Aggressive behavior can be caused by brain mechanisms. The processes that let the body know when it's time to stop fighting are not understood. A group of cells in the brain that play a critical role in suppressing aggression in fruit flies have been identified by scientists.
Implications for disorders such as Parkinson's disease, which can cause behavioral changes like increased aggression and combativeness, can be found in the findings.
An important mechanism in the brain that normally prevents us from expressing high levels of aggression has been discovered. Although our findings are in fruit flies, the same mechanism may be at play in humans, which could help explain a host of psychiatric diseases.
The ability to decide when to stop fighting is important for survival because it allows animals to adjust their aggressiveness according to the costs and benefits of an encounter with a rival. When it's time to de-escalate, it's complex because there isn't an obvioustrigger.
Scientists compared the behavior of normal fruit flies and fruit flies without genes of interest. They looked at how often male flies lunged at other males. The flies missing the nervy genes were more aggressive.
The animal's decision to stop fighting is not influenced by the nervy genes. It helps give the fly the ability to respond to environmental signals.
The function of nervy is to set up the nervous system in such a way that animals are ready to stop fighting.
The flies without nervy were not starting more aggressive interactions by chasing other flies. They were more likely to fight over time.
The researchers looked at how other genes were activated differently in flies without the nervy gene. The team was able to identify genes that were involved in the development of the de-escalation mechanism.
Some of the same mechanisms may be found in flies and humans. Identifying the basis of aggression may lead to a better understanding of how aggression is involved in some disorders.
More work is needed to understand the brain circuit that stops fighting after the authors identified a small group of cells in the brain. The researchers want to identify the group of neurons that suppress aggressive behavior. The nervy genes are important for shaping the nervous system.
The other authors include Matteo Cortese and others.
More information: Kenichi Ishii et al, A neurogenetic mechanism of experience-dependent suppression of aggression, Science Advances (2022). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg3203. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abg3203 Journal information: Science Advances
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