The neural bases of aggression and rage in the cat

Siegel, Allan; Shaikh, Majid B.

doi:10.1016/s1359-1789(96)00010-9

Cited by 41 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 84 publications

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“…For example, hypothalamic stimulation elicits a stronger aggressive response when SBN nodes located in the forebrain (e.g., the BNST, LS, and meAMY) are activated at the same time (Halász et al, 2002). Similarly, the PAG is another node of the SBN that regulates aggressive behavior (Bandler et al, 1986;Siegel and Shaikh, 1997) in concert with the remainder of the circuit. In general, regions of the SBN form an interactive network, and a single node can be involved in mediating many behaviors, such as various forms of aggression (Hayden-Hixon and Ferris, 1991;Delville et al, 2000;Nelson and Trainor, 2007;Fuxjager et al, 2010).…”

Section: Social Behavior Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Vertebrate mesolimbic reward system and social behavior network: A comparative synthesis

O’Connell

Hofmann

2011

J of Comparative Neurology

849

879

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All animals evaluate the salience of external stimuli and integrate them with internal physiological information into adaptive behavior. Natural and sexual selection impinge on these processes, yet our understanding of behavioral decision-making mechanisms and their evolution is still very limited. Insights from mammals indicate that two neural circuits are of crucial importance in this context: the social behavior network and the mesolimbic reward system. Here we review evidence from neurochemical, tract-tracing, developmental, and functional lesion/stimulation studies that delineates homology relationships for most of the nodes of these two circuits across the five major vertebrate lineages: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and teleost fish. We provide for the first time a comprehensive comparative analysis of the two neural circuits and conclude that they were already present in early vertebrates. We also propose that these circuits form a larger social decision-making (SDM) network that regulates adaptive behavior. Our synthesis thus provides an important foundation for understanding the evolution of the neural mechanisms underlying reward processing and behavioral regulation. J. Comp. Neurol. 519:3599-3639, 2011. INDEXING TERMS: social behavior; comparative neuroanatomy; amphibian; reptile; bird; teleost; reward system; social behavior network; limbic system; neural circuitsThroughout their lives, all animals constantly face situations that provide either challenges (e.g., aggression, predation) or opportunities (e.g., reproduction, foraging, habitat selection) (for a detailed review, see O'Connell and Hofmann, 2011). In all cases, environmental cues are processed by sensory systems into a meaningful biological signal while internal physiological cues (e.g., condition, maturity) and prior experience are integrated at the same time. This process usually results in behavioral actions that are adaptive, i.e., beneficial to the animal. To accomplish this, an animal's nervous system must evaluate the salience of a stimulus and elicit a context-appropriate behavioral response. Despite tremendous progress in understanding the ecology and evolution of social behavior (Lorenz, 1952;Tinbergen, 1963;Lehrman, 1965;von Frisch, 1967;Krebs and Davies, 1993;Stephens, 2008), it is less understood where in the brain these decisions (e.g., about mate choice or territory defense) are made and how these brain circuits have arisen over the course of vertebrate evolution.Recent research has begun to decipher the neural basis of social decision-making. In mammals in particular, the neural circuits that evaluate stimulus salience and/or regulate social behavior have been uncovered to some degree: the mesolimbic reward system and social behavior network (Fig. 1). It is becoming increasingly clear that the reward system (including but not limited to the midbrain dopaminergic system) is the neural circuit where the salience of an external stimulus is evaluated (Deco and Rolls, 2005;Wickens et al., 2007), as appetitive beh...

