Tuesday, December 16, 2025 12/16/2025

ROLE OF LIMBIC-MIDBRAIN AXIS IN AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR

Award Number: R01NS007941
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 02/01/1977
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 12/31/2008

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

ROLE OF LIMBIC-MIDBRAIN AXIS IN AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR - DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term goal of our laboratory is to identify the neural circuitry and neurochemical and neurophysiological mechanisms that underlie the expression and control of rage and aggressive behavior. The primary focus of the present grant application, which represents a major new direction in our research program, is to identify and characterize the roles of serotonin and cytokines in the medial hypothalamus in regulating these forms of aggression. This rationale for this application is based upon our most recent preliminary studies. They provide evidence that, in the medial hypothalamus, 5-HT1A and 5-HT2 receptors and cytokines, IL-lbeta and IL-2, powerfully modulate defensive rage behavior in the cat. The overarching hypothesis is that differential cytokine effects upon defensive rage and predatory attack are mediated principally through distinct neurotransmitter receptors of which serotonin and possibly GABA are primary candidates. Five experiments are proposed to test this hypothesis. The first will utilize immunocytochemical and neuroanatomical methods to characterize the pathway from the PAG to the medial hypothalamus mediating defensive rage and its relationship to serotonin axons and pre-terminals in this region. The second experiment will determine the effects of 5-HT1A and 5-HT2 receptors in the medial hypothalamus upon defensive rage. The third experiment will determine: the role of IL-1beta in the medial hypothalamus upon defensive rage, its relationship to 5-HT2 receptors, the distribution of IL-1R in this region and its relationship to serotonin axons and pre-terminals as well as to c-Fos labeled neurons following the expression of defensive rage. The fourth experiment will seek to determine the role of IL-2 in the medial hypothalamus upon defensive rage and their underlying neurotransmitter-receptor mechanism. The fifth experiment will identify the effects of activation of 5-HT and the above cytokines upon predatory attack behavior. The discovery that cytokines in the brain play a significant role in defensive rage represents a most significant observation. It has provided an entirely new direction of research - a direction in which the focus will address how cytokines and related substances in the brain may play critical roles in the expression and control of aggression and rage. By identifying the mechanisms underlying these effects, the proposed studies are of further significance because the strategies utilized here can now be applied for the study of how cytokines in the brain may regulate other behavioral processes.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2008 ( Subtotal = $306,864 )
2008	2008	UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE & DENTISTRY OF NEW JERSEY	65 BERGEN STREET	NEWARK	NJ	07101	ESSEX	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	36	12/17/2007	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$306,864
														Subtotal = $306,864

Issue Date FY: 2007 ( Subtotal = $306,864 )
2007	2007	UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE & DENTISTRY OF NEW JERSEY	65 BERGEN STREET	NEWARK	NJ	07101	ESSEX	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	35	1/17/2007	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$306,864
														Subtotal = $306,864

Issue Date FY: 2006 ( Subtotal = $316,029 )
2006	2006	UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE & DENTISTRY OF NEW JERSEY	65 BERGEN STREET	NEWARK	NJ	07101	ESSEX	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	34	1/3/2006	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$316,029
														Subtotal = $316,029

Issue Date FY: 2005 ( Subtotal = $323,634 )
2005	2005	UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE & DENTISTRY OF NEW JERSEY	65 BERGEN STREET	NEWARK	NJ	07101	ESSEX	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	33	12/10/2004	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$323,634
														Subtotal = $323,634

Issue Date FY: 2004 ( Subtotal = $342,652 )
2004	2004	UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE & DENTISTRY OF NEW JERSEY	65 BERGEN STREET	NEWARK	NJ	07101	ESSEX	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	32	12/4/2003	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$342,652
														Subtotal = $342,652

Issue Date FY: 2003 ( Subtotal = $270,701 )
2003	2003	UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE & DENTISTRY OF NEW JERSEY	30 BERGEN ST, ADM BLDG #11	NEWARK	NJ	07107	ESSEX	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	31		NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$270,701
														Subtotal = $270,701

Issue Date FY: 2002 ( Subtotal = $262,817 )
2002	2002	UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE & DENTISTRY OF NEW JERSEY	30 BERGEN ST, ADM BLDG #11	NEWARK	NJ	07107	ESSEX	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	30	12/31/2001	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$262,817
														Subtotal = $262,817

Issue Date FY: 2001 ( Subtotal = $255,160 )
2001	2001	UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE & DENTISTRY OF NEW JERSEY	30 BERGEN ST, ADM BLDG #11	NEWARK	NJ	07107	ESSEX	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	29	1/18/2001	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$255,160
														Subtotal = $255,160

Issue Date FY: 2000 ( Subtotal = $300,430 )
2000	2000	UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE & DENTISTRY OF NEW JERSEY	65 BERGEN STREET	NEWARK	NJ	07101	ESSEX	USA	Biological Basis Research in the Neurosciences	000	28	11/30/1999	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$300,430
														Subtotal = $300,430

Grand Total All Awards = $2,685,151

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

ROLE OF LIMBIC-MIDBRAIN AXIS IN AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR

Award Number: R01NS007941

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 02/01/1977

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 12/31/2008

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer