Decoding the Hidden Signals of Aggression and Arousal in the Brain

Credit: AI-generated image courtesy of Aditya Nair

A series of three papers from neuroscientist David J. Anderson’s laboratory, two in the journal Nature and one in the journal Cell, reveal new insights into the neural signals underlying internal emotional states including aggression and sexual arousal. The studies show that the state of aggression in male mice and the state of arousal in female mice are both encoded by a common type of signal in the brain.

These findings are the result of collaborations within the group of Anderson, who is the Seymour Benzer Professor of Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Leadership Chair, and director of the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience at Caltech.

Read more on the TCCI for Neuroscience site