Dataset Information

Alexithymia and reactive aggression: The role of the amygdala.

ABSTRACT: Past research suggests an association between reactive aggression and alexithymia, but neural mechanisms underlying this association remain unknown. Furthermore, the relationship between proactive aggression and alexithymia remains untested. This study aimed to: (1) test whether alexithymia is more related to reactive than proactive aggression; and (2) determine whether amygdala, insula, and/or anterior cingulate cortical (ACC) volume could be neurobiological mechanisms for this association. One hundred and fifty-six community males completed the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Amygdala, insula, and ACC volumes were assessed using MRI. Alexithymia was positively associated with reactive but not proactive aggression. Alexithymia was positively and bilaterally associated with amygdala and anterior cingulate volumes. Reactive aggression was positively associated with right amygdala volume. Controlling for right amygdala volume rendered the alexithymia-reactive aggression relationship non-significant. Results suggest that increased right amygdala volume is a common neurobiological denominator for both alexithymia and reactive aggression. Findings suggest that greater right hemisphere activation may reflect a vulnerability to negative affect, which in turn predisposes to experiencing negative emotions leading to increased aggression. Findings are among the first to explicate the nature of the alexithymia-aggression relationship, with potential clinical implications.

SUBMITTER: Farah T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6226305 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Alexithymia and reactive aggression: The role of the amygdala.

Farah Theodora T Ling Shichun S Raine Adrian A Yang Yaling Y Schug Robert R

Psychiatry research. Neuroimaging 20180914

Past research suggests an association between reactive aggression and alexithymia, but neural mechanisms underlying this association remain unknown. Furthermore, the relationship between proactive aggression and alexithymia remains untested. This study aimed to: (1) test whether alexithymia is more related to reactive than proactive aggression; and (2) determine whether amygdala, insula, and/or anterior cingulate cortical (ACC) volume could be neurobiological mechanisms for this association. One ...[more]

PMID: 30273792

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Project description:The Taylor Aggression Paradigm (TAP) has been widely used to measure reactive aggression following provocation during competitive interactions. Besides being reactive, aggression can be goal-directed (proactive aggression). Our study presents a novel paradigm to investigate proactive aggression during competitive interactions. Sixty-seven healthy participants competed in two modified versions of the TAP against an ostensible opponent while skin conductance responses (SCRs) were recorded. During the proactive TAP (pTAP), only the participant could interfere with the ostensible opponent's performance by blurring the screen. In the reactive TAP (rTAP), the opponent repeatedly provoked the participant by blurring the screen of the participant, impeding their chance to win. In both versions, the blurriness levels chosen by the participant served as a measure of aggression (unprovoked in the pTAP and provoked in the rTAP). In the pTAP, trial-by-trial mixed model analyses revealed higher aggression with higher self-reported selfishness. SCRs decreased with increasing proactive aggression. An interaction effect between gender and proactive aggression for the SCRs revealed increased SCRs at higher aggression levels in females, but lower SCRs at higher aggression levels in males. In the rTAP, SCRs were not associated with reactive aggression but aggression increased with increasing provocation and especially after losing against the opponent when provoked. While males showed higher aggression levels than females when unprovoked, reactive aggression increased more strongly in females with higher provocation. Mean levels of aggression in both tasks showed a high positive correlation. Our results highlight that, despite being intercorrelated and both motivated by selfishness, proactive and reactive aggression are differentially influenced by gender and physiological arousal. Proactive aggression is related to lower physiological arousal, especially in males, with females showing the opposite association. Reactive aggressive behavior is a result of individual responses to provocation, to which females seem to be more sensitive.

Dataset Information

Alexithymia and reactive aggression: The role of the amygdala.

Publications

Alexithymia and reactive aggression: The role of the amygdala.

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