Motivation to Bully is Regulated by Brain Reward Circuits
Researchers identify nerve cell communication between specific brain regions, providing insight for the development of new therapeutic strategies
Researchers used a mouse model to identify the mechanisms by which specific brain reward regions interact to modulate the motivational or reward component of aggressive behavior. “Our study is the first to demonstrate that bullying behavior activates a primary brain reward circuit that makes it pleasurable to a subset of individuals,” says Scott Russo, PhD, associate professor of neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Furthermore, we show that manipulating activity in this circuit alters the activity of brain cells and ultimately, aggression behavior.” To read more, click here.
