Background: The 5-HT sub(1A) receptor subtype has been postulated to modulate aggressive behavior particularly when it is excessive. F15599 is a high affinity and selective 5-HT sub(1A) receptor ...agonist that exhibits biased agonism for postsynaptic receptors that are preferentially coupled to G alpha i3 protein subunits, with more potent action in the cortex, and with potential for selectively reducing aggression. Objectives and methods: The aims of the current study were to investigate the anti-aggressive effects of the novel 5-HT sub(1A) receptor agonist, F15599, microinjected into the ventral orbital prefrontal cortex (VO PFC) and into the infralimbic cortex (ILC) of CF-1 male mice that had been previously socially provoked and to confirm the specific action at this receptor by blocking its effects using the 5-HT sub(1A) receptor antagonist, WAY100,635. Results: Microinjection of the lower doses of F15599 (0.03 and 0.1 mu g) into the VO PFC, but not into the ILC, significantly reduced the frequency of attack bites and sideways threats, without affecting other elements of the behavioral repertoire related to aggression such as pursuing and sniffing the intruder and tail rattle. There were also no changes observed in the duration of walking and rearing. Pretreatment with WAY100,635 prevented the anti-aggressive effects of F15599 when microinjected into VO PFC. Conclusions: The present results demonstrated that F15599 is effective in reducing the most intense behavioral elements of aggressive behavior in male mice, when microinjected into the VO PFC, but not into the ILC, without affecting nonaggressive behavior, and confirmed the critical role of this cortical region and specifically the 5-HT sub(1A) heteroreceptors in the modulation of escalated aggressive behavior.
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.
•In this review several neurobiological aspects of aggressive behavior are critically discussed.•We give a general overview of anatomical, molecular and environmental causes that influence aggressiveness, focusing on brain networks of aggressive behavior.•We have reviewed alterations in genes of neurotransmitter systems mainly involved in aggressive and antisocial behavior.•Factors besides single gene mutations have been discussed, such as gene-gene and gene-environment interactions.
Past researches showed that empathy for pain not only triggers a resonance mechanism between other and self, but also is modulated by contextual factors. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, ...the present study demonstrated that short-term media violence exposure reduced both pain ratings and also the activation of anterior insula and anterior mid-cingulate cortex to otheras pain. Thus, violence exposure modulated empathic responses to otheras pain based on a physiological desensitization.
Most researchers on media and aggression have examined the behavioral effects of viewing physical aggression in the media. Conversely, in the current study, I examined longitudinal associations ...between viewing relational aggression on TV and subsequent aggressive behavior. Participants included 467 adolescents who completed a number of different questionnaires involving media and aggression at 3 different time points. Results revealed that viewing relational aggression on TV was longitudinally associated with future relational aggression. However, early levels of relational aggression did not predict future exposure to televised relational aggression. Conversely, there was a bidirectional relationship between TV violence and physical aggression over time. No longitudinal evidence was found for a general effect of viewing TV, as all significant media effects were specific to the type of aggression viewed. These results support the general aggression model and suggest that viewing relational aggression in the media can have a long-term effect on aggressive behavior during adolescence.
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