleep quality. In most of these cases bed partners were essential to convince patients to seek medical help. In 11% IRBD was elicited only after specific questioning when patients consulted for other reasons. Seven percent did not recall unpleasant dreams. Leaving the bed occurred occasionally in 24% of subjects in whom dementia with Lewy bodies often developed eventually. For the correct diagnosis of IRBD, video-polysomnography had to be repeated in 16% because of insufficient REM sleep or electromyographic artifacts from coexistent apneas. Some subjects with comorbid obstructive sleep apnea reported partial improvement of RBD symptoms following continuous positive airway pressure therapy. Lack of therapy with clonazepam resulted in an increased risk of sleep related injuries. Synucleinopathy was frequently diagnosed, even in patients with mild severity or uncommon IRBD presentations (e.g., patients who reported sleeping well, onset triggered by a life event, nocturnal ambulation) indicating that the development of a neurodegenerative disease is independent of the clinical presentation of IRBD. CONCLUSIONS We report the largest IRBD cohort observed in a single center to date and highlight frequent features that were not reported or not sufficiently emphasized in previous publications. Physicians should be aware of the full clinical expression of IRBD, a sleep disturbance that represents a neurodegenerative disease. COMMENTARY A commentary on this article appears in this issue on page 7.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Fernández-Arcos
- Neurology Service, Multidisciplinary Sleep Disorders Unit, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, University of Barcelona Medical School, IDIBAPS, CIBERNED, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alex Iranzo
- Neurology Service, Multidisciplinary Sleep Disorders Unit, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, University of Barcelona Medical School, IDIBAPS, CIBERNED, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mónica Serradell
- Neurology Service, Multidisciplinary Sleep Disorders Unit, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, University of Barcelona Medical School, IDIBAPS, CIBERNED, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carles Gaig
- Neurology Service, Multidisciplinary Sleep Disorders Unit, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, University of Barcelona Medical School, IDIBAPS, CIBERNED, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joan Santamaria
- Neurology Service, Multidisciplinary Sleep Disorders Unit, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, University of Barcelona Medical School, IDIBAPS, CIBERNED, Barcelona, Spain
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Loonen AJM, Ivanova SA. Circuits regulating pleasure and happiness in major depression. Med Hypotheses 2015; 87:14-21. [PMID: 26826634 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2015.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2015] [Revised: 11/21/2015] [Accepted: 12/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The introduction of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors has gradually changed the borders of the major depression disease class. Anhedonia was considered a cardinal symptom of endogenous depression, but the potential of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors to treat anxiety disorders has increased the relevance of stress-induced morbidity. This shift has led to an important heterogeneity of current major depressive disorder. The complexity can be disentangled by postulating the existence of two different but mutually interacting neuronal circuits regulating the intensity of anhedonia (lack of pleasure) and dysphoria (lack of happiness). These circuits are functionally dominated by partly closed limbic (regulating misery-fleeing behaviour) and extrapyramidal (regulating reward-seeking behaviour) cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuits. The re-entry circuits include the shell and core parts of the accumbens nucleus, respectively. Pleasure can be considered to result from finding relief from the hypermotivation to exhibit rewarding behaviour, and happiness from finding relief from negative or conflicting circumstances. Hyperactivity of the extrapyramidal CSTC circuit results in craving, whereas hyperactivity of the limbic system results in dysphoria.
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Affiliation(s)
- A J M Loonen
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - S A Ivanova
- Mental Health Research Institute, and National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Russian Federation
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Coccaro EF, Lee R, McCloskey M, Csernansky JG, Wang L. Morphometric analysis of amygdla and hippocampus shape in impulsively aggressive and healthy control subjects. J Psychiatr Res 2015; 69:80-6. [PMID: 26343598 PMCID: PMC5978418 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2015.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2014] [Revised: 07/01/2015] [Accepted: 07/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Impulsive aggressive behavior is thought to be facilitated by activation of the limbic brain, particularly the amygdala and hippocampus., Functional imaging studies suggest abnormalities in limbic brain activity during emotional information processing in impulsively aggressive subjects with Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED). It is not known if IED is associated with altered amygdala and hippocampus volume and shape. METHODS We examined the volume and shape of the amygdala-hippocampal complex, using morphometric analysis of high resolution structural 3T MR scans in healthy control (HC: n = 73) subjects without history of Axis I or II psychiatric conditions and in subjects with IED (n = 67). RESULTS While no volume differences were observed between HC and IED subjects, a significant level of morphometric deformation, suggestive of cell loss, in both amygdala and hippocampal structures was observed bilaterally in IED subjects. Analysis of a canonical variable that used the first 10 eigenvectors from both sides of the brain revealed that these morphometric deformations in the IED subjects were not due the presence of confounding variables or to comorbidities among IED subjects. CONCLUSIONS These data reveal that IED is associated with a significant loss of neurons in both the amygdala and hippocampus. These changes may play a role in the functional abnormalities observed in previous fMRI studies and in the pathophysiology of impulsive aggressive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emil F Coccaro
- Clinical Neuroscience & Psychopharmacology Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, USA.
| | - Royce Lee
- Clinical Neuroscience & Psychopharmacology Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, USA
| | | | - John G Csernansky
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Science, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, USA
| | - Lei Wang
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Science, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, USA; Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, USA
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57
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Sandi C, Haller J. Stress and the social brain: behavioural effects and neurobiological mechanisms. Nat Rev Neurosci 2015; 16:290-304. [PMID: 25891510 DOI: 10.1038/nrn3918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 378] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Stress often affects our social lives. When undergoing high-level or persistent stress, individuals frequently retract from social interactions and become irritable and hostile. Predisposition to antisocial behaviours - including social detachment and violence - is also modulated by early life adversity; however, the effects of early life stress depend on the timing of exposure and genetic factors. Research in animals and humans has revealed some of the structural, functional and molecular changes in the brain that underlie the effects of stress on social behaviour. Findings in this emerging field will have implications both for the clinic and for society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Sandi
- Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne CH-1050, Switzerland
| | - József Haller
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest H-1450, Hungary
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58
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Tulogdi A, Biro L, Barsvari B, Stankovic M, Haller J, Toth M. Neural mechanisms of predatory aggression in rats—Implications for abnormal intraspecific aggression. Behav Brain Res 2015; 283:108-15. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.01.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2014] [Revised: 12/22/2014] [Accepted: 01/06/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Monoamine-sensitive developmental periods impacting adult emotional and cognitive behaviors. Neuropsychopharmacology 2015; 40:88-112. [PMID: 25178408 PMCID: PMC4262911 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2014.231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2014] [Revised: 07/30/2014] [Accepted: 08/20/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Development passes through sensitive periods, during which plasticity allows for genetic and environmental factors to exert indelible influence on the maturation of the organism. In the context of central nervous system development, such sensitive periods shape the formation of neurocircuits that mediate, regulate, and control behavior. This general mechanism allows for development to be guided by both the genetic blueprint as well as the environmental context. While allowing for adaptation, such sensitive periods are also vulnerability windows during which external and internal factors can confer risk to disorders by derailing otherwise resilient developmental programs. Here we review developmental periods that are sensitive to monoamine signaling and impact adult behaviors of relevance to psychiatry. Specifically, we review (1) a serotonin-sensitive period that impacts sensory system development, (2) a serotonin-sensitive period that impacts cognition, anxiety- and depression-related behaviors, and (3) a dopamine- and serotonin-sensitive period affecting aggression, impulsivity and behavioral response to psychostimulants. We discuss preclinical data to provide mechanistic insight, as well as epidemiological and clinical data to point out translational relevance. The field of translational developmental neuroscience has progressed exponentially providing solid conceptual advances and unprecedented mechanistic insight. With such knowledge at hand and important methodological innovation ongoing, the field is poised for breakthroughs elucidating the developmental origins of neuropsychiatric disorders, and thus understanding pathophysiology. Such knowledge of sensitive periods that determine the developmental trajectory of complex behaviors is a necessary step towards improving prevention and treatment approaches for neuropsychiatric disorders.
