Interviews

Answers to aggression

by Mark Rowe

The Aggressotype Consortium is an international consortium funded by the European Union consisting of 18 academic and six commercial partners. Aggressotype researchers aim to unravel the biological causes and mechanisms underlying aggression in ADHD and conduct disorder and also investigate how aggression can best be prevented and treated.

Dr Will Norton, from the University of Leicester’s Department of Biology, is studying zebrafish to investigate pathological aggression. This will help scientists understand the function of aggression-linked genes in the brain as well as allowing better subtyping of aggression and anti-social personality types. The research will also use juvenile fish to develop novel interventions for treating aggression.

Dr Norton, pictured, said: “We live in an increasingly violent society and we don’t know why. Aggression is an extremely complex behaviour which is becoming a big societal problem. There are currently very few drugs available to treat aggression and there are often side-effects for those that exist.

“This is a really ambitious project, but I am hopeful that by looking at the areas of the brain and genes linked to this type of behaviour, we will develop a better understanding of aggression and how it responds to existing treatments. We will be using both adult and juvenile zebrafish since they are genetic model organisms which may respond in a similar way to drugs as humans.”

In a three-day meeting in Germany some 60 researchers discussed the progress made during a first year of their five-year project, with issues presented covering a range of disciplines. In addition to the presentation of the first results of a study of prisoners, a representative of the European ADHD patient organisation ADHD-Europe put out a plea for accurate communication by researchers in the scientific and popular press to avoid stigmatisation of whole patient groups and to provide a guide to where resources are needed.

A video explaining the research aims and approaches of the Aggressotype Consortium to the general public will be placed on the website of the consortium www.aggressotype.eu.

A podcast recording of Will Norton talking about his research is available at: http://soundcloud.com/university-of-leicester/will-norton

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