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Velazquez-Hernandez G, Miller NW, Curtis VR, Rivera-Pacheco CM, Lowe SM, Moy SS, Zannas AS, Pégard NC, Burgos-Robles A, Rodriguez-Romaguera J. Social threat alters the behavioral structure of social motivation and reshapes functional brain connectivity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.17.599379. [PMID: 38948883 PMCID: PMC11212885 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.17.599379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Traumatic social experiences redefine socially motivated behaviors to enhance safety and survival. Although many brain regions have been implicated in signaling a social threat, the mechanisms by which global neural networks regulate such motivated behaviors remain unclear. To address this issue, we first combined traditional and modern behavioral tracking techniques in mice to assess both approach and avoidance, as well as sub-second behavioral changes, during a social threat learning task. We were able to identify previously undescribed body and tail movements during social threat learning and recognition that demonstrate unique alterations into the behavioral structure of social motivation. We then utilized inter-regional correlation analysis of brain activity after a mouse recognizes a social threat to explore functional communication amongst brain regions implicated in social motivation. Broad brain activity changes were observed within the nucleus accumbens, the paraventricular thalamus, the ventromedial hypothalamus, and the nucleus of reuniens. Inter-regional correlation analysis revealed a reshaping of the functional connectivity across the brain when mice recognize a social threat. Altogether, these findings suggest that reshaping of functional brain connectivity may be necessary to alter the behavioral structure of social motivation when a social threat is encountered.
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Potegal M. How it ends: A review of behavioral and psychological phenomena, physiological processes and neural circuits in the termination of aggression in other animals and anger in people. Behav Brain Res 2024; 456:114676. [PMID: 37739229 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 08/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
More is known about aggression initiation and persistence in other animals, and anger in people, than about their cessation. This review summarizes knowledge of relevant factors in aggression, mostly in vertebrates, and anger termination in people. The latency, probability and intensity of offensive aggression in mice is controlled by activity in a neuronal subpopulation in ventromedial hypothalamus [VMH]. This activity instantiates an aggressive state termed angriffsbereitschaft ["attack-readiness"]. Fighting in many species is broken into bouts with interbout breaks due to fatigue and/or signals from dorsal raphe to VMH. Eventually, losers decide durations and outcomes of fighting by transitioning to submission or flight. Factors reducing angriffsbereitschaft and triggering these defeat behaviors could include metabolic costs, e.g., lactate accumulation and glucose depletion detected by the hypothalamus, central fatigue perhaps sensed by the Salience Network [insula and anterior cingulate gyrus] and pain of injuries, the latter insufficiently blunted by opioid and non-opioid stress analgesia and transduced by anterior VMH neurons. Winners' angriffsbereitschaft continue for awhile, as indicated by post-victory attacks and, perhaps, triumph displays of some species, including humans. In longer term situations, sensory and/or response habituation of aggression may explain the "Dear enemy" tolerance of competitive neighbors. Prolonged satiation of predatory behavior could involve habenula-regulated reduction of dopaminergic reward in nucleus accumbens. Termination of human anger involves at least three processes, metaphorically termed decay, quenching and catharsis. Hypothesized neural mechanisms include anger diminution by negative feedback from accumbens to anterior cingulate and/or activity in the Salience Network that controls anger's "accumulation/offset" phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Potegal
- University of Minnesota, United States.
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3
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Potegal M, Nordman JC. Non-angry aggressive arousal and angriffsberietschaft: A narrative review of the phenomenology and physiology of proactive/offensive aggression motivation and escalation in people and other animals. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 147:105110. [PMID: 36822384 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
Human aggression typologies largely correspond with those for other animals. While there may be no non-human equivalent of angry reactive aggression, we propose that human proactive aggression is similar to offense in other animals' dominance contests for territory or social status. Like predation/hunting, but unlike defense, offense and proactive aggression are positively reinforcing, involving dopamine release in accumbens. The drive these motivational states provide must suffice to overcome fear associated with initiating risky fights. We term the neural activity motivating proactive aggression "non-angry aggressive arousal", but use "angriffsberietschaft" for offense motivation in other animals to acknowledge possible differences. Temporal variation in angriffsberietschaft partitions fights into bouts; engendering reduced anti-predator vigilance, redirected aggression and motivational over-ride. Increased aggressive arousal drives threat-to-attack transitions, as in verbal-to-physical escalation and beyond that, into hyper-aggression. Proactive aggression and offense involve related neural activity states. Cingulate, insular and prefrontal cortices energize/modulate aggression through a subcortical core containing subnuclei for each aggression type. These proposals will deepen understanding of aggression across taxa, guiding prevention/intervention for human violence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jacob C Nordman
- Department of Physiology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Carbondale, IL, USA.
