The cerebellum during provocation and aggressive behaviour: A 7 T fMRI study

Abstract

Increasing empirical evidence points towards the involvement of the cerebellum in anger and aggressive behaviour. However, human functional neuroimaging studies so far have emphasised the involvement of subcortical and cortical regions, rather than examining the contributions of the cerebellum. In the present study, 7 T functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess cerebellar activation during provocation and aggressive behaviour elicited by the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm in 29 healthy adult volunteers. Provocations resulted in left posterior cerebellar activation, while right posterior cerebellar activation was associated with aggressive behaviour. Our findings confirm the involvement of distinct and lateralised non-motor related cerebellar areas during provocation and aggressive behaviour. This study adds to the growing recognition of the posterior cerebellar regions in emotion- and cognition-dedicated processes and to the role of the little brain in human aggression.