40 Genes Linked to Aggressive Behavior Identified

The origins of violent behavior are multifactorial and arise from the interaction of biological, cultural, and social causes. Different circumstances can influence human behavior. A new international study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry has identified forty genes associated with aggressive behavior in humans and mice.

This aspect was studied by Bru Cormand and Noèlia Fernàndez Castillo from the Faculty of Biology and the Institute of Biomedicine at the University of Barcelona.

A separate new study conducted by Stephen V. Faraone from the State University of New York (USA) also provides a deeper and more comprehensive view of the genetic basis of aggressiveness and the shared functional causes that lead the brain to form patterns of violent behavior across different species.

Humans and Mice: Genes, Evolution, and Aggression

According to Bru Cormand, head of the Neurogenetics Research Group at the University of Barcelona’s Faculty of Biology, “aggressive behavior is a feature of biological evolution, as it provides significant advantages for species survival (access to resources, reproduction, etc.). Our research focuses on the biological basis of aggressiveness—that is, the endogenous factors that tend to trigger certain antisocial behaviors.”

The authors note that humans and mice share a common genetic basis with regard to violent behavior. In particular, they identified forty genes in humans and mice that may increase the risk of aggressive behavior and that are involved in biological processes related to the development and function of the central nervous system, cellular communication, and the maintenance of cellular function.

“If any of these core genes is altered, it can affect other genes and lead to an aggressive phenotype,” emphasizes Cormand.

Aggressiveness: From ADHD to Depression

The study revealed a shared genetic basis between aggressiveness in children and adults and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as between aggressiveness in adults and major depression. However, no genetic correlation was found with other mental disorders—such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism, or post-traumatic stress disorder—leading researchers to suggest that these conditions do not share common risk factors with aggressiveness.

The experimental protocol of the new study combines several analyses that assess the genetic basis of aggressiveness from different perspectives. In humans, researchers analyzed multiple previous studies—examining episodes of aggressiveness among patients and healthy volunteers—on a genome-wide scale (GWAS) to identify shared genetic risk variants across the population, as well as transcriptomic data showing changes associated with aggressive phenotypes.

In mouse models, researchers studied genes that were differentially expressed in aggressive versus non-aggressive animals of the same strain, as well as other genes that, when inactivated in transgenic mice, produced an aggressive phenotype associated with broader symptomatology.

By analyzing data globally across the population, researchers gained deeper insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying aggressiveness.

Violence: Governments, Society, and Individuals Can Change the Situation Worldwide

“The 20th century will be remembered as a century of violence. Many people live with violence every day and consider it something completely normal for humans, but in reality, it is not. Violence can be prevented. Governments, societies, and individuals can change the situation,” said **Nelson Mandela**, politician and Nobel Peace Prize laureate (1993), at the World Health Organization’s World Report on Violence and Health (2002).

In 2014, the WHO’s global report on violence prevention cited these same words by Nelson Mandela and called on all countries to improve and strengthen measures against violent behavior.

When facing a problem that affects all levels of society, scientific research becomes increasingly important for understanding the foundations of antisocial behavior and improving the prevention of violence and aggression in 21st-century society.