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aggression

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Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·May 7, 2026·8 min read

Psilocybin Dampens Aggression and Attack Behaviors

New research shows that low doses of the psychoactive compound can reduce high-energy aggressive behaviors in mangrove rivulus fish while keeping social communication intact, offering a new vertebrate model for studying the drug's impact on social conflict.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 2, 2026·6 min read

Aggression Switch: Brain Path That Turns Threats into Attacks Found

Researchers have identified a neural pathway (LH to DRN) that controls physical attacks in mice without affecting threat displays. The study suggests that maladaptive aggression may be driven by an internal "aversive" state linked to early-life stress.

This shows an angry teen with a clock and shadows of older people.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 5, 2026·8 min read

Teen Aggression Speeds Up Aging

Aging from the inside out. Scientists find that teens who frequently lash out at others show signs of faster physical aging by the time they reach 30.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 28, 2025·7 min read

CBD Can Reduce Aggression in Dogs

A massive multi-year analysis of tens of thousands of dogs reveals that CBD use is becoming increasingly common among aging companion animals. While dogs given CBD initially showed higher aggression, their aggression decreased below average levels with long-term use.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 21, 2025·5 min read

What Triggers Tantrums? Sensory Overload May Be To Blame

New research reveals a distinct brain activity signature in children who become overwhelmed by sensory input such as noise, touch, or bright lights. Using functional MRI, scientists found that overly sensitive children show reduced activation in outward-facing sensory and motor networks while increasing activation in inward-focused networks tied to cognition and impulse control.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 5, 2025·6 min read

Early Trauma Hardwires the Brain for Aggression and Self-Harm

A new study reveals that aggression and self-harm share a biological foundation in the brain’s response to early-life trauma. Researchers discovered that trauma increases activity in calcium channels within a neural circuit connecting the nucleus reuniens and hippocampus, amplifying pain processing and impulsive behavior.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 22, 2025·6 min read

Hungry Brain Rewrites Emotional Priorities

New research reveals that hunger can flip female mice from nurturing to aggressive—but only during specific hormonal phases. Scientists discovered that neurons controlling appetite (AgRP neurons) interact with a brain region linked to parental care, the medial preoptic area (MPOA).

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 3, 2025·5 min read

Motherhood Flips Brain Switch That Triggers Aggression

Researchers discovered that female mice gain access to aggression after giving birth through a brain circuit usually dormant in non-pregnant females.

This shows the outline of a head and brain. Behind are two people fighting.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 8, 2025·2 min read

Aggression Is Contagious: Observing Violence Primes the Brain for Aggression

A new study shows that observing violence can make individuals more likely to act aggressively later, but the effect depends on familiarity. Male mice who watched familiar peers attack others became more violent afterward, driven by amygdala neurons that “prime” aggression.

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Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 1, 2025·4 min read

Murder-Suicide Rates in U.S. Higher Than Previously Estimated

New research reveals that murder-suicide incidents in the U.S. are more frequent than previously documented, with an average of 820 related deaths per year. Most incidents involve current or former intimate partners, and nearly all suicides were carried out with firearms.

This shows a split image of a woman's face. On one side she is giving a blank stare, on the other is oxytocin molecules and a lighter expression on her face.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 30, 2025·8 min read

Oxytocin May Treat the Social Deficits of Psychopathy

Psychopathy impairs the ability to recognize and respond appropriately to emotional facial expressions, often disrupting empathy and social behavior. A new review explores whether oxytocin—a neuropeptide known to promote social bonding—can help compensate for these deficits.

This shows the outline of a head and brain. There are children running in the background.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 26, 2025·3 min read

Childhood Trauma May Rewire Brain for Lifelong Aggression

Aggression isn’t just a behavioral issue—it has deep neurobiological roots, especially when shaped by early-life trauma. New research is investigating how childhood adversity rewires brain circuits that control emotion, memory, and attention, increasing the risk of impulsive and pathological aggression.