Physiology Department seminar: Neural mechanisms of aggression
Presented by Professor Dayu Lin, Professor of Neuroscience, New York University School of Medicine
Aggression is an innate behaviour across animal species. It is essential for competing for food, defending territory, securing mates, and protecting families or oneself. Since initiating an attack requires no explicit learning, the neural circuit underlying aggression is believed to be genetically and developmentally hardwired. Despite being innate, aggression is highly plastic. It is influenced by a wide variety of experiences, particularly winning and losing previous encounters. Winning can lead to an increased tendency to fight while losing leads to flight in future encounters.
In this talk, Professor Dayu Lin will present their recent findings regarding the neural generation of aggression.