Title: Neural Circuit Mechanisms Underlying General and Sexually Dimorphic Aggression
Time: 13:00-14:30 p.m., Dec 3, 2024, GMT +8
Venue: Youcai Deng Lecture Hall (#101), Jin-Guang Life Science Building
Host: Prof. Yi Rao
Speaker: Prof. Shumin Duan (Zhejiang University, School of Médicine)

Abstract:
Aggressive behaviors, essential for survival, can become pathological and lead to severe social and individual consequences. Our recent studies reveal interconnected neural circuits that regulate both general aggression and sexually dimorphic aggression, offering insights into the shared and distinct mechanisms underlying these behaviors.We first identified a pSI-PAG circuit as a universal driver of aggression. pSI neurons respond dynamically to diverse aggression-provoking cues, predicting both the intensity and pattern of aggressive behaviors. Activation of this circuit robustly promotes all examined types of aggression in a graded, activity-dependent manner, while its inhibition suppresses aggression without affecting mating. These findings establish the pSI-PAG circuit as a core mechanism for encoding and driving general aggression.Building on this, we explored how aggression differs between sexes by examining VMHvl-pSI pathway. This circuit exhibits a sexually distinct excitation-inhibition balance: males show enhanced excitatory connections that heighten pSI activity and promote aggression, whereas females exhibit stronger inhibitory inputs that dampen aggression. These differences in circuit architecture and function explain male-biased aggression, linking general aggression regulation to its sexually dimorphic manifestations.By integrating these findings, we demonstrate how a general aggression-encoding circuit interacts with sex-specific neural mechanisms to shape aggressive behavior. Our work highlights potential targets for addressing pathological aggression in humans.

Short Bio:
Professor Shumin Duan's research interests focuses on synapses and the function and the mechanisms of neuron-glia interactions in health and disease. He has made a number of contributions in the field of glial cell studies, including the roles of glial cells in synaptic plasticity and mechanisms of signaling molecule release from glial cells. He is an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences and a member of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS).  He is the president of Chinese Society for Neuroscience and a council member of International Brain Research Organization of Society for Neuroscience. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Neuroscience Bulletin, the official journal of Chinese Society for Neuroscience. He serves as an editorial board member in several international neuroscience journals, including Journal of Neurophysiology, Glia, Neurobiology of Disease, Hippocampus, Cell Calcium, and Plos One.

Source: Center for Life Sciences