Journal article
Association between white matter microstructural changes and aggressiveness. A case-control diffusion tensor imaging study
NeuroImage clinical, Vol.45, 103712
11/23/2024
DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2024.103712
PMCID: PMC11626826
PMID: 39603043
Abstract
•First study on WM linked to aggression in a community case-control sample.•Addresses typical confounders in patient/inmate studies.•Widespread increased AD/MD values in martial artists vs. controls.•Martial artists show higher physical/appetitive aggression than controls.•Highlights the dimensional nature of aggression.
Research has focused on identifying neurobiological risk factors associated with aggressive behavior in order to improve prevention and treatment efforts. This study aimed to characterize microstructural differences in white matter (WM) integrity in individuals prone to aggression. We hypothesized that altered cerebral WM microstructure may underlie normal individual variability in aggression and tested this using a case-control design in healthy individuals. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to examine WM changes in martial artists (n = 29) and age-matched controls (n = 31). We performed tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) to identify differences in axial diffusivity (AD), fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) between the two groups at the whole-brain level. Martial artists were significantly more aggressive than controls, with increased MD in parietal and occipital areas and increased AD in widespread fiber tracts in the frontal, parietal and temporal areas. Positive associations between AD/MD and (physical) appetitive aggression were identified in several clusters, including the corpus callosum, the superior longitudinal fasciculus and the corona radiata. Our study found evidence for WM microstructural changes associated with aggressiveness in a community case-control sample. Longitudinal studies with larger cohorts, taking into account the dimensional nature of aggressiveness, are needed to better understand the underlying neurobiology.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Association between white matter microstructural changes and aggressiveness. A case-control diffusion tensor imaging study
- Creators
- Stephanie Seidenbecher - Otto-von-Guericke University MagdeburgJörn Kaufmann - Otto-von-Guericke University MagdeburgMaria Schöne - Otto-von-Guericke University MagdeburgHenrik Dobrowolny - Otto-von-Guericke University MagdeburgKolja Schiltz - Center for Behavioral Brain SciencesThomas Frodl - Center for Behavioral Brain SciencesJohann Steiner - Otto-von-Guericke University MagdeburgBernhard Bogerts - Center for Behavioral Brain SciencesThomas Nickl-Jockschat - Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- NeuroImage clinical, Vol.45, 103712
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.nicl.2024.103712
- PMID
- 39603043
- PMCID
- PMC11626826
- NLM abbreviation
- Neuroimage Clin
- ISSN
- 2213-1582
- eISSN
- 2213-1582
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 11/23/2024
- Academic Unit
- Psychiatry; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
- Record Identifier
- 9984751755202771
Metrics
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