Subsequent Aggressive Behavior Research Articles

When crying turns to hitting: Examining maternal responses to negative affect

Physical aggression in toddlerhood is empirically linked to anger and often conceptualized as a byproduct of frustration and related negative affect. Further, parenting is the major environmental construct implicated in the development of aggressive behaviors. Given parents’ role as “external regulators,” parents’ responses to their toddlers’ negative affect may serve to escalate or de-escalate their toddlers’ affective experience, thereby impacting the likelihood of subsequent aggression. In the present study, we examined whether parents’ negative affect, harsh, soothing, and distracting responses to their toddlers’ negative affect mediated the relation between toddlers’ negative affect and their aggressive behavior in brief conflict episodes. During a laboratory visit, a community sample of 69 mother-toddler dyads was observed in a structured interaction task. We found that child negative affect is associated with subsequent aggressive behavior by way of maternal harsh responses to negative affect. Negative emotional expression, soothing, and distraction neither facilitated or hindered children’s escalation from negative affect to aggression. Our findings support a dyadic intervention in which patterns of coercive parent-child interactions are targets for prevention and intervention of toddler aggression.

Exposure to violence predicts callous-unemotional traits and aggression in adolescence in the context of persistent ethnic-political conflict and violence.

According to social-cognitive ecological theory, violence exposure increases emotional factors-such as callous-unemotional (CU) traits-which then contribute to engagement in aggressive behavior. However, previous research has generally not tested this mediational pathway, particularly in the context of persistent ethnic-political violence exposure. The present study examined associations among violence exposure, CU traits, and aggression in a sample of 1051 youth in the Middle East (Palestine and Israel), using youth- and parent-reported data in a cohort-sequential design with three age cohorts (starting ages 8, 11, and 14 years) assessed over four waves spanning 6 years. Results from structural equation models with latent variables indicated that cumulative violence exposure in childhood and adolescence (measured annually for 3 years, and comprising exposure across multiple settings including political, community, family, and school) predicted later CU traits and aggression in adolescence and early adulthood, even after controlling for earlier levels of aggression and CU traits and demographic characteristics (child age and sex and parental socioeconomic status). Additionally, in mediation analyses, CU significantly mediated the association from earlier cumulative violence exposure to concurrent aggression, while aggression did not significantly mediate the association from earlier exposure to concurrent CU traits. The results of this study suggest that violence exposure leads to both aggressive behavior and a constellation of traits that place youth at greater risk for subsequent aggressive behavior, and that CU traits could partially explain the increased risk of aggression after violence exposure.

Angry birds calling: an advanced system of signalling aggression to moderate conflict in the common chiffchaff

Many animals produce vocal signals during agonistic interactions that convey their ability and motivation to escalate the conflict. Often, such disputes follow ritualized, sequential phases with increasing aggression, favouring the assessment of individuals' chances of winning. This allows for individuals to withdraw before getting involved in a serious fight. Birds are well known for the variety of information encoded in their vocalizations, sometimes including specific features that signal aggression. A particular case may be so-called ‘tret calls’ produced by chiffchaffs, Phylloscopus collybita, a song affix for which the communicative role is not well understood. Here, we describe the acoustic structure and use of tret calls during simulated conflicts using playback. Our results show that tret calls are a low-amplitude vocalization and that birds increased tret calling after playback stimulation, suggesting a role as an aggressive signal similar to soft song in other species. However, we did not find that the tret call rate predicted subsequent aggressive behaviour. Our analysis of song variation in response to playback suggested that birds respond to a simulated vocal competitor in two phases: a highly aggressive phase where syllable rate goes up, which is predictive of physical attack, while simultaneously tret call rate goes down, and a low-aggression phase, in which tret call rate goes up, while syllable rate returns to baseline levels. These stereotypic fluctuations in two acoustic features may be part of an advanced communication system to moderate aggression. Finally, our results show a seasonal increase in tret calling after birds arrive at their breeding grounds, which is in line with a role in territorial aggression. We also found a nonsignificant trend for more tret calls with increasing ambient noise levels, which may be due to increased stress and aggression under noisy conditions or reflect a masking avoidance strategy.