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Nair A, Karigo T, Yang B, Ganguli S, Schnitzer MJ, Linderman SW, Anderson DJ, Kennedy A. An approximate line attractor in the hypothalamus encodes an aggressive state. Cell 2023; 186:178-193.e15. [PMID: 36608653 PMCID: PMC9990527 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.11.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The hypothalamus regulates innate social behaviors, including mating and aggression. These behaviors can be evoked by optogenetic stimulation of specific neuronal subpopulations within MPOA and VMHvl, respectively. Here, we perform dynamical systems modeling of population neuronal activity in these nuclei during social behaviors. In VMHvl, unsupervised analysis identified a dominant dimension of neural activity with a large time constant (>50 s), generating an approximate line attractor in neural state space. Progression of the neural trajectory along this attractor was correlated with an escalation of agonistic behavior, suggesting that it may encode a scalable state of aggressiveness. Consistent with this, individual differences in the magnitude of the integration dimension time constant were strongly correlated with differences in aggressiveness. In contrast, approximate line attractors were not observed in MPOA during mating; instead, neurons with fast dynamics were tuned to specific actions. Thus, different hypothalamic nuclei employ distinct neural population codes to represent similar social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditya Nair
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Tomomi Karigo
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Bin Yang
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Surya Ganguli
- Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Mark J Schnitzer
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Scott W Linderman
- Department of Statistics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - David J Anderson
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
| | - Ann Kennedy
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago IL 60611, USA.
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5
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Lipp HP, Wolfer DP. Behavior is movement only but how to interpret it? Problems and pitfalls in translational neuroscience-a 40-year experience. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:958067. [PMID: 36330050 PMCID: PMC9623569 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.958067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Translational research in behavioral neuroscience seeks causes and remedies for human mental health problems in animals, following leads imposed by clinical research in psychiatry. This endeavor faces several problems because scientists must read and interpret animal movements to represent human perceptions, mood, and memory processes. Yet, it is still not known how mammalian brains bundle all these processes into a highly compressed motor output in the brain stem and spinal cord, but without that knowledge, translational research remains aimless. Based on some four decades of experience in the field, the article identifies sources of interpretation problems and illustrates typical translational pitfalls. (1) The sensory world of mice is different. Smell, hearing, and tactile whisker sensations dominate in rodents, while visual input is comparatively small. In humans, the relations are reversed. (2) Mouse and human brains are equated inappropriately: the association cortex makes up a large portion of the human neocortex, while it is relatively small in rodents. The predominant associative cortex in rodents is the hippocampus itself, orchestrating chiefly inputs from secondary sensorimotor areas and generating species-typical motor patterns that are not easily reconciled with putative human hippocampal functions. (3) Translational interpretation of studies of memory or emotionality often neglects the ecology of mice, an extremely small species surviving by freezing or flight reactions that do not need much cognitive processing. (4) Further misinterpretations arise from confounding neuronal properties with system properties, and from rigid mechanistic thinking unaware that many experimentally induced changes in the brain do partially reflect unpredictable compensatory plasticity. (5) Based on observing hippocampal lesion effects in mice indoors and outdoors, the article offers a simplistic general model of hippocampal functions in relation to hypothalamic input and output, placing hypothalamus and the supraspinal motor system at the top of a cerebral hierarchy. (6) Many translational problems could be avoided by inclusion of simple species-typical behaviors as end-points comparable to human cognitive or executive processing, and to rely more on artificial intelligence for recognizing patterns not classifiable by traditional psychological concepts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans-Peter Lipp
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - David P. Wolfer
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Institute of Human Movement Sciences and Sport, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