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60
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Mancke F, Bertsch K, Herpertz SC. Gender differences in aggression of borderline personality disorder. Borderline Personal Disord Emot Dysregul 2015; 2:7. [PMID: 26401309 PMCID: PMC4579514 DOI: 10.1186/s40479-015-0028-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2014] [Accepted: 03/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Aggression is a core feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Well-replicated results from the general population indicate that men engage in aggression more frequently than women. This article addresses the question of whether gender also influences aggression in BPD, and whether the neurobiological mechanisms underlying aggressive behavior differ between male and female BPD patients. Data show that most self-reports, interviews and behavioral tasks investigating samples of BPD patients do not find enhanced aggressiveness in male patients, suggesting that BPD attenuates rather than aggravates gender differences usually present in the general population. Neurobiological studies comparing BPD patients with gender-matched healthy controls, however, reveal a number of interesting gender differences: On the one hand, there are well-replicated findings of reduced amygdala and hippocampal gray matter volumes in female BPD patients, while these findings are not shared by male patients with BPD. On the other hand, only male BPD patients exhibit reduced gray matter volume of the anterior cingulate cortex, increased gray matter volume of the putamen, reduced striatal activity during an aggression task, and a more pronounced deficit in central serotonergic responsivity. These neurobiological findings point to a particular importance of impulsivity for the aggression of male BPD patients. Limitations include the need to control for confounding influences of comorbidities, particularly as male BPD patients have been consistently found to show higher percentages of aggression-predisposing comorbid disorders, such as antisocial personality disorder, than female BPD patients. In the future, studies which include systematic comparisons between females and males are warranted in order to disentangle gender differences in aggression of BPD patients with the aim of establishing gender-sensitive treatments where needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Falk Mancke
- Department of General Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Katja Bertsch
- Department of General Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sabine C Herpertz
- Department of General Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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61
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Moran JK, Weierstall R, Elbert T. Differences in brain circuitry for appetitive and reactive aggression as revealed by realistic auditory scripts. Front Behav Neurosci 2014; 8:425. [PMID: 25538590 PMCID: PMC4260506 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2014] [Accepted: 11/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggressive behavior is thought to divide into two motivational elements: The first being a self-defensively motivated aggression against threat and a second, hedonically motivated "appetitive" aggression. Appetitive aggression is the less understood of the two, often only researched within abnormal psychology. Our approach is to understand it as a universal and adaptive response, and examine the functional neural activity of ordinary men (N = 50) presented with an imaginative listening task involving a murderer describing a kill. We manipulated motivational context in a between-subjects design to evoke appetitive or reactive aggression, against a neutral control, measuring activity with Magnetoencephalography (MEG). Results show differences in left frontal regions in delta (2-5 Hz) and alpha band (8-12 Hz) for aggressive conditions and right parietal delta activity differentiating appetitive and reactive aggression. These results validate the distinction of reward-driven appetitive aggression from reactive aggression in ordinary populations at the level of functional neural brain circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- James K Moran
- Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz Konstanz, Germany
| | | | - Thomas Elbert
- Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz Konstanz, Germany
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Abstract
The term “conduct problems” refers to a pattern of repetitive rule-breaking behavior, aggression, and disregard for others. Such problems have received increased attention recently, owing to violent events perpetrated by youth and modifications in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) criteria for conduct disorder, a syndrome involving recurrent conduct problems in children and adolescents. Youth conduct problems are predictive of an increased risk of substance abuse, criminal behavior, and educational disruption; they also incur a considerable societal burden from interpersonal suffering and financial costs. This review summarizes current data on youth conduct problems and highlights promising avenues for research. Prior reviews have summarized either the clinical literature on outcome, treatment, and familial aggregation or the neurocognitive literature on mechanisms and pathophysiology.– The current review differs by more tightly integrating clinical and neurocognitive perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- R James R Blair
- From the National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
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63
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Barzman D, Eliassen J, McNamara R, Abonia P, Mossman D, Durling M, Adler C, DelBello M, Lin PI. Correlations of inflammatory gene pathways, corticolimbic functional activities, and aggression in pediatric bipolar disorder: a preliminary study. Psychiatry Res 2014; 224:107-11. [PMID: 25172408 PMCID: PMC4197049 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2014.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2013] [Revised: 02/17/2014] [Accepted: 07/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The mechanisms underlying aggression in adolescents with bipolar disorder have been poorly understood. The present study has investigated the associations among TNF gene expressions, functional brain activations under the frustrative non-reward task, and aggression in adolescents with bipolar disorder. Baseline gene expressions and aggressive tendencies were measured with the RNA-sequencing and Brief Rating of Aggression by Children and Adolescents (BRACHA), respectively. Our results show that activity levels of left subgenual anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG), right amygdala, left Brodmann area 10 (orbitofrontal cortex), and right thalamus were inversely correlated with BRACHA scores and were activated with frustrative non-reward during the affective Posner Task. In addition, 11 TNF related gene expressions were significantly correlated with activation of amygdala or ACG during the affective Posner Task. Three TNF gene expressions were inversely correlated with BRACHA score while one TNF gene (TNFAIP3) expression was positively correlated with BRACHA score. Therefore, TNF-related inflammatory cytokine genes may play a role in neural activity associated with frustrative non-reward and aggressive behaviors in pediatric bipolar disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Drew Barzman
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Jim Eliassen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA,Center for Image Research, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Robert McNamara
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Pablo Abonia
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Douglas Mossman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Michele Durling
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Caleb Adler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA,Center for Image Research, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Melissa DelBello
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Ping-I Lin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cincinnati Children׳s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
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Ficks CA, Waldman ID. Candidate genes for aggression and antisocial behavior: a meta-analysis of association studies of the 5HTTLPR and MAOA-uVNTR. Behav Genet 2014; 44:427-44. [PMID: 24902785 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-014-9661-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2013] [Accepted: 04/29/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Variation in central serotonin levels due to genetic mutations or experimental modifications has been associated with the manifestation of aggression in humans and animals. Many studies have examined whether common variants in serotonergic genes are implicated in aggressive or antisocial behaviors (ASB) in human samples. The two most commonly studied polymorphisms have been the serotonin transporter linked polymorphic region of the serotonin transporter gene (5HTTLPR) and the 30 base pair variable number of tandem repeats of the monoamine oxidase A gene (MAOA-uVNTR). Despite the aforementioned theoretical justification for these polymorphisms, findings across studies have been mixed and are thus difficult to interpret. A meta-analysis of associations of the 5HTTLPR and MAOA-uVNTR with ASB was conducted to determine: (1) the overall magnitude of effects for each polymorphism, (2) the extent of heterogeneity in effect sizes across studies and the likelihood of publication bias, and (3) whether sample-level or study-level characteristics could explain observed heterogeneity across studies. Both the 5HTTLPR and the MAOA-uVNTR were significantly associated with ASB across studies. There was also significant and substantial heterogeneity in the effect sizes for both markers, but this heterogeneity was not explained by any sample-level or study-level characteristics examined. We did not find any evidence for publication bias across studies for the MAOA-uVNTR, but there was evidence for an oversampling of statistically significant effect sizes for the 5HTTLPR. These findings provide support for the modest role of common serotonergic variants in ASB. Implications regarding the role of serotonin in antisocial behavior and the conceptualization of antisocial and aggressive phenotypes are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney A Ficks