Dysregulation and Epigenetic Reprogramming of NRF2 Signaling Axis Promote Acquisition of Cisplatin Resistance and Metastasis in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Cisplatin (CDDP)-based chemotherapy is a first-line treatment for patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), despite a high rate of treatment failures, acquired resistance, and subsequent aggressive behavior. The purpose of this study was to study the mechanism of CDDP resistance and metastasis in HNSCC. We investigated the role of NRF2 pathway activation as a driven event for tumor progression and metastasis of HNSCC. Human HNSCC cell lines that are highly resistant to CDDP were generated. Clonogenic survival assays and a mouse model of oral cancer were used to examine the impact of NRF2 activation in vitro and in vivo on CDDP sensitivity and development of metastasis. Western blotting, immunostaining, whole-exome sequencing, single-cell transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling platforms were performed to dissect clonal evolution and molecular mechanisms. Implantation of CDDP-resistant HNSCC cells into the tongues of nude mice resulted in a very high rate of distant metastases. The CDDP-resistant cells had significantly higher expression of NRF2 pathway genes in the presence of newly acquired KEAP1 mutations, or via epigenomic activation of target genes. Knockdown of NRF2 or restoration of the wild-type KEAP1 genes resensitized resistant cells to CDDP and decreased distant metastasis (DM). Finally, treatment with inhibitor of glutaminase-1, a NRF2 target gene, alleviated CDDP resistance. CDDP resistance and development of DM are associated with dysregulated and epigenetically reprogrammed KEAP1-NRF2 signaling pathway. A strategy targeting KEAP1/NRF2 pathway or glutamine metabolism deserves further clinical investigation in patients with CDDP-resistant head and neck tumors.

Beliefs About Aggression as Mediators of Relations Between Community Violence Exposure and Aggressive Behavior Among Adolescents: Review and Recommendations.

Adolescents who are exposed to community violence are at risk for a number of adverse consequences that can persist into adulthood. Community violence exposure has consistently been associated with subsequent aggressive behavior, and beliefs or norms about aggression are one potential mechanism underlying this relation. The goal of this review was to examine and synthesize the literature regarding beliefs about aggression as a mediator of relations between community violence exposure and aggressive behavior among adolescents. A systematic search of the literature identified 10 studies that met inclusion criteria. Findings across studies generally supported the notion that beliefs about aggression mediate relations between community violence exposure and aggressive behavior. However, studies varied considerably in their design and analytic approach which limited conclusions that can be drawn. Because studies were similar in their limitations, several themes were identified and described qualitatively: inappropriate design to examine mediation (i.e., failure to establish temporal precedence of variables); examining a unidimensional construct of general beliefs about aggression; and lack of examining potential differences across subgroups, particularly across sex. Recommendations for future research that will bolster the evidence include drawing on advances in data analytic techniques, investigating multiple aspects of beliefs about aggression, examining differences in mediated effects across subgroups, and investigating beliefs as mechanisms of change in intervention studies. Implications for violence prevention efforts are discussed.

Development of social feedback processing and responses in childhood: an fMRI test-replication design in two age cohorts.

This study investigated behavioral and neural correlates underlying social feedback processing and subsequent aggressive behaviors in childhood in two age cohorts (test sample: n = 509/n = 385 and replication sample: n = 354/n = 195, 7-9 years old). Using a previously validated Social Network Aggression Task, we showed that negative social feedback resulted in most behavioral aggression, followed by less aggression after neutral and least aggression after positive feedback. Receiving positive and negative social feedback was associated with increased activity in the insula, medial prefrontal cortex and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. Responding to feedback was associated with additional activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) following positive feedback. This DLPFC activation correlated negatively with aggression. Furthermore, age analyses showed that older children showed larger reductions in aggression following positive feedback and more neural activation in the DLPFC when responding to positive feedback compared to younger children. To assess the robustness of our results, we examined these processes in two independent behavioral/functional magnetic resonance imaging samples using equivalence testing, thereby contributing to replicable reports. Together, these findings demonstrate an important role of social saliency and regulatory processes where regulation of aggression rapidly develops between the ages of 7 and 9 years.