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6
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Takahashi A. The role of social isolation stress in escalated aggression in rodent models. Neurosci Res 2022:S0168-0102(22)00212-7. [PMID: 35917930 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2022.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Anti-social behavior and violence are major public health concerns. Globally, violence contributes to more than 1.6 million deaths each year. Previous studies have reported that social rejection or neglect exacerbates aggression. In rodent models, social isolation stress is used to demonstrate the adverse effects of social deprivation on physiological, endocrinological, immunological, and behavioral parameters, including aggressive behavior. This review summarizes recent rodent studies on the effect of social isolation stress during different developmental periods on aggressive behavior and the underlying neural mechanisms. Social isolation during adulthood affects the levels of neurosteroids and neuropeptides and increases aggressive behavior. These changes are ethologically relevant for the adaptation to changes in local environmental conditions in the natural habitats. Chronic deprivation of social interaction after weaning, especially during the juvenile to adolescent periods, leads to the disruption of the development of appropriate social behavior and the maladaptive escalation of aggressive behavior. The understanding of neurobiological mechanisms underlying social isolation-induced escalated aggression will aid in the development of therapeutic interventions for escalated aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aki Takahashi
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
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Neural mechanisms of persistent aggression. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2022; 73:102526. [PMID: 35344844 PMCID: PMC9167772 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2022.102526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
While aggression is often conceptualized as a highly stereotyped, innate behavior, individuals within a species exhibit a surprising amount of variability in the frequency, intensity, and targets of their aggression. While differences in genetics are a source of some of this variation across individuals (estimates place the heritability of behavior at around 25-30%), a critical driver of variability is previous life experience. A wide variety of social experiences, including sexual, parental, and housing experiences can facilitate "persistent" aggressive states, suggesting that these experiences engage a common set of synaptic and molecular mechanisms that act on dedicated neural circuits for aggression. It has long been known that sex steroid hormones are powerful modulators of behavior, and also, that levels of these hormones are themselves modulated by experience. Several recent studies have started to unravel how experience-dependent hormonal changes during adulthood can create a cascade of molecular, synaptic, and circuit changes that enable behavioral persistence through circuit level remodeling. Here, we propose that sex steroid hormones facilitate persistent aggressive states by changing the relationship between neural activity and an aggression "threshold".
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8
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Rizzi M, Gambini O, Marras CE. Posterior hypothalamus as a target in the treatment of aggression: From lesioning to deep brain stimulation. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2021; 182:95-106. [PMID: 34266615 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-819973-2.00007-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Intermittent explosive disorder can be described as a severe "affective aggression" condition, for which drugs and other supportive therapies are not fully effective. In the first half of the 19th century, experimental studies progressively increased knowledge of aggressive disorders. A neurobiologic approach revealed the posterior hypothalamic region as a key structure for the modulation of aggression. In the 1960s, patients with severe aggressive disorder, frequently associated with intellectual disability, were treated by bilateral stereotactic lesioning of the posterior hypothalamic area, with efficacy. This therapy was later abandoned because of issues related to the misuse of psychosurgery. In the last 2 decades, however, the same diencephalic target has been selected for the reversible treatment by deep brain stimulation, with success. This chapter presents a comprehensive approach to posterior hypothalamic surgery for the treatment of severely aggressive patients and discusses the experimental steps that allowed this surgical target to be selected. Surgical experiences are reported, together with considerations on target features and related encephalic circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Rizzi
- "C.Munari" Epilepsy Surgery Center, Department of Neuroscience, ASST GOM Niguarda, Milan, Italy.