- Psychology Department, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA,
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Torterolo P, Chase MH. The hypocretins (orexins) mediate the "phasic" components of REM sleep: A new hypothesis. Sleep Sci 2014; 7:19-29. [PMID: 26483897 PMCID: PMC4521687 DOI: 10.1016/j.slsci.2014.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2013] [Accepted: 01/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In 1998, a group of phenotypically distinct neurons were discovered in the postero-lateral hypothalamus which contained the neuropeptides hypocretin 1 and hypocretin 2 (also called orexin A and orexin B), which are excitatory neuromodulators. Hypocretinergic neurons project throughout the central nervous system and have been involved in the generation and maintenance of wakefulness. The sleep disorder narcolepsy, characterized by hypersomnia and cataplexy, is produced by degeneration of these neurons. The hypocretinergic neurons are active during wakefulness in conjunction with the presence of motor activity that occurs during survival-related behaviors. These neurons decrease their firing rate during non-REM sleep; however there is still controversy upon the activity and role of these neurons during REM sleep. Hence, in the present report we conducted a critical review of the literature of the hypocretinergic system during REM sleep, and hypothesize a possible role of this system in the generation of REM sleep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Torterolo
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología del Sueño, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, General Flores 2125, 11800 Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Michael H. Chase
- WebSciences International, Los Angeles, USA
- UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA
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Katsouni E, Zarros A, Skandali N, Tsakiris S, Lappas D. The role of cholecystokinin in the induction of aggressive behavior: a focus on the available experimental data (review). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 100:361-77. [PMID: 24317345 DOI: 10.1556/aphysiol.100.2013.4.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Cholecystokinin (CCK) is a neuropeptide that is (among others) reportedly involved in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders. The excitatory role of CCK in negative affective emotions as well as in aversive reactions, antisocial behaviors and memories, has been indicated by numerous electrophysiological, neurochemical and behavioral methodologies on both animal models for anxiety and human studies. The current review article summarizes the existing experimental evidence with regards to the role of CCK in the induction of aggressive behavior, and: (a) synopsizes the anatomical circuits through which it could potentially mediate all types of aggressive behavior, as well as (b) highlights the potential use of these experimental evidence in the current research quest for the clinical treatment of mood and anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Katsouni
- University of Oxford Worcester College Oxford UK National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Laboratory of Physiology, Medical School PO Box 65257 GR-15401 Athens Greece
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Extrapunitive and intropunitive individuals activate different parts of the prefrontal cortex under an ego-blocking frustration. PLoS One 2014; 9:e86036. [PMID: 24454951 PMCID: PMC3893263 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0086036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2013] [Accepted: 12/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Different people make different responses when they face a frustrating situation: some punish others (extrapunitive), while others punish themselves (intropunitive). Few studies have investigated the neural structures that differentiate extrapunitive and intropunitive individuals. The present fMRI study explored these neural structures using two different frustrating situations: an ego-blocking situation which blocks a desire or goal, and a superego-blocking situation which blocks self-esteem. In the ego-blocking condition, the extrapunitive group (n = 9) showed greater activation in the bilateral ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, indicating that these individuals prefer emotional processing. On the other hand, the intropunitive group (n = 9) showed greater activation in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, possibly reflecting an effortful control for anger reduction. Such patterns were not observed in the superego-blocking condition. These results indicate that the prefrontal cortex is the source of individual differences in aggression direction in the ego-blocking situation.
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Anderson NE, Kiehl KA. Psychopathy and aggression: when paralimbic dysfunction leads to violence. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2014; 17:369-93. [PMID: 24306955 PMCID: PMC4331058 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2013_257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Psychopaths can be alarmingly violent, both in the frequency with which they engage in violence and the gratuitous extent of their violent acts. Indeed, one principal utility of the clinical construct of psychopathy is in predicting future violent behavior in criminal offenders. Aggression is a complex construct that intersects psychopathy at many levels. This chapter provides a review of psychopathy as a clinical construct including the most prominent cognitive and neurobiological models, which serve to account for its pathophysiology. We then describe how the brain abnormalities implicated in psychopathy may lead to diverse behavioral outcomes, which can include aggression in its many forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel E. Anderson
- Mind Research Network, Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM
| | - Kent A. Kiehl
- Mind Research Network, Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM
- University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
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Hodgins S, Piatosa MJ, Schiffer B. Violence among people with schizophrenia: phenotypes and neurobiology. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2014; 17:329-68. [PMID: 24318935 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2013_259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
People with schizophrenia are at increased risk, as compared to the general population, to acquire convictions for violent crimes and homicide. They also show elevated levels of aggressive behaviour. While psychotic symptoms explain aggressive behaviour that is common during acute episodes, they do not explain such behaviour at other stages of illness or prior to illness onset. Three distinct phenotypes have been identified: individuals with a childhood onset of conduct disorder who display antisocial and aggressive behaviour both before and after schizophrenia onset; individuals with no history of conduct problems who begin engaging in aggressive behaviour as illness onsets; and individuals who after many years of illness engage in a severe physical assault. Little is known about the aetiology of the three types of offenders and about the neural mechanisms that initiate and maintain these behaviours. We hypothesize that schizophrenia preceded by conduct disorder is associated with a combination of genes conferring vulnerability for both disorders and altering the effects of environmental factors on the brain, and thereby, with a distinct pattern of neural development. Some evidence is available to support this hypothesis. By contrast, offending among adults with schizophrenia who have no history of such behaviour prior to illness may result from the changes in the brain that occur as illness onsets, and that are further altered by comorbid conditions such as substance misuse, or by the progressive changes in the brain through adulthood that may result from the illness and from the use of antipsychotic medications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheilagh Hodgins
- Département de Psychiatrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada,
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70
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Aleksidze NG. The involvement of serotonin and sex hormones in the generation of “killer rats”. NEUROCHEM J+ 2013. [DOI: 10.1134/s1819712413040028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Abstract
Conduct disorder is a childhood behaviour disorder that is characterized by persistent aggressive or antisocial behaviour that disrupts the child's environment and impairs his or her functioning. A proportion of children with conduct disorder have psychopathic traits. Psychopathic traits consist of a callous-unemotional component and an impulsive-antisocial component, which are associated with two core impairments. The first is a reduced empathic response to the distress of other individuals, which primarily reflects reduced amygdala responsiveness to distress cues; the second is deficits in decision making and in reinforcement learning, which reflects dysfunction in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and striatum. Genetic and prenatal factors contribute to the abnormal development of these neural systems, and social-environmental variables that affect motivation influence the probability that antisocial behaviour will be subsequently displayed.
