Humans could have an ingrained urge for violence. They could seek it just to have a feeling of satisfaction, research on mice reveals.
The mouse brain is thought to be analogous to the human brain in this study, which could shed light on our fascination with brutal sports as well as our own penchant for the classic bar brawl.
In fact, the researchers say detailed online this week in the journal Psychopharmacology, humans seem to crave violence just like they do sex, food or drugs.
Scientists have known that mice and other animals are drawn to fights. Until now, they didn't know how the brain was involved.
The new study detailed online this week in the journal Psychopharmacology reveals the same clusters of brain cells involved in other rewards are also behind the craving for violence.
"Aggression occurs among virtually all vertebrates and is necessary to get and keep important resources such as mates, territory and food," said study team member Craig Kennedy, professor of special education and pediatrics at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. "We have found that the reward pathway in the brain becomes engaged in response to an aggressive event and that dopamine is involved."
For the experiments, the researchers placed a pair of mice, one male and one female, in a cage. Then, the female was removed and a so-called male intruder mouse entered the cage. That triggered aggressive behavior in the resident male. The tell-tale signs of aggression included tail rattle, an aggressive sideways stance, boxing and biting, notes Jeanna Bryner, writing in LiveScience.com.