| | - Orsola Gambini
- Department of Health of Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; CRC "Aldo Ravelli" for Neurotechnology and Experimental Brain Therapeutics, University of Milan Medical School, Milan, Italy
| | - Carlo Efisio Marras
- Neurosurgery Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
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9
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Abstract
Neural circuits in the hypothalamus play a key role in the regulation of human energy homeostasis. A critical circuit involves leptin-responsive neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (the infundibular nucleus in humans) expressing the appetite-suppressing neuropeptide proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and the appetite-stimulating Agouti-related peptide. In the fed state, the POMC-derived melanocortin peptide α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone stimulates melanocortin-4 receptors (MC4Rs) expressed on second-order neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). Agonism of MC4R leads to reduced food intake and increased energy expenditure. Disruption of this hypothalamic circuit by inherited mutations in the genes encoding leptin, the leptin receptor, POMC, and MC4R can lead to severe obesity in humans. The characterization of these and closely related genetic obesity syndromes has informed our understanding of the neural pathways by which leptin regulates energy balance, neuroendocrine function, and the autonomic nervous system. A broader understanding of these neural and molecular mechanisms has paved the way for effective mechanism-based therapies for patients whose severe obesity is driven by disruption of these pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Sadaf Farooqi
- Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
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10
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Pulver A, Kiive E, Kanarik M, Harro J. Association of orexin/hypocretin receptor gene (HCRTR1) with reward sensitivity, and interaction with gender. Brain Res 2020; 1746:147013. [PMID: 32652147 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2020.147013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Orexins/hypocretins maintain wakefulness, increase appetite and participate in the coordination of stress response. We have recently provided evidence on the role of orexins in aggression, showing the association of the HCRTR1 genotype. (rs2271933 G > A; leading to amino acid substitution Ile408Val) with aggressiveness or breach of law in four independent cohorts. Aggressive behaviour can be reward driven and hence we have examined the association of HCRTR1 rs2271933 genotype with different aspects of reward sensitivity in the birth cohort representative Estonian Children Personality Behaviour and Health Study. HCRTR1 genotype was associated with reward sensitivity in a gender dependent manner. Male HCRTR1 A/A homozygotes had higher Openness to Rewards and the overall reward sensitivity score while, in contrast, female A/A homozygotes scored lower than G-allele carriers in Openness to Rewards. In the total sample, aggressiveness correlated positively with reward sensitivity, but this was on account of Insatiability by Reward. In contrast, the HCRTR1 A/A homozygotes had a positive association of aggressiveness and Openness to Rewards. Experience of stressful life events had a small but significant increasing effect on both aspects of reward sensitivity, and correlated in an anomalous way with reward sensitivity in the HCRTR1 A/A homozygotes. Conclusively, the higher aggressiveness of HCRTR1 A/A homozygotes appears based on a qualitative difference in sensitivity to rewards, in the form that suggests their lower ability to prevent responses to challenges being converted into overt aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksander Pulver
- School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, Narva Road 29, Astra Building, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Evelyn Kiive
- Division of Special Education, Department of Education, University of Tartu, Näituse 2, 50409 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Margus Kanarik
- Division of Neuropsychopharmacology, Department of Psychology, University of Tartu, Ravila 14A Chemicum, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Jaanus Harro
- School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, Narva Road 29, Astra Building, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia; Division of Neuropsychopharmacology, Department of Psychology, University of Tartu, Ravila 14A Chemicum, 50411 Tartu, Estonia.
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11
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Nordman JC, Ma X, Gu Q, Potegal M, Li H, Kravitz AV, Li Z. Potentiation of Divergent Medial Amygdala Pathways Drives Experience-Dependent Aggression Escalation. J Neurosci 2020; 40:4858-4880. [PMID: 32424020 PMCID: PMC7326350 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0370-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Heightened aggression can be serious concerns for the individual and society at large and are symptoms of many psychiatric illnesses, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. The circuit and synaptic mechanisms underlying experience-induced aggression increase, however, are poorly understood. Here we find that prior attack experience leading to an increase in aggressive behavior, known as aggression priming, activates neurons within the posterior ventral segment of the medial amygdala (MeApv). Optogenetic stimulation of MeApv using a synaptic depression protocol suppresses aggression priming, whereas high-frequency stimulation enhances aggression, mimicking attack experience. Interrogation of the underlying neural circuitry revealed that the MeApv mediates aggression priming via synaptic connections with the ventromedial hypothalamus (VmH) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). These pathways undergo NMDAR-dependent synaptic potentiation after attack. Furthermore, we find that the MeApv-VmH synapses selectively control attack duration, whereas the MeApv-BNST synapses modulate attack frequency, both with no effect on social behavior. Synaptic potentiation of the MeApv-VmH and MeApv-BNST pathways contributes to increased aggression induced by traumatic stress, and weakening synaptic transmission at these synapses blocks the effect of traumatic stress on aggression. These results reveal a circuit and synaptic basis for aggression modulation by experience that can be potentially leveraged toward clinical interventions.