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Coker-Appiah DS, White SF, Clanton R, Yang J, Martin A, Blair RJR. Looming animate and inanimate threats: the response of the amygdala and periaqueductal gray. Soc Neurosci 2013; 8:621-30. [PMID: 24066700 PMCID: PMC3919685 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2013.839480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Looming stimuli are processed as threatening and activate basic neural defense systems. However, it is unclear how animacy information modulates this response. Participants (N = 25) viewed threatening or neutral images that were either animate (animals) or inanimate (objects) and which either approached (loomed) or receded from the participant. The amygdala was responsive to emotional, animacy, and looming information (particularly to looming threats and looming animate stimuli). Periaqueductal gray was also sensitive to emotional information and particularly responsive to looming threats. The data are interpreted within category-specific models of the amygdala and temporal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dionne S. Coker-Appiah
- Section on Affective Cognitive Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD
- Georgetown University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Washington, DC
| | - Stuart F. White
- Section on Affective Cognitive Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD
| | - Roberta Clanton
- Section on Affective Cognitive Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD
| | - Jiongjong Yang
- Peking University, Department of Psychology, Beijing, China
| | - Alex Martin
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD
| | - R. J. R. Blair
- Section on Affective Cognitive Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD
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Schiffer B, Leygraf N, Müller BW, Scherbaum N, Forsting M, Wiltfang J, Gizewski ER, Hodgins S. Structural brain alterations associated with schizophrenia preceded by conduct disorder: a common and distinct subtype of schizophrenia? Schizophr Bull 2013; 39:1115-28. [PMID: 23015687 PMCID: PMC3756783 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbs115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Conduct disorder (CD) prior to age 15 is a precursor of schizophrenia in a minority of cases and is associated with violent behavior through adulthood, after taking account of substance misuse. The present study used structural magnetic imaging to examine gray matter (GM) volumes among 27 men with schizophrenia preceded by CD (SZ+CD), 23 men with schizophrenia but without CD (SZ-CD), 27 men with CD only (CD), and 25 healthy (H) men. The groups with schizophrenia were similar in terms of age of onset and duration of illness, levels of psychotic symptoms, and medication. The 2 groups with CD were similar as to number of CD symptoms, lifelong aggressive behavior, and number of criminal convictions. Men with SZ+CD, relative to those with SZ-CD, displayed (1) increased GM volumes in the hypothalamus, the left putamen, the right cuneus/precuneus, and the right inferior parietal cortex after controlling for age, alcohol, and drug misuse and (2) decreased GM volumes in the inferior frontal region. Men with SZ+CD (relative to the SZ-CD group) and CD (relative to the H group) displayed increased GM volumes of the hypothalamus and the inferior and superior parietal lobes, which were not associated with substance misuse. Aggressive behavior, both prior to age 15 and lifetime tendency, was positively correlated with the GM volume of the hypothalamus. Thus, among males, SZ+CD represents a distinct subtype of schizophrenia. Although differences in behavior emerge in childhood and remain stable through adulthood, further research is needed to determine whether the differences in GM volumes result from abnormal neural development distinct from that of other males developing schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris Schiffer
- Department of Forensic Psychiatry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
| | - Norbert Leygraf
- Department of Forensic Psychiatry, University of Duisburg–Essen, Germany
| | - Bernhard W. Müller
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Duisburg–Essen, Germany
| | - Norbert Scherbaum
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Duisburg–Essen, Germany
| | - Michael Forsting
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, Germany
| | - Jens Wiltfang
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Duisburg–Essen, Germany
| | - Elke R. Gizewski
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, Germany;,Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Sheilagh Hodgins
- Department of Psychiatry, Heidelberg University, Germany;,Département de Psychiatrie, Université de Montréal, Canada;,Institute of Psychiatry, King’s CollegeLondon, United Kingdom
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Reidy DE, Kearns MC, DeGue S. Reducing psychopathic violence: A review of the treatment literature. AGGRESSION AND VIOLENT BEHAVIOR 2013; 18:527-538. [PMID: 29593447 PMCID: PMC5868429 DOI: 10.1016/j.avb.2013.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Psychopathy reflects a pathological form of personality that predisposes individuals to risk for perpetration of chronic and severe violence across their lifespan. The violence attributable to psychopathic persons constitutes a substantial portion of the societal burden to the public health and criminal justice systems and thus necessitates significant attention by prevention experts. However, there is a relatively nascent literature that has examined psychopathic persons' response to treatment, especially considering violence as an outcome. Nevertheless, there have been repeated averments about the amenability (or lack thereof) of psychopathy to treatment. In the present paper, we attempt to provide a comprehensive review of studies assessing the relation of psychopathy to violence outcomes following intervention. Our review of studies suggests there is reason to suspect that specific and tailored interventions which take into consideration psychopathic persons' unique patterns of behavioral conditioning and predispositions may have the potential to reduce violence. However, equally important, certain interventions may potentially exacerbate these persons' violent behavior. The nature of the outcomes is likely highly dependent on the specific components of the intervention itself. We conclude that future research should increase methodological rigor by striving to include treatment control groups and increasing the transparency of the implemented interventions.
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Hyde LW, Shaw DS, Hariri AR. Understanding Youth Antisocial Behavior Using Neuroscience through a Developmental Psychopathology Lens: Review, Integration, and Directions for Research. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2013; 33:10.1016/j.dr.2013.06.001. [PMID: 24273368 PMCID: PMC3834895 DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2013.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Youth antisocial behavior (AB) is an important public health concern impacting perpetrators, victims, and society. Functional neuroimaging is becoming a more common and useful modality for understanding neural correlates of youth AB. Although there has been a recent increase in neuroimaging studies of youth AB and corresponding theoretical articles on the neurobiology of AB, there has been little work critically examining the strengths and weaknesses of individual studies and using this knowledge to inform the design of future studies. Additionally, research on neuroimaging and youth AB has not been integrated within the broader framework of developmental psychopathology. Thus, this paper provides an in-depth review of the youth AB functional neuroimaging literature with the following goals: 1. to evaluate how this literature has informed our understanding of youth AB, 2. to evaluate current neuroimaging studies of youth AB from a developmental psychopathology perspective with a focus on integrating research from neuroscience and developmental psychopathology, as well as placing this research in the context of other related areas (e.g., psychopathy, molecular genetics), and 3. to examine strengths and weaknesses of neuroimaging and behavioral studies of youth AB to suggest how future studies can develop a more informed and integrated understanding of youth AB.
