University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Brain Research and Innovation Center, Ministry of Defence, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Psychol Med. 2021 Jun;51(8):1299-1309. doi: 10.1017/S0033291720000033. Epub 2020 Feb 7.
Problems with impulsive aggression occur in many forms of psychiatric dysfunction, and are a common complaint among combat veterans. The present study sought to examine the neuroanatomical correlates of combat-related impulsive aggression.
T1-weighted magnetic resonance images were acquired from 29 male veterans with impulsive aggression and 30 non-aggressive combat controls. Subcortical volumetry was conducted with the amygdala and hippocampus and their main constituent subdivisions as regions-of-interest (ROIs) (basolateral, centromedial amygdala; head, body, tail of hippocampus). Cortical thickness measurements were extracted for the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex. Within-group correlations with psychometric measures were also explored.
No significant group differences in cortical thickness or subcortical grey matter volumes were observed for any of the ROIs. Also, no significant correlations with any of the psychometric measures were recorded. Exploratory whole-brain analysis of cortical thickness revealed a significant group × anxiety interaction effect in a cluster located in the left lingual gyrus.
The current findings indicate that problems with impulsive aggression may not be directly associated with alterations in cortical thickness or amygdalar/hippocampal (sub)volumes. The observed interplay between impulsive aggression problems and anxiety-related symptoms is consistent with prior work showing the two phenomena may share the same underlying (neural) mechanisms.
冲动性攻击问题存在于多种精神功能障碍中，是退伍军人常见的抱怨。本研究旨在探讨与战斗相关的冲动性攻击的神经解剖学相关性。
从 29 名有冲动性攻击的男性退伍军人和 30 名无攻击性的战斗对照组中获取 T1 加权磁共振图像。使用杏仁核和海马及其主要组成部分（基底外侧、中央内侧杏仁核；海马头、体、尾）作为感兴趣区（ROI）进行皮质下体积测量。提取背外侧前额叶皮质、眶额皮质和前扣带皮质的皮质厚度测量值。还探讨了与心理测量测量值的组内相关性。
任何 ROI 的皮质厚度或皮质下灰质体积均未观察到显著的组间差异。此外，与任何心理测量测量值均无显著相关性。对皮质厚度进行的全脑探索性分析显示，在左舌回的一个簇中存在显著的组×焦虑相互作用效应。
目前的研究结果表明，冲动性攻击问题可能与皮质厚度或杏仁核/海马（亚）体积的改变没有直接关系。观察到的冲动性攻击问题与焦虑相关症状之间的相互作用与先前的工作一致，表明这两种现象可能具有相同的潜在（神经）机制。
