The brain and aggression: Interventions for reducing interpersonal reactive aggression

Current Opinion in Psychology, vol. 68, pp. 102219

Abstract

Aggression is a pernicious social problem. We present a neurocognitive model of reactive aggression and view four potential treatments through the lens of this model. These interventions include mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral therapies, omega-3s (e.g., fish oils), and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The model specifies the following neuropsychological mechanisms that can be modified via these therapies: emotion regulation, the acute threat response, reward representation of aggression, and response inhibition. Although more research is needed, this review generally supports the notion that all four interventions can reduce aggression and improve anger regulation. The studies reviewed here provide partial support for the hypothesis that these interventions can improve reward functioning and response inhibition. Furthermore, each intervention affects brain function in a putatively adaptive manner.

Authors 5

1. Thomas F. Denson corresponding

   UNSW Sydney

   Affiliation as printed

   School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Electronic address: t.denson@unsw.edu.au

2. James Blair

   Virginia Commonwealth University

   Affiliation as printed

   School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

3. Lisa Wagels Aachen Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics Faculty of Medicine

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

4. Mikhail Votinov Aachen Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics Faculty of Medicine

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-10: Brain Structure-Function Relationships), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany

5. Ute Habel Aachen Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics Faculty of Medicine

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany