In this application, we propose to build on previous work regarding the role of neuroinflammation in aggression and in social-emotional information processing. Both preclinical animal studies and recent human studies from our lab, and other labs, support the hypothesis that inflammatory processes are an important modulator that facilitates aggressive behavior. Work in human subjects have all been from the study of peripheral, as opposed to central, inflammatory marker/mediators and have been limited to only one or two markers (e.g., C-Reactive Protein and IL-6). In this study, we propose to test the hypothesis that: (a) various inflammatory marker/mediators in the central nervous system (i.e., measured in cerebrospinal fluid) are dimensionally related to aggressive behavior (i.e., if they mirror, and/or better relate to aggression than, peripheral inflammatory measures) and, (b) that these inflammatory marker/mediators play a role in social-emotional information processing, an important component of human aggressive behavior, as expected based on experimental work in human subjects and from our own pilot data.
Recurrent, impulsive aggressive behavior poses a significant concern for our society and aggression has been shown to correlate directly with plasma inflammatory markers in humans. Accordingly, this project is being proposed to prospectively explore the role of central nervous system inflammatory markers in human aggression and to explore their role in emotional information processing. This project is expected to provide important insights into behavioral and neuronal mechanisms that underlie aggressive behavior in individuals with recurrent, problematic, impulsive aggressive behavior.
