Neuroanatomical correlates of aggressiveness: a case-control voxel- and surface-based morphometric study.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neuroimaging
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Aggression exists on a continuum within the general population.
• Previous neuroimaging studies on aggression often used clinical/forensic samples, introducing confounding variables.
• Understanding aggression in healthy individuals requires examining structural brain differences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate structural brain characteristics in healthy individuals with varying propensities for aggression.
• To compare brain morphology between male martial artists (higher aggression propensity) and age-matched male controls.

Main Methods:

• Employed voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and surface-based morphometry (SBM) analyses.
• Studied 29 male martial artists and 32 age-matched male controls.
• Utilized whole-brain and cluster-level analyses with family-wise error (FWE) correction.

Main Results:

• Martial artists showed significantly increased gray matter volume in frontal (superior frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate cortex) and parietal (posterior cingulate gyrus, precuneus) brain regions compared to controls.
• A trend for greater gyrification indices was observed in martial artists within the left lateral orbital frontal cortex and left pars orbitalis.
• Statistical significance was confirmed using whole-brain and cluster-level FWE-corrected analyses (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• Structural brain differences exist between martial artists and controls in areas crucial for emotion regulation and empathy.
• Findings suggest that frontal and parietal brain regions play a role in modulating aggressive behavior.
• Highlights the value of studying healthy populations in future neuroimaging research on aggression.