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Section: Social Behavior Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Vertebrate mesolimbic reward system and social behavior network: A comparative synthesis

O’Connell

Hofmann

2011

J of Comparative Neurology

849

879

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“…Although important forebrain inputs from the amygdala and ventromedial hypothalamus to the PAG contribute to the expression of aggressive rage in cats (Siegel and Brutus, 1990), the role of the PAG in aggression elicited by hypothalamic stimulation has not been as well defined in rats (Mos et al, 1983;Roberts and Nagel, 1996). With respect to maternal aggression in lactating rats, three excitatory regions have been identified: PP nucleus and two of its projection sites, amygdala and ventromedial hypothalamus (Hansen and Ferreira, 1986b;Hansen, 1989;Factor et al, 1993).…”

Section: Maternal Aggression and The Pagmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of the Midbrain Periaqueductal Gray in Maternal Nurturance and Aggression:c-fosand Electrolytic Lesion Studies in Lactating Rats

1997

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The upright crouched, or kyphotic, nursing posture of lactating rats is dependent on suckling stimulation from pups. Because of the neuroanatomical connections of the periaqueductal gray (PAG) and its sensorimotor integration of the analogous lordosis posture displayed by sexually receptive female rats, the possible role of the PAG in kyphosis was investigated using c-fos immunocytochemistry and electrolytic lesions. Lactating rats interacting with and nursing a litter of suckling pups showed greater Fos-immunoreactive nuclei in the lateral and ventrolateral caudal PAG (cPAG l,vl ) compared with dams receiving nonsuckling somatosensory, distal, or no stimulation from pups. In contrast, this pattern was not evident in the rostral PAG, where the highest Fos levels occurred in nonsuckled dams, or in five other brainstem sites with either no group differences (peripeduncular, dorsal raphe, and pontine nuclei) or negligible Fos (ventral tegmental area, spinal trigeminal nuclei). After bilateral electrolytic lesions of the cPAG l,vl during gestation or on day 7 postpartum, active maternal behaviors, such as retrieval and licking of pups, and total nursing time were essentially normal. Kyphotic nursing, however, was reduced by 85%, nursing in prone and supine postures increased substantially, and 24 hr litter weight gains were reduced, particularly early in lactation (by 26%). Furthermore, lesioned rats attacked a strange male twice as often as controls did, which is suggestive of reduced fearfulness. These results extend the known roles of the PAG in reproductive and defensive behaviors to the postural control of suckling-induced kyphotic nursing and the modulation of maternal aggression.

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“…Individual differences in the expression of aggression might be related with several behavioral or adaptive characteristics. In support of the aforementioned, it has been shown that dominance might be based on individual skills during competition and not necessarily the age hierarchy within the social group [4][5][6][7][8][9][10].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies on mice reveal that grouping adult male mice in cages can result in increased aggression, and could as well reflect a pattern in the social order of dominance [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. When a group of monkeys of different sizes were merged and the social order of dominance was observed, some small animals were aggressive and constantly challenged the authority of bigger animals in the social structure, while some were placid and did not challenge the bigger animals [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrative focus on dynamic motor patterns and age hierarchy in the expression of aggression

Nathaniel¹,

Aremu

Femi³

et al. 2007

Open Life Sciences

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Abstract:In this study, we analyzed the dynamic motor patterns of attack or defense and age hierarchy to investigate aggression in African mole-rats Cryptomys foxi and the house mouse Mus musculus. The objective is to verify if the social order of dominance is associated with age hierarchy within the social group. Using the resident-intruder experimental model, we created a series of dyadic encounters that comprised of a standard adult mouse or rat paired with groups of aggressive and hierarchically age-ranked small animals in a territorial aggression test. Our results indicate that though the adult animals displayed the highest level of aggression, indicating their dominant status, there was no age-related hierarchical formation in the expression of aggression. In the non-territorial aggression test in which rats or mice were grouped together, animals displayed low levels of aggression compared to the territorial test and no hierarchical age-related order. These results indicate that the magnitude of aggression expressed by animals in the social group, based on their motor patterns of attack and defense, seem to depend on individual competitive strategies in reaction to various environmental challenges and not necessarily on age hierarchy.

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The neural bases of aggression and rage in the cat

Cited by 41 publications

References 84 publications

The Vertebrate mesolimbic reward system and social behavior network: A comparative synthesis

The Vertebrate mesolimbic reward system and social behavior network: A comparative synthesis

Role of the Midbrain Periaqueductal Gray in Maternal Nurturance and Aggression:c-fosand Electrolytic Lesion Studies in Lactating Rats

Integrative focus on dynamic motor patterns and age hierarchy in the expression of aggression

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