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Habenula-prefrontal resting-state connectivity in reactive aggressive men - A pilot study
G Gan1, A Zilverstand2, M A Parvaz2
1Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
Neuropharmacology
|October 27, 2018
Summary
Men with high reactive aggression show altered brain network efficiency, particularly in the habenula and prefrontal cortex. This suggests abnormal connectivity in these regions contributes to aggressive behavior severity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Brain Imaging
Background:
- Intermittent-explosive disorder (IED) involves disproportionate anger and reactive aggression.
- Resting-state brain network alterations, particularly in prefrontal-limbic and default-mode networks (DMN), are linked to aggression.
- The habenula, a subcortical node, has been implicated in aggression in preclinical models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of pronounced reactive aggression on resting-state brain network organization in men.
- To explore alterations in global efficiency and clustering using graph theory in high versus low reactive aggressive men.
- To examine the relationship between trait aggression and brain network measures, including habenula connectivity.
Main Methods:
- Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) was employed.
- Graph theory analysis was applied to resting-state networks.
- Within-group correlations and seed-to-voxel regression analyses were conducted.
Main Results:
- Reactive aggressive men exhibited higher global efficiency in the left habenula, left pulvinar, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and right temporal pole compared to controls.
- A trend towards decreased clustering in DMN nodes was observed in reactive aggressive men.
- Higher trait aggression in this group correlated with lower left habenula global efficiency and reduced resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) between the left habenula and left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex.
Conclusions:
- Findings highlight aberrant habenula-prefrontal connectivity as relevant to aggressive behavior severity in men.
- Altered functional organization of resting-state brain networks, including subcortical structures, is associated with reactive aggression.
- This study contributes to understanding the neurobiology of aggression and impulsivity.
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