Citation

Thomas AL, Davis SM, Dierick HA. PLoS Genet 2015; 11(8): e1005416.

Affiliation

Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America; Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America; Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America; Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Public Library of Science)

DOI

10.1371/journal.pgen.1005416

PMID

26312756

Abstract

Aggressive behavior is widespread in the animal kingdom, but the degree of molecular conservation between distantly related species is still unclear. Recent reports suggest that at least some of the molecular mechanisms underlying this complex behavior in flies show remarkable similarities with such mechanisms in mice and even humans. Surprisingly, some aspects of neuronal control of aggression also show remarkable similarity between these distantly related species. We will review these recent findings, address the evolutionary implications, and discuss the potential impact for our understanding of human diseases characterized by excessive aggression.

Language: en