scispace - formally typeset
Book ChapterDOI

Neurobiological Mechanisms for Impulsive-Aggression: The Role of MAOA

TLDR
Current data on the genetics and neurobiology of individual differences in impulsive-aggression are reviewed, with particular attention to the role of genetic variation in Monoamine Oxidase A and its impact on serotonergic signaling within corticolimbic circuitry.
Abstract
Aggression may be present across a large part of the spectrum of psychopathology, and underlies costly criminal antisocial behaviors. Human aggression is a complex and underspecified construct, confounding scientific discovery. Nevertheless, some biologically tractable subtypes are apparent, and one in particular—impulsive (reactive) aggression—appears to account for many facets of aggression-related dysfunction in psychiatric illness. Impulsive-aggression is significantly heritable, suggesting genetic transmission. However, the specific neurobiological mechanisms that mediate genetic risk for impulsive-aggression remain unclear. Here, we review extant data on the genetics and neurobiology of individual differences in impulsive-aggression, with particular attention to the role of genetic variation in Monoamine Oxidase A (MAOA) and its impact on serotonergic signaling within corticolimbic circuitry.

read more

Citations
More filters

selective Reductions in Prefrontal Glucose Metabolism in Murderers

TL;DR: The preliminary results suggest that deficits localized to the prefrontal cortex may be related to violence in a selected group of offenders, although further studies are needed to establish the generalizability of these findings to violent offenders in the community.

Genetic background of extreme violent behavior

TL;DR: In this article, the authors found that both low monoamine metabolism and neuronal membrane dysfunction are plausible factors in the etiology of extreme criminal violent behavior, and imply that at least about 5-10% of all severe violent crime in Finland is attributable to the aforementioned MAOA and CDH13 genotypes.
Journal ArticleDOI

Genetic background of extreme violent behavior.

TL;DR: Low monoamine metabolism and neuronal membrane dysfunction are indicated as plausible factors in the etiology of extreme criminal violent behavior, and imply that at least about 5–10% of all severe violent crime in Finland is attributable to the aforementioned MAOA and CDH13 genotypes.
Journal ArticleDOI

The role of monoamine oxidase A in aggression: Current translational developments and future challenges

TL;DR: How an integrated translational strategy coordinating clinical and preclinical research may prove critical to elucidate important aspects of the pathophysiology of aggression, and identify potential targets for its diagnosis, prevention and treatment is emphasized.
Journal ArticleDOI

Drugs related to monoamine oxidase activity.

TL;DR: Desirable effects of MAO inhibition include increased availability of monoamine neurotransmitters, decreased oxidative stress, decreased formation of neurotoxins, induction of pro-survival genes and antiapoptotic factors, and improved mitochondrial functions.
References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI

Connectional networks within the orbital and medial prefrontal cortex of macaque monkeys

TL;DR: The intrinsic cortico‐cortical connections within the orbital and medial prefrontal cortex (OMPFC) were demonstrated with retrograde and anterograde tracers injected into each of the architectonic areas that constitute this region.
Journal ArticleDOI

A common allele in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) impacts prosocial temperament and human hypothalamic-limbic structure and function

TL;DR: Evidence for structural alterations in key oxytocinergic regions emerged, particularly in the hypothalamus, and these neural characteristics predicted lower levels of reward dependence in male risk allele carriers.
Journal ArticleDOI

Amygdala and orbitofrontal reactivity to social threat in individuals with impulsive aggression.

TL;DR: Findings provide evidence of amygdala-OFC dysfunction in response to an ecologically-valid social threat signal (processing angry faces) in individuals with a history of impulsive aggressive behavior, and further substantiate a link between a dysfunctional cortico-limbic network and aggression.
Journal ArticleDOI

Childhood adversity, monoamine oxidase a genotype, and risk for conduct disorder.

TL;DR: This study replicates a recent report of a genotype-environment interaction that predicts individual variation in risk for antisocial behavior in boys and finds that low monoamine oxidase A activity increased risk for conduct disorder only in the presence of an adverse childhood environment.
Journal ArticleDOI

Lack of Barrels in the Somatosensory Cortex of Monoamine Oxidase A-Deficient Mice: Role of a Serotonin Excess during the Critical Period

TL;DR: It is shown that the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) lacks the characteristic barrel-like clustering of layer IV neurons, whereas normal pattern formation exists in the thalamus and the trigeminal nuclei.
Related Papers (5)