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Structural Degradation in Midcingulate Cortex Is Associated with Pathological Aggression in Mice.

Sabrina van Heukelum^1,2, Femke E Geers^1,2, Kerli Tulva^1,2

¹Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboudumc, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

|July 2, 2021

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This summary is machine-generated.

Pathological aggression in mice is linked to structural and functional damage in the midcingulate cortex (MCC). This brain region

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Behavioral Neuroscience
Neurobiology

Background:

Pathological aggression is a significant symptom in various neuropsychiatric disorders.
The cingulate cortex, particularly the midcingulate cortex (MCC), is recognized for its role in regulating aggression.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the specific role of the midcingulate cortex (MCC) in the development of pathological aggression.
To examine the structural and functional integrity of the MCC in a mouse model of pathological aggression (BALB/cJ strain).

Main Methods:

Utilized the resident-intruder test to assess aggression levels in BALB/cJ mice compared to BALB/cByJ controls.
Employed immunohistochemistry to evaluate structural changes in the MCC, including neuron density, cell death, and glial cell activity.

Keywords:

aggression astrogliosis cFos cingulate cortex neuronal degeneration resident-intruder test

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Used cFos staining to assess MCC neuronal activity during social encounters.

Main Results:

BALB/cJ mice exhibited significantly higher aggression levels than BALB/cByJ mice.
Aggressive BALB/cJ mice showed marked structural degeneration in the MCC, characterized by reduced neuron density, increased glial cell presence, and reactive astrogliosis.
While MCC activity was similar at baseline, BALB/cJ mice failed to activate MCC during aggressive encounters, unlike control mice.

Conclusions:

Structural and functional impairments of the midcingulate cortex (MCC), driven by neuronal degeneration, are implicated in pathological aggression in mice.
These findings suggest the MCC is a critical brain area involved in aggression pathologies, with potential relevance to human conditions.