Publications by authors named "Femke E Geers"
Pathological aggression is a debilitating feature of many neuropsychiatric disorders, and cingulate cortex is one of the brain areas centrally implicated in its control. Here we explore the specific role of midcingulate cortex (MCC) in the development of pathological aggression. To this end, we investigated the structural and functional degeneration of MCC in the BALB/cJ strain, a mouse model for pathological aggression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFControlling aggression is a crucial skill in social species like rodents and humans and has been associated with anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Here, we directly link the failed regulation of aggression in BALB/cJ mice to ACC hypofunction. We first show that ACC in BALB/cJ mice is structurally degraded: neuron density is decreased, with pervasive neuron death and reactive astroglia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The ability to manage social interactions hinges on effectively integrating social and environmental cues; failure to do so can lead to issues like aggression and social withdrawal, often seen in conditions like conduct disorder and autism spectrum disorder.
- Research indicates that structural changes in the anterior and midcingulate cortices are linked to these behavioral issues, but the precise nature of these changes remains unclear.
- In a study with BALB/cJ mice, variations in the distribution of specific interneurons (parvalbumin and somatostatin) in the cingulate cortex were found to correlate with levels of aggression and social withdrawal, revealing distinct behavior patterns among more and less sociable mice.