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White SF, Brislin SJ, Sinclair S, Blair JR. Punishing unfairness: rewarding or the organization of a reactively aggressive response? Hum Brain Mapp 2013; 35:2137-47. [PMID: 23868733 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.22316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2012] [Revised: 03/06/2013] [Accepted: 04/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The neural correlates of human cooperative behavior remain poorly understood. Previous work has suggested that increases in striatal activation while punishing unfair offers represents reward signaling. However, other regions are also implicated when punishing others, for example dorsomedial frontal cortex (dmFC), anterior insula cortex (AIC), and periaqueductal gray (PAG). Moreover, the response of other regions implicated in signaling reward, for example ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) or posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), has not been systematically examined. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Functional magnetic resonance imaging utilizing parametric modulation was conducted on 21 healthy adults participating in a social exchange paradigm. PRINCIPAL OBSERVATIONS Participants showed significant positive modulation of activity as a function of delivered punishment in caudate, dmFC, AIC, and PAG; that is, higher punishments by participants of unsatisfactory offers were associated with increasing activity within these regions. However, participants showed significant negative modulation of activity as a function of delivered punishment in vmPFC and PCC; increases in punishment level by participants were associated with decreases in activity within these regions. CONCLUSIONS The current data question whether caudate activity when punishing unfair offers should be considered to indicate the reward value of this punishment. Instead, this activity, in conjunction with activity within dmFC, AIC, and PAG, may represent the organization of an untypical, punishing response that represents a reactive aggressive response to provocation. Notably, an inverse, regulatory relationship between vmPFC and PAG activity has been previously implicated in the context of another stimulus for reactive aggression; looming threat (Mobbs et al. [2007]: Science 317:1079-1083).
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart F White
- Section on Affective Cognitive Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland
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77
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Hippocampal neuroligin-2 overexpression leads to reduced aggression and inhibited novelty reactivity in rats. PLoS One 2013; 8:e56871. [PMID: 23451101 PMCID: PMC3579928 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0056871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2012] [Accepted: 01/15/2013] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Disturbances of the excitation/inhibition (E/I) balance in the brain were recently suggested as potential factors underlying disorders like autism and schizophrenia resulting in associated behavioral alterations including changes in social and emotional behavior as well as abnormal aggression. Neuronal cell adhesion molecules (nCAMs) and mutations in these genes were found to be strongly implicated in the pathophysiology of these disorders. Neuroligin2 (nlgn2) is a postsynaptic cell adhesion molecule, which is predominantly expressed at inhibitory synapses and required for synapse specification and stabilization. Changes in the expression of nlgn2 were shown to result in alterations of social behavior as well as altered inhibitory synaptic transmission, hence modifying the E/I balance. In our study, we focused on the role of nlgn2 in the dorsal hippocampus in the regulation of emotional and social behaviors. To this purpose, we injected an AAV construct overexpressing nlgn2 in the hippocampus of rats and investigated the effects on behavior and on markers for the E/I ratio. We could show an increase in GAD65, a GABA-synthesizing protein in neuronal terminals, and furthermore, reduced exploration of novel stimuli and less offensive behavior. Our data suggest nlgn2 in the hippocampus to be strongly implicated in maintaining the E/I balance in the brain and thereby modulating social and emotional behavior.
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78
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Gopal A, Clark E, Allgair A, D'Amato C, Furman M, Gansler DA, Fulwiler C. Dorsal/ventral parcellation of the amygdala: relevance to impulsivity and aggression. Psychiatry Res 2013; 211:24-30. [PMID: 23352275 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2012.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2012] [Revised: 07/13/2012] [Accepted: 10/09/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Investigations into the specific association of amygdala volume, a critical aspect of the fronto-limbic emotional circuitry, and aggression have produced results broadly consistent with the 'larger is more powerful' doctrine. However, recent reports suggest that the ventral and dorsal aspects of the amygdala play functionally specific roles, respectively, in the activation and control of behavior. Therefore, parceling amygdala volume into dorsal and ventral components might prove productive in testing hypotheses regarding volumetric association to aggression, and impulsivity, a related aspect of self-control. We sought to test this hypothesis in a group of 41 psychiatric patients who received standard magnetic resonance imaging and a psychometric protocol including aggression and impulsivity measures. Whole amygdala volumes were not associated with aggression or impulsivity, but significant correlations were found when dorsal/ventral amygdalae were analyzed separately. Specifically, left and right ventral amygdala volume was positively associated with motor impulsivity, and left dorsal amygdala was negatively associated with aggression. Results are discussed in terms of an activation and control model of brain-behavior relations. Potential relevance to the continuum of amygdala hyper- to hypo-activation and aggression is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abilash Gopal
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
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79
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Patterns of phosphorylated tyrosine hydroxylase vary with song production in female starlings. Brain Res 2012; 1498:41-9. [PMID: 23270608 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2012.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2012] [Revised: 12/11/2012] [Accepted: 12/16/2012] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Vocal signal production in male songbirds is well studied, but the neural correlates of female song production are poorly understood. In European starlings, females sing to defend nesting resources, and song can be considered agonistically motivated. Across vertebrates catecholamines strongly influence motivated, agonistic social behaviors. The present study was designed to provide insight into a possible role for catecholamine activity in territorial song in female starlings. We presented females that were defending nest-cavities with an unfamiliar female and assessed song production. We then measured immunolabeling for phosphorylated tyrosine hydroxylase (pTH-ir), the rate-limiting enzyme for catecholamine synthesis, in brain regions in which catecholamines stimulate agonistic behavior. Females that sang had higher pTH-ir in the caudomedial ventral tegmental area and the lateral septum than females that did not sing. Furthermore, the number of songs produced correlated positively with pTH-ir in the medial preoptic nucleus. Phosphorylation of TH is thought to occur after catecholamine release, so these results link increased catecholamine activity in several brain regions governing agonistic behavior to territorial song production in females.
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80
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Osumi T, Nakao T, Kasuya Y, Shinoda J, Yamada J, Ohira H. Amygdala dysfunction attenuates frustration-induced aggression in psychopathic individuals in a non-criminal population. J Affect Disord 2012; 142:331-8. [PMID: 22840629 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2012.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2012] [Accepted: 05/05/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Individuals with psychopathy have an increased tendency toward certain types of aggression. We hypothesized that successful psychopaths, who have no criminal convictions but can be diagnosed with psychopathy in terms of personality characteristics, are skilled at regulating aggressive impulses, compared to incarcerated unsuccessful psychopaths. METHODS In this block-designed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we sought to clarify the neural mechanisms underlying differences in frustration-induced aggression as a function of psychopathy in non-criminal populations. Twenty male undergraduate students who completed a self-report psychopathy questionnaire were scanned while they completed a task in which they either could or could not punish other individuals who made unfair offers of monetary distribution. RESULTS Individuals with high psychopathic tendencies were less likely to make a decision to inflict costly punishment on people proposing unfair offers. During this decision-making, psychopathy was associated with less amygdala activity in response to the unfairness of offers. Moreover, the amygdala dysfunction in psychopathic individuals was associated with reduced functional connectivity with dopaminergic-related areas, including the striatum, when punishment was available compared to when it was unavailable. LIMITATIONS The possibility that levels of psychopathic traits in a regular population were milder than in incarcerated populations cannot be ruled out. CONCLUSIONS The findings indicate that amygdala dysfunction underlies affective deficits of psychopathy. We propose that the insensitivity of the amygdala to the affective significance of social stimuli contributes to an increased risk of violation of social norms, but enhances the ability to attenuate impulses toward maladaptive aggression in successful psychopaths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Osumi
- Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan.