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Heightened aggression can have devastating social consequences and may be associated with psychiatric disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. The circuit and synaptic mechanisms underlying experience-induced aggression escalation, however, are poorly understood. Here we identify two aggression pathways between the posterior ventral segment of the medial amygdala and its downstream synaptic partners, the ventromedial hypothalamus and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis that undergo synaptic potentiation after attack and traumatic stress to enhance aggression. Notably, weakening synaptic transmission in these circuits blocks aggression priming, naturally occurring aggression, and traumatic stress-induced aggression increase. These results illustrate a circuit and synaptic basis of aggression modulation by experience, which can be potentially targeted for clinical interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob C Nordman
- Section on Synapse Development and Plasticity, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
| | - Xiaoyu Ma
- Section on Synapse Development and Plasticity, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
| | - Qinhua Gu
- Section on Synapse Development and Plasticity, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
| | - Michael Potegal
- Program in Occupational Therapy, Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
| | - He Li
- Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
| | - Alexxai V Kravitz
- Eating and Addiction Section, Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
| | - Zheng Li
- Section on Synapse Development and Plasticity, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
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12
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Harro J, Laas K, Eensoo D, Kurrikoff T, Sakala K, Vaht M, Parik J, Mäestu J, Veidebaum T. Orexin/hypocretin receptor gene (HCRTR1) variation is associated with aggressive behaviour. Neuropharmacology 2019; 156:107527. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2018] [Revised: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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13
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Hahn JD, Fink G, Kruk MR, Stanley BG. Editorial: Current Views of Hypothalamic Contributions to the Control of Motivated Behaviors. Front Syst Neurosci 2019; 13:32. [PMID: 31456668 PMCID: PMC6700385 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2019.00032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Joel D Hahn
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - George Fink
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Menno R Kruk
- Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - B Glenn Stanley
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
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14
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Chen P, Hong W. Neural Circuit Mechanisms of Social Behavior. Neuron 2019; 98:16-30. [PMID: 29621486 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.02.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 246] [Impact Index Per Article: 49.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2017] [Revised: 02/11/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
We live in a world that is largely socially constructed, and we are constantly involved in and fundamentally influenced by a broad array of complex social interactions. Social behaviors among conspecifics, either conflictive or cooperative, are exhibited by all sexually reproducing animal species and are essential for the health, survival, and reproduction of animals. Conversely, impairment in social function is a prominent feature of several neuropsychiatric disorders, such as autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. Despite the importance of social behaviors, many fundamental questions remain unanswered. How is social sensory information processed and integrated in the nervous system? How are different social behavioral decisions selected and modulated in brain circuits? Here we discuss conceptual issues and recent advances in our understanding of brain regions and neural circuit mechanisms underlying the regulation of social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Chen
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Weizhe Hong
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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15
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Functions of medial hypothalamic and mesolimbic dopamine circuitries in aggression. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2018; 24:104-112. [PMID: 30746430 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2018.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Aggression is a crucial survival behavior: it is employed to defend territory, compete for food and mating opportunities, protect kin, and resolve disputes. Although widely differing in its behavioral expression, aggression is observed across many species. The neural substrates of aggression have been investigated for nearly a century and two highly conserved circuitries emerge as critical substrates for generating and modulating aggression. One circuitry centers on the medial hypothalamus. Activity of the medial hypothalamic cells closely correlates with attacks and can bi-directionally modulate aggressive behaviors. The other aggression-related circuit involves the mesolimbic dopamine cells. Dopaminergic antagonists are the most commonly used treatment for suppressing human aggression in psychotic patients. Animal studies support essential roles of dopaminergic signaling in the nucleus accumbens in assessing the reward value of aggression and reinforcing the aggressive behaviors. In this review, we will provide an overview regarding the functions of medial hypothalamus and dopaminergic system in mediating aggressive behaviors and the potential interactions between these two circuitries.