RARE-29. Transcriptome characterization of pediatric adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma at the cellular level

Abstract BACKGROUND: Adamantinomatous Craniopharyngioma (ACP) is a neurologically devastating brain tumor that affects children and adults. It is histologically heterogeneous with epithelial populations that are characterized by the nuclear accumulation of mutated β-catenin, and activated Wnt signaling. Current models suggest that ACP growth is driven through paracine mechanisms characterized by the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). However, detailed pathogenic mechanisms remain unknown. Improved definition of the various cellular phenotypes that compose ACP will inform and advance our understanding of this disease. METHODS: Single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) and multiplex ELISA were performed on pediatric ACP tissue and cyst fluid, respectively. Reference scRNA-seq data was obtained from PanglaoDB. Preprocessing and standard analyses were conducted using Seurat software. Cellular phenotypes were annotated using the Human Primary Cell atlas. Differential expression and functional enrichment analyses were utilized to identify Wnt-signaling activation and epithelial subpopulations. Paracrine signaling was inferred via CellChatDB. SASP Atlas was utilized to query marker gene lists. Pseudotemporal ordering was performed using monocle3. RESULTS: ACP tissue is heterogenous and contains multiple distinct immune signatures. ACP tissue contains 2 unique epithelial subpopulations, which demonstrate canonical Wnt-signaling and SASP, respectively. Pseudotemporal ordering suggests the initial oncogenic event to be of epidermal character, with subsequent aggressive behavior from a separate epithelial cell population. CONCLUSIONS: Based on gene expression, cell populations that correspond to the histologically identifiable epithelial whorls and palisading epithelium can be identified. These subpopulations display unique functional signatures. Simultaneous and synergistic therapeutic targeting of these separate epithelial populations may lead to improved patient care.

Once bitten, twice shy: Aggressive and defeated pigs begin agonistic encounters with more negative emotions

Aggression between unfamiliar commercial pigs is common and likely invokes strong emotions in contestants. Furthermore, contest outcomes affect subsequent aggressive behaviour, suggesting a potential lasting influence on affective state. Here we used a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to assess the emotional expression of pigs in agonistic encounters. We investigated how recent victory or defeat influences emotions expressed in a subsequent contest, and the role of aggressiveness as a personality trait in emotional expression. We observed the pre-escalation contest behaviour (second contest; age 13 wks) in animals of different aggressiveness (categorised using two resident intruder tests as Agg+ or Agg-, age 9 wks), which had recently won or lost a contest (first contest; 10 wks). We measured gaze direction and ear position. Observers watched video clips of the initial 30 s of the second contest and evaluated the emotional expression of 57 pigs (25 contest 1 winners, 32 contest 1 losers) using qualitative behavioural assessment (QBA) with a fixed list of 20 descriptive terms.QBA identified three principal components (PCs), accounting for 68% of the variation: PC1 (agitated/tense to relaxed/content), PC2 (fearful/aimless to confident/enjoying) and PC3 (listless/ indifferent). Agg- pigs and males showed a more positive emotionality (PC2). PC1 and PC3 were unaffected by first contest outcome and aggressiveness. Agg+ pigs were more likely to hold their ears back (X2 =7.8, p = 0.005) during the early contest period. Differences in attention were detected in the contest outcome × aggressiveness interaction (χ24.3, p = 0.04), whereby approaching the opponent was influenced by winning and losing in the Agg- pigs only. QBA and gaze behaviour reveal differences in emotional valence between pigs of different aggressiveness: less aggressive pigs may be more susceptible to the emotional impact of victory and defeat but overall, more aggressive pigs express more negative emotionality at the start of agonistic encounters.

“Your taste in fashion is bad”: The role of state of anger in aggressive behavior using the hot sauce paradigm

This study investigates a mediator of the link between anger induction and subsequent aggressive behavior: the state of anger. One hundred three female participants were randomly assigned to three ...