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81
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Rosa M, Franzini A, Giannicola G, Messina G, Altamura AC, Priori A. Hypothalamic oscillations in human pathological aggressiveness. Biol Psychiatry 2012; 72:e33-5. [PMID: 22789687 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2012] [Revised: 06/08/2012] [Accepted: 06/08/2012] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Coccaro EF, Lee R, Liu T, Mathé AA. Cerebrospinal fluid neuropeptide Y-like immunoreactivity correlates with impulsive aggression in human subjects. Biol Psychiatry 2012; 72:997-1003. [PMID: 22985695 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.07.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2012] [Revised: 07/24/2012] [Accepted: 07/25/2012] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neurochemical studies have pointed to a modulatory role in human aggression for a number of central neurotransmitters; some (e.g., serotonin) appear to play an inhibitory role, while others (e.g., vasopressin) appear to play a facilitator role in the modulation of aggression. While recent animal studies of neuropeptide Y (NPY) have suggested a facilitator role for central NPY in the modulation of aggression, no human studies of central NPY have yet been reported regarding aggression. METHODS Basal lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was obtained from 60 physically healthy subjects with personality disorder (PD) (n=40) and from healthy volunteers (n=20). These samples were then assessed for CSF NPY-like immunoreactivity (NPY-LI) and other neurotransmitter-related species in CSF and correlated with measures of aggression and impulsivity. RESULTS Cerebrospinal fluid NPY-LI was higher in PD subjects compared with healthy volunteers and in subjects with intermittent explosive disorder compared with those without intermittent explosive disorder. In PD subjects, CSF NPY-LI was directly correlated with composite measures of aggression and impulsivity and a composite measure of impulsive aggression. Group differences in CSF NPY-LI concentration were accounted for by measures of impulsive aggression. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest a direct relationship between CSF NPY-immunoreactivity concentration and measures of impulsive aggression in human subjects. This adds to the complex picture of the central neuromodulatory role of impulsive aggression in human subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emil F Coccaro
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, Pritzker School of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
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Latzman RD, Vaidya JG. Common and Distinct Associations Between Aggression and Alcohol Problems with Trait Disinhibition. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s10862-012-9330-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Abstract
Converging evidence shows that monoamine oxidase A (MAO A), the key enzyme catalyzing serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) and norepinephrine (NE) degradation, is a primary factor in the pathophysiology of antisocial and aggressive behavior. Accordingly, male MAO A-deficient humans and mice exhibit an extreme predisposition to aggressive outbursts in response to stress. As NMDARs regulate the emotional reactivity to social and environmental stimuli, we hypothesized their involvement in the modulation of aggression mediated by MAO A. In comparison with WT male mice, MAO A KO counterparts exhibited increases in 5-HT and NE levels across all brain regions, but no difference in glutamate concentrations and NMDAR binding. Notably, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of MAO A KO mice exhibited higher expression of NR2A and NR2B, as well as lower levels of glycosylated NR1 subunits. In line with these changes, the current amplitude and decay time of NMDARs in PFC was significantly reduced. Furthermore, the currents of these receptors were hypersensitive to the action of the antagonists of the NMDAR complex (dizocilpine), as well as NR2A (PEAQX) and NR2B (Ro 25-6981) subunits. Notably, systemic administration of these agents selectively countered the enhanced aggression in MAO A KO mice, at doses that did not inherently affect motor activity. Our findings suggest that the role of MAO A in pathological aggression may be mediated by changes in NMDAR subunit composition in the PFC, and point to a critical function of this receptor in the molecular bases of antisocial personality.
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85
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Coccaro EF, Lee R, Owens MJ, Kinkead B, Nemeroff CB. Cerebrospinal fluid substance P-like immunoreactivity correlates with aggression in personality disordered subjects. Biol Psychiatry 2012; 72:238-43. [PMID: 22449753 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2012] [Revised: 02/21/2012] [Accepted: 02/24/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neurochemical studies have pointed to a modulatory role in human aggression for a variety of central neurotransmitters; some seem to play an inhibitory role, whereas others seem to play a facilitory role in the modulation of aggression. Laboratory animal studies of substance P suggest a facilitory role for this undecapeptide in the modulation of aggression, but no studies of substance P have yet been reported with regard to human aggression. METHODS Basal lumbar cerebrospinal fluid samples were obtained from 38 physically healthy subjects with personality disorder (PD) and substance P-like immunoreactivity was measured and correlated with measures of aggression and impulsivity. RESULTS The cerebrospinal fluid substance P-like immunoreactivity levels were directly correlated with a composite measure of aggression and, more specifically, with Buss-Durkee Aggression. No correlation was seen with any measure of impulsivity or of general dimensions of personality. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest a direct relationship between central nervous system substance P containing neural circuits and aggression in human subjects. This finding adds to the complex picture of the central neuromodulatory role of impulsive aggression in human subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emil F Coccaro
- Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Pritzker School of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
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86
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Ettrup K, Sørensen J, Rodell A, Alstrup A, Bjarkam C. Hypothalamic Deep Brain Stimulation Influences Autonomic and Limbic Circuitry Involved in the Regulation of Aggression and Cardiocerebrovascular Control in the Göttingen Minipig. Stereotact Funct Neurosurg 2012; 90:281-91. [DOI: 10.1159/000338087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2011] [Accepted: 02/29/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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87
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Hamani C, Temel Y. Deep Brain Stimulation for Psychiatric Disease: Contributions and Validity of Animal Models. Sci Transl Med 2012; 4:142rv8. [DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3003722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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88
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Lindquist KA, Wager TD, Kober H, Bliss-Moreau E, Barrett LF. The brain basis of emotion: a meta-analytic review. Behav Brain Sci 2012; 35:121-43. [PMID: 22617651 PMCID: PMC4329228 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x11000446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1126] [Impact Index Per Article: 93.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Researchers have wondered how the brain creates emotions since the early days of psychological science. With a surge of studies in affective neuroscience in recent decades, scientists are poised to answer this question. In this target article, we present a meta-analytic summary of the neuroimaging literature on human emotion. We compare the locationist approach (i.e., the hypothesis that discrete emotion categories consistently and specifically correspond to distinct brain regions) with the psychological constructionist approach (i.e., the hypothesis that discrete emotion categories are constructed of more general brain networks not specific to those categories) to better understand the brain basis of emotion. We review both locationist and psychological constructionist hypotheses of brain-emotion correspondence and report meta-analytic findings bearing on these hypotheses. Overall, we found little evidence that discrete emotion categories can be consistently and specifically localized to distinct brain regions. Instead, we found evidence that is consistent with a psychological constructionist approach to the mind: A set of interacting brain regions commonly involved in basic psychological operations of both an emotional and non-emotional nature are active during emotion experience and perception across a range of discrete emotion categories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen A. Lindquist
