brain structure in aggression

• brain structure linking to aggression AO1

  .brain made up of many lobes and structures some of which have links to aggression

  . prefrontal cortex regulates behavior and governs social interaction, can delay gratification of an impulse by inhibiting messages from amygdala - damage to it reduces levels of inhibition of amygdala = high aggression

  .Hypothalamus regulates responses to emotional circumstances, maintains homeostasis + regulation of hormones - damage to it results in inappropriate responses to perceived threat, more testosterone released

  . Amygdala is center for emotions, behaviour + motivation, recognises threats and triggers aggressive responses to them - damage to it can make someone more aggressive, removal = more passive
• brain structure linking to aggression AO3 strength

  Evidence - in animal experiments showed stimulation of the hypothalamus caused sham rage aggression supporting the structure links to aggression

  CA: animals have less developed cerebral cortex so not totally applicable to humans

  SW: still shows on a basic front that the hypothalamus can have links to aggression
• brain structure linking to aggression AO3 weakness

  lack of scientificness as it is difficult to isolate brain areas shich are specifically responsible for aggression due to the brains complexity = difficult to measure impact of certain areas alone on aggression

  CA: used objective methods to investigate brain activity eg PET scans so offers some validity

  SW: still is difficult to establish cause and effect due to not having full certainty on brain areas