Research topics

TRR379 is a collaborative research effort covering a broad range of research areas and topics.

Aggression in mental disorders (AMD) is a prevalent symptom, poses difficulties to the clinical setting and has far-reaching societal implications. The biological basis of different manifestations, developmental courses, and disease-specific deficits remain largely unknown. One reason for the apparent lack of understanding of the complex mechanisms underlying AMD is the heterogeneity of aggression and psychiatric disorders themselves. This, in turn, impedes advances in developing successful prevention and intervention strategies. Therefore, a concerted effort of clinical and experimental neuroscientists will tackle this topic in a comprehensive, multimodal manner. The initiative unites major German sites with expertise in neurobiological and clinical aggression research in a joint endeavor. This Transregional Collaborative Research Center 379 (TRR) will follow the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework, investigating multiple aspects that characterize aggression: genetic, molecular mechanisms, hormonal, neural, and associated behavioral systems. Thus, the TRR aims to identify biosignatures of AMD based on multidimensional pathways that underlie the different manifestations of aggression. It will follow three overarching objectives: First, the TRR proposes to investigate AMD in a transdiagnostic manner and within the RDoC’s “negative valence system” (NVS) and ”cognitive system” (CS) to identify and characterize specific biosignatures and predict aggressive behavior. Both domains are integral to aggression and are negatively affected in mental disorders. Second, the TRR will seek to identify and define these mechanisms on a multilevel scale, advancing a detailed understanding of the biology, psychology, and physiology of specific aggressive biosignatures across mental disorders. The third, and final objective is to address the temporal stability of AMD and the (dys-)functional NVS and CS during development from early adolescence until adulthood and during the disease course. Such longitudinal studies are crucial to disentangle the interplay between the organism and environment, especially with regard to critical periods and windows of prevention opportunity.

Here is an overview of the fields covered, linking resources and efforts within this consortium.