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital/ /Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, MA 02129 Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 http://www.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/~lindqukr/
| | - Tor D. Wager
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309 http://www.psych.colorado.edu/~tor/
| | - Hedy Kober
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519 http://medicine.yale.edu/psychiatry/people/hedy_kober.profile
| | - Eliza Bliss-Moreau
- California National Primate Research Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
| | - Lisa Feldman Barrett
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115 Departments of Radiology and Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital/Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, MA 02129 http://www.affective-science.org/
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89
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Dennis RL, Cheng HW. Effects of selective serotonin antagonism on central neurotransmission. Poult Sci 2012; 91:817-22. [PMID: 22399719 DOI: 10.3382/ps.2011-01779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggression and cannibalism in laying hens can differ in intensity and degree due to many factors, including genetics. Previous behavioral analysis of 2 strains of White Leghorns, DeKalb XL (DXL) and HGPS (a group-selected line for high group productivity and survivability), revealed high and low aggressive phenotypes, respectively. However, the exact genetic mechanisms mediating aggressiveness are currently unknown. Analysis of serotonin (5-HT) mediation of aggression in subordinate hens of these strains revealed increases in aggression in DXL hens following antagonism of the 5-HT1A receptor and in HGPS hens following antagonism of the 5-HT1B receptor. Here, we investigate the different neurotransmitter response in the hypothalamus and raphe nucleus mediating these aggressive responses to receptor antagonism. Elevated aggressive response to 5-HT1B antagonism by HGPS hens was also accompanied by a decrease in raphe nucleus dopamine (DA) and an increase in DA turnover. Increased aggressiveness in DXL hens did not coincide with a reduction in raphe nucleus 5-HT or turnover (as indicated by 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels) following 5-HT1A antagonism. A reduction in 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (but not 5-HT) was seen in HGPS hens treated with 5-HT1A antagonist; however, these hens exhibited no change in aggressive behaviors. Our data show evidence of different heritable mechanisms of neurotransmitter regulation of aggressive response, specifically heritable differences in the interaction between 5-HT and catecholamines in regulating aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- R L Dennis
- Livestock Behavior Research Unit, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, W. Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
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90
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Impact of tryptophan hydroxylase 2 G-703T polymorphism on anger-related personality traits and orbitofrontal cortex. Behav Brain Res 2012; 231:105-10. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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91
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The Sturm und Drang of anabolic steroid use: angst, anxiety, and aggression. Trends Neurosci 2012; 35:382-92. [PMID: 22516619 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2012.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2011] [Revised: 02/17/2012] [Accepted: 03/01/2012] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are illicitly administered to enhance athletic performance and body image. Although conferring positive actions on performance, steroid abuse is associated with changes in anxiety and aggression. AAS users are often keenly invested in understanding the biological actions of these drugs. Thus, mechanistic information on AAS actions is important not only for the biomedical community, but also for steroid users. Here we review findings from animal studies on the impact of AAS exposure on neural systems that are crucial for the production of anxiety and aggression, and compare the effects of the different classes of AAS and their potential signaling mechanisms, as well as context-, age- and sex-dependent aspects of their actions.
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92
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Abstract
Patients with mental disorders are at an elevated risk for developing aggressive behavior. In the last 19 years, the psychopharmacological treatment of aggression has changed dramatically because of the introduction of atypical antipsychotics into the market and the increased use of anticonvulsants and lithium in the treatment of aggressive patients.Using a translational medicine approach, this review (part 1 of 2) examines the neurobiology of aggression, discussing the major neurotransmitter systems implicated in its pathogenesis, namely, serotonin, glutamate, norepinephrine, dopamine, and γ-aminobutyric acid, and also their respective receptors. The preclinical and clinical pharmacological studies concerning the role of these neurotransmitters have been reviewed, as well as research using transgenic animal models. The complex interaction among these neurotransmitters occurs at the level of brain areas and neural circuits such as the orbitoprefrontal cortex, anterior cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, periaqueductal gray, and septal nuclei, where the receptors of these neurotransmitters are expressed. The neurobiological mechanism of aggression is important to understand the rationale for using atypical antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, and lithium in treating aggressive behavior. Further research is necessary to establish how these neurotransmitter systems interact with brain circuits to control aggressive behavior at the intracellular level.
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93
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Blair RJR. Considering anger from a cognitive neuroscience perspective. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2012; 3:65-74. [PMID: 22267973 PMCID: PMC3260787 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The goal of this paper is to consider anger from a cognitive neuroscience perspective. Five main claims are made: first, reactive aggression is the ultimate behavioral expression of anger and thus we can begin to understand anger by understanding reactive aggression. Second, neural systems implicated in reactive aggression (amygdala, hypothalamus, and periaqueductal gray; the basic threat system) are critically implicated in anger. Factors such as exposure to extreme threat that increase the responsiveness of these systems, should be (and are in the context of posttraumatic stress disorder), associated with increased anger. Third, regions of frontal cortex implicated in regulating the basic threat system, when dysfunctional (e.g., in the context of lesions) should be associated with increased anger. Fourth, frustration occurs when an individual continues to do an action in the expectation of a reward but does not actually receive that reward, and is associated with anger. Individuals who show impairment in the ability to alter behavioral responding when actions no longer receive their expected rewards should be (and are in the context of psychopathy) associated with increased anger. Fifth, someone not doing what another person wants them to do (particularly if this thwarts the person's goal) is frustrating and consequently anger inducing. The response to such a frustrating social event relies on the neural architecture implicated in changing behavioral responses in nonsocial frustrating situations. WIREs Cogn Sci 2012, 3:65-74. doi: 10.1002/wcs.154 This article is categorized under: Psychology > Brain Function and Dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- R J R Blair
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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94
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Abstract
