Appetitive aggression is associated with lateralized activation in nucleus accumbens
Maria Schöne1, Stephanie Seidenbecher1, Jörn Kaufmann2
1Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; Salus Institute, Salus gGmbH, Magdeburg, Germany.
Psychiatry Research. Neuroimaging
|December 10, 2021
Summary
Appetitive aggression, a hedonistic drive, is linked to nucleus accumbens (NAcc) activation. Martial artists showed higher NAcc activation and a greater affinity for violence, suggesting distinct neural processing of aggression.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Social Science
Background:
- Aggression can manifest as appetitive aggression, characterized by a hedonistic drive.
- Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of appetitive aggression is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neurobiological correlates of appetitive aggression.
- To compare brain activation patterns in martial artists versus controls while viewing violent stimuli.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity.
- Participants viewed violent and neutral images, and aggression affinity was assessed using the Appetitive and Facilitative Aggression Scale (AFAS).
Main Results:
- Martial artists reported higher AFAS scores and perceived violent images more positively.
- Across all subjects, higher AFAS scores correlated with increased left nucleus accumbens (NAcc) activation and decreased right NAcc activation when viewing violent stimuli.
Conclusions:
- The study reveals a link between appetitive aggression, nucleus accumbens (NAcc) activation, and hemispheric lateralization.
- Findings suggest distinct neural processing for the hedonistic aspects of aggression, particularly in individuals with higher affinity for violence.
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