# Unraveling the neural basis of female aggression and dementia-related aggression: a systems biology approach.

> **NIH NIH R00** · MCLEAN HOSPITAL · 2024 · $104,973

## Abstract

Project Summary
Males and females elicit aggressive behavior for resources and survival. Male aggression has been well studied in
many species. However, not much is known about female aggression. I identified a small female-specific subgroup
of cells in the pC1 brain region (pC1α neurons), that triggered females to fight at extremely high intensity levels
when activated. My work serves as a “point-of-entry” to map out the rest of the circuitry that governs female
aggression. Aim 1 will continue to map pC1α neuron circuitry. My independent research program will incorporate
novel genetic and computational tools that I learned during my K99 phase and will continue interrogating the neural
circuitry underlying female aggression in health and disease. Severe behavioral disturbances of aggression and
agitation have been reported to be increasingly common during the progression of Alzheimer's disease and other
related dementias. The reasons for this are completely unknown. Moreover, there is a dearth of understanding of
how changes in neurons, during neurodegeneration, lead to specific behavioral defects. Aim 2 will address what
happens to aggression in the early and late stages of neurodegenerative disease. I will shift my focus to looking at
aggression in neurodegenerative disease models and begin my efforts by elucidating the contribution of neuronal
protein aggregates of Aβ-42 to aggression. Based on my preliminary findings, I hypothesize Aβ-42 overexpression
induced aggression is due to altered excitability of key aggression promoting neurons. I plan to use diverse and
integrative systems approaches (learned from my mentored phase). I will lead a multi-pronged research effort to
understand the mechanisms by which neurons regulate their normal function or in the presence of a
neurodegenerative disease state and how these changes affect circuit pathways and ultimately aggression. I
anticipate that our studies will uncover novel principles of brain function and also provide a platform for developing
therapeutic targets that can mitigate disease-related behavioral deficits. McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical
School will provide the necessary resources and support, and offer an ideal environment for carrying out the
proposed project and establishing an independent research program.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10935427
- **Project number:** 3R00GM141449-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** MCLEAN HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Caroline Palavicino-Maggio
- **Activity code:** R00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $104,973
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2022-06-01 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10935427

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10935427, Unraveling the neural basis of female aggression and dementia-related aggression: a systems biology approach. (3R00GM141449-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10935427. Licensed CC0.

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