The negative valence system is primarily responsible for reactions to aversive situations and includes the constructs of acute threat, potential threat, sustained threat, as well as loss and frustrative non-reward. The acute threat system is related to the defensive motivational system, which protects the organism from a perceived danger initiating adaptive responses. The frustrative non-reward system is triggered by the withdrawal or prevention of expected rewards, which may lead to an arousal exceeding normal regulatory capacity and thus precipitating aggressive or antisocial responses.
We hypothesize that a perceived or potential danger can trigger a fight response in individuals hypersensitive to threat. Similarly, aggressive behavior may be a response to frustration. Anger in response to frustrative non-reward can promote aggressive behaviors. Investigations of this topic will address whether the aggressive response is determined by increased and altered bottom-up signaling of threat cues and/or frustrative non-reward, and how this is reflected on the neural, neurochemical, and hormonal levels. The focus is on the identification of specific negative valence system dysfunctions relevant to aggression in mental disorders.
