Metabolic dysfunction of orbitofrontal cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in aggression-prone individuals

1287 Objectives Aggression is defined as any threatening or physically assaulting behavior directed at persons or at the environment. Evidence suggests connections between Orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) dysfunction and aggression in patients with psychiatric disorders and some criminals. Importantly, aggressive behavior of otherwise normal people has frequently raised a social problem. The purpose of this study was to investigate the neural correlates of aggressive behavior in healthy individuals using FDG PET. Methods Forty one right-handed healthy men (age = 23.9 ± 2.4 y) underwent FDG PET and completed the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI), which is one of the self-report measures of aggressive behavior. Higher scores on this measure indicate more aggressive behavior tendency. The aggressive group was defined as having total scores of BDHI scales > 53, based on a validation study of Korean version of the BDHI. Metabolic correlation of BDHI total scores and group comparison (aggressive (n = 14) vs. non-aggressive group (n = 27)) were performed using SPM2. Statistical significance was set at uncorrected P Results There was significant inverse correlation between the total aggression score and glucose metabolism in the left thalamus, right OFC (BA 11/47), bilateral medial frontal gyri (BA 32), left superior frontal gyrus, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) (BA 9), right subgenual area (BA 25) and left amygdala. Group comparison revealed that the aggressive group had decreased metabolism in the bilateral OFC (BA 11/47), right medial frontal gyrus (BA 32), left thalamus, amygdala and insula compared with the non-aggressive group. Conclusions These results demonstrate involvement of OFC, DLPFC and amygdala in aggressive behavior, regions that are associated with the neural circuitry of social cognition and decision making. They help understand the neural substrates of aggressive behavior in otherwise healthy individuals and psychiatric subjects