Evolved changes to neural systems for reactive aggression in humans and other primates

人类和其他灵长类动物反应性攻击的神经系统的进化变化

• 批准号: 2234308
• 负责人: Erin Hecht
• 金额: $ 34.26万
• 依托单位: Harvard University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-07-01 至 2026-06-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2234308&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Evolved; changes; neural; systems; reactive

Various types of aggression are a part of how species function adaptively in their social environments. At the same time, aggression can pose a threat to societal well-being. This project uses brain imaging datasets and associated behavioral data for multiple species to examine the neurobiology of reactive aggression and investigate whether reactive aggression has been selected against in humans. Understanding how aggression may differ in humans as compared to other animals is fundamental to understanding the nature of our own species and how we fit into the animal kingdom more broadly. The project supports student training and mentoring in STEM and creates publicly available teaching materials for an undergraduate seminar course focused on improving the ability to critically evaluate scientific theories and recognize societal impacts of understanding of scientific concepts. The project tests predictions that follow from current prominent theories on the role of aggression in the evolution of humans and our closest ape relatives using unique multispecies neuroimaging datasets to examine neural circuitry supporting variation in aggressive behavior both within and across species. The investigators use existing MRI and DTI scans from chimpanzees combined with behavioral measurements in the same animals. In humans, they collect a highly validated measure of reactive and proactive aggression as well as neuroimaging data directly comparable to the chimpanzee dataset. Within each species, they examine links between aggression and (a) gray matter morphology, (b) white matter microstructure, and (c) white matter connectivity. Direct comparisons between chimpanzee, bonobo, and human brains are used to assess whether bonobos and/or humans show evolved change in neural circuits linked to individual variation in reactive aggression. Additionally, comparisons with patterns of brain organization observed in tame foxes provide a second, independent mechanism to address whether human and bonobo brains have undergone selection for reduced reactive aggression.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

各种类型的侵略是物种在社会环境中如何适应作用的一部分。同时，侵略会对社会福祉构成威胁。该项目使用脑成像数据集和相关的多种物种的行为数据来检查反应性攻击的神经生物学，并研究是否在人类中选择了反应性攻击。与其他动物相比，了解人类的侵略性可能是如何不同的，这对于理解自己物种的本质以及我们如何更广泛地适应动物王国是至关重要的。该项目支持STEM中的学生培训和指导，并为本科研讨会课程创建公开可用的教材，旨在提高批判性评估科学理论的能力并认识到了解科学概念的社会影响。 该项目测试从当前的著名理论进行了关于侵略在人类和我们最近的猿类亲属进化中的作用的预测，并使用独特的多种多种神经影像学数据集进行了研究，以检查神经电路支持在物种内部和跨物种内部侵略行为的变化。研究人员使用黑猩猩的现有MRI和DTI扫描以及同一动物中的​​行为测量。在人类中，他们收集了一个高度验证的反应性和主动攻击性的度量，以及与黑猩猩数据集直接相当的神经影像学数据。在每个物种中，他们检查侵略性和（a）灰质形态，（b）白质微观结构和（c）白质连接性之间的联系。黑猩猩，bonobo和人的大脑之间的直接比较用于评估Bonobos和/或人类是否显示出与反应性侵略中个体变异相关的神经回路的变化。此外，与在Tame Foxes中观察到的大脑组织模式的比较提供了第二种独立的机制，可以解决人类和Bonobo大脑是否已经选择了减少反应性侵略性的选择。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是值得通过基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响来审查的审查标准来通过评估来获得支持的。