Aggression and self-harm could share a common neural basis
· News-MedicalAggression and self-harm often co-occur in individuals with a history of early-life trauma-a connection that has largely been documented by self-reporting in research and clinical settings.
Adding to this connection, individuals treated for self-inflicted injuries are five times more likely to engage in excessive aggression.
Shin and her team investigate how childhood adversity leads to changes in the brain that result in maladaptive adult behaviors. Her previous research examined how early trauma contributes to binge eating later in life and how stress influences emotional eating.
She had long wondered about causes of aggression and self-harm. Is it anxiety or depression? Or could something deeper - perhaps the way the brain processes pain - be at the core?
The nucleus reuniens connects the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus and is involved in memory, emotion, and decision-making. Dysregulation of this region has been implicated in impulsivity and anxiety-related behaviors.
In this study, Shin identified specific calcium channels within this pathway that are critical to the development of aggression and self-harm.
The research also found that pain, including emotional pain, may serve as a gateway for these behaviors to emerge.
"Aggression, especially pathological aggression, is a critical social problem that can have serious consequences in our society," Shin said. "Self-harm is also a pressing concern across many clinical populations. Our study provides more open, active insights about the neural circuit basis that underlies these outcomes and may ultimately guide the development of more effective therapies."
Shin's research was funded by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health, part of the National Institutes of Health. The work was also supported by the FBRI Seale Innovation fund, the Integrated Translational Health Research Institute of Virginia, and a postdoctoral fellowship from the South Korean government.
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