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Neuroanatomical correlates of aggressiveness: a case-control voxel- and surface-based morphometric study
[journal article]
Abstract Aggression occurs across the population ranging on a symptom continuum. Most previous studies have used magnetic resonance imaging in clinical/forensic samples, which is associated with several confounding factors. The present study examined structural brain characteristics in two healthy samples di... view more
Aggression occurs across the population ranging on a symptom continuum. Most previous studies have used magnetic resonance imaging in clinical/forensic samples, which is associated with several confounding factors. The present study examined structural brain characteristics in two healthy samples differing only in their propensity for aggressive behavior. Voxel- and surface-based morphometry (SBM) analyses were performed on 29 male martial artists and 32 age-matched male controls. Martial artists had significantly increased mean gray matter volume in two frontal (left superior frontal gyrus and bilateral anterior cingulate cortex) and one parietal (bilateral posterior cingulate gyrus and precuneus) brain clusters compared to controls (whole brain: p < 0.001, cluster level: family-wise error (FWE)-corrected). SBM analyses revealed a trend for greater gyrification indices in martial artists compared to controls in the left lateral orbital frontal cortex and the left pars orbitalis (whole brain: p < 0.001, cluster level: FWE-corrected). The results indicate brain structural differences between martial artists and controls in frontal and parietal brain areas critical for emotion processing/inhibition of emotions as well as empathic processes. The present study highlights the importance of studying healthy subjects with a propensity for aggressive behavior in future structural MRI research on aggression.... view less
Keywords
aggression; brain; emotionality; empathy; probationer; combat sport; pathology; morphology; violence; propensity to violence; Federal Republic of Germany
Classification
Medicine, Social Medicine
Free Keywords
Voxel-Based Morphometry (VBM); Surface-Based Morphometry (SBM); Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI); martial arts; Deutscher Aggressionsfragebogen; Deutscher Aggressionsfragebogen (ZIS 52)
Document language
English
Publication Year
2024
Page/Pages
p. 31-46
Journal
Brain Structure and Function, 229 (2024) 1
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-023-02715-x
ISSN
1863-2661
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed