@article{ref1,
title="Neural and behavioral correlates of alcohol-induced aggression under provocation",
journal="Neuropsychopharmacology",
year="2015",
author="Gan, Gabriela and Sterzer, Philipp and Marxen, Michael and Zimmermann, Ulrich S. and Smolka, Michael N.",
volume="40",
number="13",
pages="2886-2896",
abstract="Although alcohol consumption is linked to increased aggression, its neural correlates have not directly been studied in humans so far. Based on a comprehensive neurobiological model of alcohol-induced aggression, we hypothesized that alcohol-induced aggression would go along with increased amygdala and ventral striatum reactivity and impaired functioning of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) under alcohol. We measured neural and behavioral correlates of alcohol-induced aggression in a provoking versus non-provoking condition with a variant of the Taylor aggression paradigm (TAP) allowing to differentiate between reactive (provoked) and proactive (unprovoked) aggression. In a placebo-controlled cross-over design with moderate alcohol intoxication (~0.6 g/kg), thirty-five young healthy adults performed the TAP during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Analyses revealed that provoking versus non-provoking conditions and alcohol versus placebo increased aggression, and decreased brain responses in the anterior cingulate cortex/dorso-medial PFC (provoking<non-provoking), and the ventral striatum (alcohol<placebo) across our healthy sample. Interestingly, alcohol specifically increased pro-active (unprovoked) but not reactive (provoked) aggression (alcohol x provocation interaction). However, investigation of inter-individual differences revealed (1) that pronounced alcohol-induced pro-active aggression was linked to higher levels of aggression under placebo, and (2) that pronounced alcohol-induced reactive aggression was related to increased amygdala and ventral striatum reactivity under alcohol, providing evidence for their role in human alcohol-induced reactive aggression. Our findings suggest that in healthy young adults a liability for alcohol-induced aggression in a non-provoking context might depend on overall high levels of aggression, but on alcohol-induced increased striatal and amygdala reactivity when triggered by provocation.Neuropsychopharmacology accepted article preview online, 14 May 2015. doi:10.1038/npp.2015.141.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0893-133X",
doi="10.1038/npp.2015.141",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npp.2015.141"
}