The dopaminergic system is involved in the regulation of aggression in many species, especially via dopamine (DA) D1 and D2 receptor pathways. To investigate heritable differences in this regulation, 2 high aggressive strains [Dekalb XL (DXL) and low group egg productivity and survivability (LGPS)] and one low aggressive strain (low group egg productivity and survivability; HGPS) of laying hens were used in the study. The HGPS and LGPS lines were diversely selected using group selection for high and low group production and survivability. The DXL line is a commercial line selected through individual selection based on egg production. Heritable differences in aggressive propensity between the strains have been previously assessed. The birds were pair housed within the same strain and labeled as dominant or subordinate based on behavioral observation. For both experiments 1 and 2, behavioral analysis was performed on all 3 strains whereas neurotransmitter analysis was performed only on the most aggressive (DXL) and least aggressive (HGPS) strains. In experiment 1, the subordinate birds were treated with D1 agonist, D2 agonist, or saline controls (n = 12). In experiment 2, the dominant birds from a separate flock were treated with D1 antagonist, D2 antagonist, or saline controls (n = 12). Treatment-associated changes in aggressive behaviors and central neurotransmitters were measured. Aggression was increased in all strains in response to D1 agonism but increased only in the less aggressive HGPS birds with D2 agonism. Aggression was decreased and hypothalamic serotonin and epinephrine were increased in birds from all strains treated with D2 receptor antagonist. The D1 receptor antagonism elicited different behavioral and neurotransmitter responses based on the aggressive phenotype of the genetic strains. Aggressive strains DXL and LGPS but not the HGPS strain decreased aggressiveness following antagonism of the D1 receptor. The data show evidence for distinct neurotransmitter regulation of aggression in high and low aggressive strains of hens through different receptor systems. These chicken lines could provide new animal models for the biomedical investigation of the genetic basis of aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- R L Dennis
- Livestock Behavior Research Unit, USDA-ARS, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
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95
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Cooke BM, Shukla D. Double helix: reciprocity between juvenile play and brain development. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2011; 1:459-70. [PMID: 22436567 PMCID: PMC6987541 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2011.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2011] [Revised: 06/27/2011] [Accepted: 07/03/2011] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
This review summarizes what is presently known about the function, sexual differentiation, and neural circuitry of juvenile rough-and-tumble play. Juvenile rough-and-tumble play is a unique motivated behavior that is widespread throughout the mammalian order and usually occurs more often in males. Immediate early gene studies indicate that cortical and subcortical circuits, many of which are sensitive to sex steroid hormones, mediate juvenile play. Sex differences in rough-and-tumble play are controlled in part by neonatal exposure to androgens or their estrogenic metabolites. Studies indicate that testicular androgens during play are also necessary to stimulate male-like levels of play initiation. The resemblance of rough-and-tumble play to aggression and sexual behavior has led some to question whether male-typical adult behavior is contingent upon the experience of play. Attempts to control the amount of play through social isolation show that social experience during adolescence is critical for male-typical adult behaviors to be expressed. This well-established finding, together with evidence that play induces neural plasticity, supports the hypothesis that juvenile play contributes to male-typical brain development that ultimately enables the expression of adult social and reproductive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley M Cooke
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, United States.
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96
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Torterolo P, Ramos OV, Sampogna S, Chase MH. Hypocretinergic neurons are activated in conjunction with goal-oriented survival-related motor behaviors. Physiol Behav 2011; 104:823-30. [PMID: 21839102 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.07.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2011] [Revised: 07/12/2011] [Accepted: 07/28/2011] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Hypocretinergic neurons are located in the area of the lateral hypothalamus which is responsible for mediating goal-directed, survival-related behaviors. Consequently, we hypothesize that the hypocretinergic system functions to promote these behaviors including those patterns of somatomotor activation upon which they are based. Further, we hypothesize that the hypocretinergic system is not involved with repetitive motor activities unless they occur in conjunction with the goal-oriented behaviors that are governed by the lateral hypothalamus. In order to determine the veracity of these hypotheses, we examined Fos immunoreactivity (as a marker of neuronal activity) in hypocretinergic neurons in the cat during: a) Exploratory Motor Activity; b) Locomotion without Reward; c) Locomotion with Reward; and d) Wakefulness without Motor Activity. Significantly greater numbers of hypocretinergic neurons expressed c-fos when the animals were exploring an unknown environment during Exploratory Motor Activity compared with all other paradigms. In addition, a larger number of Hcrt+Fos+neurons were activated during Locomotion with Reward than during Wakefulness without Motor Activity. Finally, very few hypocretinergic neurons were activated during Locomotion without Reward and Wakefulness without Motor Activity, wherein there was an absence of goal-directed activities. We conclude that the hypocretinergic system does not promote wakefulness per se or motor activity per se but is responsible for mediating specific goal-oriented behaviors that take place during wakefulness. Accordingly, we suggest that the hypocretinergic system is responsible for controlling the somatomotor system and coordinating its activity with other systems in order to produce successful goal-oriented survival-related behaviors that are controlled by the lateral hypothalamus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Torterolo
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
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97
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Sala M, Caverzasi E, Lazzaretti M, Morandotti N, De Vidovich G, Marraffini E, Gambini F, Isola M, De Bona M, Rambaldelli G, d'Allio G, Barale F, Zappoli F, Brambilla P. Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and hippocampus sustain impulsivity and aggressiveness in borderline personality disorder. J Affect Disord 2011; 131:417-21. [PMID: 21211852 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2010.11.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2010] [Revised: 11/29/2010] [Accepted: 11/29/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) patients are characterized by increased levels of aggressivity and reduction of impulse control, which are behavioural dimensions mainly sustained by hippocampus and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). In this study we aimed at investigating whether hippocampus and DLPFC anatomy may sustain impulsive and aggressive behaviours in BPD. METHODS Fifteen DSM-IV BPD patients (11 females, 4 males) and fifteen 1:1 matched healthy controls (11 females, 4 males) were studied with a 1.5T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and underwent a psychopathological assessment in order to measure the severity of aggressive and impulsive traits. RESULTS Right hippocampal volumes were significantly reduced in BPD patients compared to healthy subjects (p=0.027), particularly in those with a history of childhood abuse (p=0.01). Moreover, in patients but not in controls, right hippocampal volumes significantly inversely correlated with aggressiveness and DLPFC grey matter volumes significantly inversely associated with impulsiveness (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Our results provide evidence that hippocampus and DLPFC play a separate and unique role in sustaining the control of impulse and aggressive behaviours in BPD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Sala
- Department of Mental Health, Azienda Sanitaria Locale Alessandria, Alessandria Italy.
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98
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Lemaire JJ, Frew AJ, McArthur D, Gorgulho AA, Alger JR, Salomon N, Chen C, Behnke EJ, De Salles AAF. White matter connectivity of human hypothalamus. Brain Res 2011; 1371:43-64. [PMID: 21122799 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2010.11.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2010] [Revised: 11/02/2010] [Accepted: 11/19/2010] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Jacques Lemaire
- Univ Clermont 1, UFR Médecine, EA3295, Equipe de Recherche en signal et Imagerie Médicale, Clermont-Ferrand, F-63001, France.
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99
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Toth M, Fuzesi T, Halasz J, Tulogdi A, Haller J. Neural inputs of the hypothalamic “aggression area” in the rat. Behav Brain Res 2010; 215:7-20. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2010.05.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2010] [Revised: 05/25/2010] [Accepted: 05/26/2010] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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100
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Tulogdi A, Toth M, Halasz J, Mikics E, Fuzesi T, Haller J. Brain mechanisms involved in predatory aggression are activated in a laboratory model of violent intra-specific aggression. Eur J Neurosci 2010; 32:1744-53. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2010.07429.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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