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16
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Haller J. The Role of the Lateral Hypothalamus in Violent Intraspecific Aggression-The Glucocorticoid Deficit Hypothesis. Front Syst Neurosci 2018; 12:26. [PMID: 29937719 PMCID: PMC6002688 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2018.00026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
This review argues for a central role of the lateral hypothalamus in those deviant forms of aggression, which result from chronic glucocorticoid deficiency. Currently, this nucleus is considered a key region of the mechanisms that control predatory aggression. However, recent findings demonstrate that it is strongly activated by aggression in subjects with a chronically downregulated hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis; moreover, this activation is causally involved in the emergence of violent aggression. The review has two parts. In the first part, we review human findings demonstrating that under certain conditions, strong stressors downregulate the HPA-axis on the long run, and that the resulting glucocorticoid deficiency is associated with violent aggression including aggressive delinquency and aggression-related psychopathologies. The second part addresses neural mechanisms in animals. We show that the experimental downregulation of HPA-axis function elicits violent aggression in rodents, and the activation of the brain circuitry that originally subserves predatory aggression accompanies this change. The lateral hypothalamus is not only an integral part of this circuitry, but can elicit deviant and violent forms of aggression. Finally, we formulate a hypothesis on the pathway that connects unfavorable social conditions to violent aggression via the neural circuitry that includes the lateral hypothalamus.
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Affiliation(s)
- József Haller
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.,Institute of Behavioural Sciences and Law Enforcement, National University of Public Service, Budapest, Hungary
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17
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Hashikawa Y, Hashikawa K, Falkner AL, Lin D. Ventromedial Hypothalamus and the Generation of Aggression. Front Syst Neurosci 2017; 11:94. [PMID: 29375329 PMCID: PMC5770748 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2017.00094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggression is a costly behavior, sometimes with severe consequences including death. Yet aggression is prevalent across animal species ranging from insects to humans, demonstrating its essential role in the survival of individuals and groups. The question of how the brain decides when to generate this costly behavior has intrigued neuroscientists for over a century and has led to the identification of relevant neural substrates. Various lesion and electric stimulation experiments have revealed that the hypothalamus, an ancient structure situated deep in the brain, is essential for expressing aggressive behaviors. More recently, studies using precise circuit manipulation tools have identified a small subnucleus in the medial hypothalamus, the ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHvl), as a key structure for driving both aggression and aggression-seeking behaviors. Here, we provide an updated summary of the evidence that supports a role of the VMHvl in aggressive behaviors. We will consider our recent findings detailing the physiological response properties of populations of VMHvl cells during aggressive behaviors and provide new understanding regarding the role of the VMHvl embedded within the larger whole-brain circuit for social sensation and action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiko Hashikawa
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Koichi Hashikawa
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Annegret L Falkner
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Dayu Lin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United States.,Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, United States
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18
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Establishment of a repeated social defeat stress model in female mice. Sci Rep 2017; 7:12838. [PMID: 28993631 PMCID: PMC5634448 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-12811-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 159] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2017] [Accepted: 09/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous studies have employed repeated social defeat stress (RSDS) to study the neurobiological mechanisms of depression in rodents. An important limitation of RSDS studies to date is that they have been conducted exclusively in male mice due to the difficulty of initiating attack behavior directed toward female mice. Here, we establish a female mouse model of RSDS by inducing male aggression toward females through chemogenetic activation of the ventrolateral subdivision of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHvl). We demonstrate that females susceptible to RSDS display social avoidance, anxiety-like behavior, reduction of body weight, and elevated levels of circulating interleukin 6. In contrast, a subset of mice we term resilient only display anxiety-like behaviors after RSDS. This model allows for investigation of sex differences in the neurobiological mechanisms of defeat‒induced depression‒like behaviors. A robust female social defeat model is a critical first step in the identification and development of novel therapeutic compounds to treat depression and anxiety disorders in women.
