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Duclot F, Kabbaj M. Epigenetics of Aggression. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2021; 54:283-310. [PMID: 34595741 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2021_252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Aggression is a complex behavioral trait modulated by both genetic and environmental influences on gene expression. By controlling gene expression in a reversible yet potentially lasting manner in response to environmental stimulation, epigenetic mechanisms represent prime candidates in explaining both individual differences in aggression and the development of elevated aggressive behaviors following life adversity. In this manuscript, we review the evidence for an epigenetic basis in the development and expression of aggression in both humans and related preclinical animal models. In particular, we discuss reports linking DNA methylation, histone post-translational modifications, as well as non-coding RNA, to the regulation of a variety of genes implicated in the neurobiology of aggression including neuropeptides, the serotoninergic and dopaminergic systems, and stress response related systems. While clinical reports do reveal interesting patterns of DNA methylation underlying individual differences and experience-induced aggressive behaviors, they do, in general, face the challenge of linking peripheral observations to central nervous system regulations. Preclinical studies, on the other hand, provide detailed mechanistic insights into the epigenetic reprogramming of gene expression following life adversities. Although the functional link to aggression remains unclear in most, these studies together do highlight the involvement of epigenetic events driven by DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNA in the neuroadaptations underlying the development and expression of aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Duclot
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
| | - Mohamed Kabbaj
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
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The neurobiology of human aggressive behavior: Neuroimaging, genetic, and neurochemical aspects. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2021; 106:110059. [PMID: 32822763 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Revised: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
In modern societies, there is a strive to improve the quality of life related to risk of crimes which inevitably requires a better understanding of brain determinants and mediators of aggression. Neurobiology provides powerful tools to achieve this end. Pre-clinical and clinical studies show that changes in regional volumes, metabolism-function and connectivity within specific neural networks are related to aggression. Subregions of prefrontal cortex, insula, amygdala, basal ganglia and hippocampus play a major role within these circuits and have been consistently implicated in biology of aggression. Genetic variations in proteins regulating the synthesis, degradation, and transport of serotonin and dopamine as well as their signal transduction have been found to mediate behavioral variability observed in aggression. Gene-gene and gene-environment interactions represent additional important risk factors for aggressiveness. Considering the social burden of pathological forms of aggression, more basic and translational studies should be conducted to accelerate applications to clinical practice, justice courts, and policy making.
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Zhang-James Y, Fernàndez-Castillo N, Hess JL, Malki K, Glatt SJ, Cormand B, Faraone SV. An integrated analysis of genes and functional pathways for aggression in human and rodent models. Mol Psychiatry 2019; 24:1655-1667. [PMID: 29858598 PMCID: PMC6274606 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-018-0068-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Revised: 03/04/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Human genome-wide association studies (GWAS), transcriptome analyses of animal models, and candidate gene studies have advanced our understanding of the genetic architecture of aggressive behaviors. However, each of these methods presents unique limitations. To generate a more confident and comprehensive view of the complex genetics underlying aggression, we undertook an integrated, cross-species approach. We focused on human and rodent models to derive eight gene lists from three main categories of genetic evidence: two sets of genes identified in GWAS studies, four sets implicated by transcriptome-wide studies of rodent models, and two sets of genes with causal evidence from online Mendelian inheritance in man (OMIM) and knockout (KO) mice reports. These gene sets were evaluated for overlap and pathway enrichment to extract their similarities and differences. We identified enriched common pathways such as the G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling pathway, axon guidance, reelin signaling in neurons, and ERK/MAPK signaling. Also, individual genes were ranked based on their cumulative weights to quantify their importance as risk factors for aggressive behavior, which resulted in 40 top-ranked and highly interconnected genes. The results of our cross-species and integrated approach provide insights into the genetic etiology of aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanli Zhang-James
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Noèlia Fernàndez-Castillo
- 0000 0004 1937 0247grid.5841.8Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain ,0000 0004 1791 1185grid.452372.5Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain ,0000 0004 1937 0247grid.5841.8Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Catalonia, Spain ,Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Jonathan L Hess
- 0000 0000 9159 4457grid.411023.5Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, NY USA
| | - Karim Malki
- 0000 0001 2322 6764grid.13097.3cKing’s College London, MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IOPPN), London, UK
| | - Stephen J Glatt
- 0000 0000 9159 4457grid.411023.5Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, NY USA ,0000 0000 9159 4457grid.411023.5Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, NY USA
| | - Bru Cormand
- 0000 0004 1937 0247grid.5841.8Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain ,0000 0004 1791 1185grid.452372.5Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain ,0000 0004 1937 0247grid.5841.8Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Catalonia, Spain ,Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Stephen V Faraone
- 0000 0000 9159 4457grid.411023.5Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, NY USA ,0000 0000 9159 4457grid.411023.5Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, NY USA ,0000 0004 1936 7443grid.7914.bK.G. Jebsen Centre for Research on Neuropsychiatric Disorders, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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Preuss UW, Koller G, Samochowiec A, Zill P, Samochowiec J, Kucharska-Mazur J, Wong J, Soyka M. Serotonin and Dopamine Candidate Gene Variants and Alcohol- and Non-Alcohol-Related Aggression. Alcohol Alcohol 2015; 50:690-9. [DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/agv057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2015] [Accepted: 05/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
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Holz N, Boecker R, Buchmann AF, Blomeyer D, Baumeister S, Hohmann S, Jennen-Steinmetz C, Wolf I, Rietschel M, Witt SH, Plichta MM, Meyer-Lindenberg A, Schmidt MH, Esser G, Banaschewski T, Brandeis D, Laucht M. Evidence for a Sex-Dependent MAOA× Childhood Stress Interaction in the Neural Circuitry of Aggression. Cereb Cortex 2014; 26:904-14. [PMID: 25331606 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhu249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Converging evidence emphasizes the role of an interaction between monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) genotype, environmental adversity, and sex in the pathophysiology of aggression. The present study aimed to clarify the impact of this interaction on neural activity in aggression-related brain systems. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 125 healthy adults from a high-risk community sample followed since birth. DNA was genotyped for the MAOA-VNTR (variable number of tandem repeats). Exposure to childhood life stress (CLS) between the ages of 4 and 11 years was assessed using a standardized parent interview, aggression by the Youth/Young Adult Self-Report between the ages of 15 and 25 years, and the VIRA-R (Vragenlijst Instrumentele En Reactieve Agressie) at the age of 15 years. Significant interactions were obtained between MAOA genotype, CLS, and sex relating to amygdala, hippocampus, and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) response, respectively. Activity in the amygdala and hippocampus during emotional face-matching increased with the level of CLS in male MAOA-L, while decreasing in male MAOA-H, with the reverse pattern present in females. Findings in the opposite direction in the ACC during a flanker NoGo task suggested that increased emotional activity coincided with decreased inhibitory control. Moreover, increasing amygdala activity was associated with higher Y(A)SR aggression in male MAOA-L and female MAOA-H carriers. Likewise, a significant association between amygdala activity and reactive aggression was detected in female MAOA-H carriers. The results point to a moderating role of sex in the MAOA× CLS interaction for intermediate phenotypes of emotional and inhibitory processing, suggesting a possible mechanism in conferring susceptibility to violence-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Holz
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
| | - Regina Boecker
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
| | | | | | | | - Sarah Hohmann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
| | | | - Isabella Wolf
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Department of Neuroimaging
| | | | | | - Michael M Plichta
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Germany
| | - Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Germany
| | | | - Günter Esser
- Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | | | - Daniel Brandeis
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Manfred Laucht
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
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