Neural Mechanisms in Aggression

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AGGRESSION - NEURAL INFLUENCES
- The Limbic System: amygdala and hippocampus, serotonin
- Subcortical structures in brain thought to be closely involved in regulating emotional behaviour including agg.
- The reactivity of the amygdala has proven to be an important predictor of agg behaviour.
- Most IMPORTANT structure is amygdala.
- Amygdala is responsible for evaluating emotional importance of sensory info and prompting an appropriate response.
  - HIPPOCAMPUS - involved in formation of long term memories so comparisons can be made between current threats and past experiences.
James Papez 1937 made the first link to limbic systems to emotional behaviours such as agg. Later revised by Maclean 1952.
They identified the limbic system as comprising the cingulate gyrus, septal area, hypothalamus fornix, amygdala and thalamus.
Key role in human and nonhuman animals in how an organism assesses and responds to environmentalthreats and challenges.
If amygdala malfunctions, levels of testosterone can be raised.

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