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19
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Animal models of excessive aggression: implications for human aggression and violence. Curr Opin Psychol 2017; 19:81-87. [PMID: 29279228 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Escalated interpersonal aggression and violence are common symptoms of multiple psychiatric disorders and represent a significant global health issue. Current therapeutic strategies are limited due to a lack of understanding about the neural and molecular mechanisms underlying the 'vicious' shift of normal adaptive aggression into violence, and the environmental triggers that cause it. Development of novel animal models that validly capture the salient features of human violent actions combined with newly emerging technologies for mapping, measuring, and manipulating neuronal activity in the brain significantly advance our understanding of the etiology, neuromolecular mechanisms, and potential therapeutic interventions of excessive aggressive behaviors in humans.
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20
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Hoopfer ED, Jung Y, Inagaki HK, Rubin GM, Anderson DJ. P1 interneurons promote a persistent internal state that enhances inter-male aggression in Drosophila. eLife 2015; 4. [PMID: 26714106 PMCID: PMC4749567 DOI: 10.7554/elife.11346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2015] [Accepted: 12/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
How brains are hardwired to produce aggressive behavior, and how aggression circuits are related to those that mediate courtship, is not well understood. A large-scale screen for aggression-promoting neurons in Drosophila identified several independent hits that enhanced both inter-male aggression and courtship. Genetic intersections revealed that 8-10 P1 interneurons, previously thought to exclusively control male courtship, were sufficient to promote fighting. Optogenetic experiments indicated that P1 activation could promote aggression at a threshold below that required for wing extension. P1 activation in the absence of wing extension triggered persistent aggression via an internal state that could endure for minutes. High-frequency P1 activation promoted wing extension and suppressed aggression during photostimulation, whereas aggression resumed and wing extension was inhibited following photostimulation offset. Thus, P1 neuron activation promotes a latent, internal state that facilitates aggression and courtship, and controls the overt expression of these social behaviors in a threshold-dependent, inverse manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric D Hoopfer
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States.,Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States
| | - Yonil Jung
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States
| | - Hidehiko K Inagaki
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States
| | - Gerald M Rubin
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - David J Anderson
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States
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21
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Zha X, Xu X. Dissecting the hypothalamic pathways that underlie innate behaviors. Neurosci Bull 2015; 31:629-48. [PMID: 26552801 PMCID: PMC5563731 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-015-1564-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2015] [Accepted: 10/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Many complex behaviors that do not require learning are displayed and are termed innate. Although traditionally the subject matter of ethology, innate behaviors offer a unique entry point for neuroscientists to dissect the physiological mechanisms governing complex behaviors. Since the last century, converging evidence has implicated the hypothalamus as the central brain area that controls innate behaviors. Recent studies using cutting-edge tools have revealed that genetically-defined populations of neurons residing in distinct hypothalamic nuclei and their associated neural pathways regulate the initiation and maintenance of diverse behaviors including feeding, sleep, aggression, and parental care. Here, we review the newly-defined hypothalamic pathways that regulate each innate behavior. In addition, emerging general principles of the neural control of complex behaviors are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Zha
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiaohong Xu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China.
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22
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Falkner AL, Lin D. Recent advances in understanding the role of the hypothalamic circuit during aggression. Front Syst Neurosci 2014; 8:168. [PMID: 25309351 PMCID: PMC4174750 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2014.00168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2014] [Accepted: 08/29/2014] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The hypothalamus was first implicated in the classic “fight or flight” response nearly a century ago, and since then, many important strides have been made in understanding both the circuitry and the neural dynamics underlying the generation of these behaviors. In this review, we will focus on the role of the hypothalamus in aggression, paying particular attention to recent advances in the field that have allowed for functional identification of relevant hypothalamic subnuclei. Recent progress in this field has been aided by the development of new techniques for functional manipulation including optogenetics and pharmacogenetics, as well as advances in technology used for chronic in vivo recordings during complex social behaviors. We will examine the role of the hypothalamus through the complimentary lenses of (1) loss of function studies, including pharmacology and pharmacogenetics; (2) gain of function studies, including specific comparisons between results from classic electrical stimulation studies and more recent work using optogenetics; and (3) neural activity, including both immediate early gene and awake-behaving recordings. Lastly, we will outline current approaches to identifying the precise role of the hypothalamus in promoting aggressive motivation and aggressive action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annegret L Falkner
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine New York, NY, USA
| | - Dayu Lin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine New York, NY, USA ; Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine New York, NY, USA
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