Citation

Nelson RJ, Trainor BC. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 2007; 8(7): 536-546.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Institute for Behavioural Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA. rnelson@osu.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1038/nrn2174

PMID

17585306

Abstract

Unchecked aggression and violence exact a significant toll on human societies. Aggression is an umbrella term for behaviours that are intended to inflict harm. These behaviours evolved as adaptations to deal with competition, but when expressed out of context, they can have destructive consequences. Uncontrolled aggression has several components, such as impaired recognition of social cues and enhanced impulsivity. Molecular approaches to the study of aggression have revealed biological signals that mediate the components of aggressive behaviour. These signals may provide targets for therapeutic intervention for individuals with extreme aggressive outbursts. This Review summarizes the complex interactions between genes, biological signals, neural circuits and the environment that influence the development and expression of aggressive behaviour.

Language: en