Unlocking the Mystery of Aggression: Pioneering Machine Learning Technique Sheds Light on the Hypothalamus

A pioneering machine-learning technique on the hypothalamus provides insight into the nature of aggression

You may have been cut off by another driver and found yourself cursing and blowing the horn. You may have gotten angry after a long workday and screamed at the person who left the dishes unwashed. Aggression can range from petty anger, to the violent acts we see on the news. The brain’s rage mechanism has been the subject of research that has produced puzzling paradoxes. Caltech’s new study, which pioneered a machine learning research technique on the hypothalamus reveals surprising answers about the nature of aggression.

The hypothalamus, a region of the brain, is linked to many innate behaviors such as mating, hunting and fight-or flight. Scientists have believed for a long time that the neurons of the hypothalamus were functionally specific, meaning certain groups correlate with certain behaviors. It seems that this is the case when a group of neurons in the hypothalamic medial preoptic region (MPOA) are stimulated. This causes a male to mount a mouse. The same neurons are activated when mounting occurs in nature. These neurons are responsible for mounting behavior in mice.

Researchers found that the same neurons in the VMHvl control aggression, but they were not the same as the analogous ones. The same neurons showed no specific activity in mice that were fighting naturally. This paradox showed that aggression was a different phenomenon.

Source:
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-machine-technique-hypothalamus-insight-nature.html