Serotonergic-linked alterations of aggression of the crayfish

ABSTRACT Current theory suggests that aggressive behavior in the crayfish is largely modulated and regulated by the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT). To test this theory that links serotonin to aggression, we performed a series of drug treatments using various serotonin-related chemicals to measure their effects on subsequent aggressive behavior. Treatments included serotonin, the serotonin precursor tryptophan, agonists: 1-(3-chlorophenyl) piperazine (m-CPP) and 5-Carboxy, an antagonist: cinanserin, and a serotonin receptor specific neurotoxin: 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine creatinine sulfate (5,7-DHT). Significant increases in aggression of Faxonius rusticus crayfish were observed when injected with serotonin and both agonists, however no decrease in aggression occurred with the antagonist. Crayfish injected with the agonist m-CPP increased aggression but did not directly confer success in fights. Our data support the current literature that the internal aggressive state of crayfish is altered by serotonin and its agonist/antagonists, however it does not on its own improve the aggressive fighting response and/or dominance status.

Opportunities and peer support for aggression and delinquency during adolescence in nine countries.

This study tested culture-general and culture-specific aspects of adolescent developmental processes by focusing on opportunities and peer support for aggressive and delinquent behavior, which could help account for cultural similarities and differences in problem behavior during adolescence. Adolescents from 12 cultural groups in 9 countries (China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States) provided data at ages 12, 14, and 15. Variance in opportunities and peer support for aggression and delinquency, as well as aggressive and delinquent behavior, was greater within than between cultures. Across cultural groups, opportunities and peer support for aggression and delinquency increased from early to mid-adolescence. Consistently across diverse cultural groups, opportunities and peer support for aggression and delinquency predicted subsequent aggressive and delinquent behavior, even after controlling for prior aggressive and delinquent behavior. The findings illustrate ways that international collaborative research can contribute to developmental science by embedding the study of development within cultural contexts.

Impact of Parenting Intervention on Observed Aggressive Behaviors in At-Risk Infants.

Aggressive behaviors in early childhood persist through childhood and adolescence and result in negative outcomes. However, studies assessing aggressive behaviors in early childhood have focused primarily on parent report. Additionally, the effects of parenting interventions and associated parenting skills on early observed aggression have not been examined. In the present study, we examined the direct effect of a brief, in-home adaptation of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, the Infant Behavior Program (IBP), on observed frequency of aggressive behaviors and global ratings of aggression in infants ages 12 to 15 months. Additionally, we examined behaviorally-based parenting skills as a mechanism by which the IBP impacted observed infant aggressive behaviors. Sixty infants with elevated levels of behavior problems were randomized to receive the IBP or standard pediatric primary care. Infants receiving the IBP demonstrated a significant decrease in the observed frequency of aggressive behaviors during infant-led play across a 3-month follow-up. Furthermore, the intervention led to decreases in parental use of don't skills (i.e., directive and negative parent statements), which, in turn, led to decreases in the frequency of observed aggressive behaviors at a 3-month follow-up. However, effects were not maintained at a 6-month follow-up. Results provide preliminary evidence for the efficacy of a brief parenting intervention on reducing the frequency of infant aggressive behaviors, including the indirect effect of the IBP on the frequency of aggressive behaviors through reductions in parenting skills. The study highlights the importance of targeting negative parenting practices to decrease subsequent aggressive behaviors in early childhood.

Video Game Violence and Interactivity: Effect or Equivalence?

Abstract The effect of exposure to violent video game content on aggression is intensely debated. Meta-analyses have produced widely varying estimates as to the effect (or non-effect) of violent video games on subsequent aggressive thoughts and behaviors. Recent work suggests that interactivity and player skill may play key roles in moderating the effects of violent content in video games on aggression. This study investigates the effects of violence, interactivity, and player skill on mild aggressive behavior using a custom-developed first-person shooter game allowing for high levels of experimental control. We conduct effect and equivalence tests with effect size assumptions drawn from prominent meta-analyses in the video game violence literature, finding that aggressive behavior following violent video game play is statistically equivalent to that observed following non-violent game play. We also observe an interaction between violent game content, player skill, and interactivity. When player skill matched the interactivity of the game, violent content led to an increase in aggressive behavior, whereas when player skill did not match the interactivity of the game, violent content decreased aggressive behavior. This interaction is probed using a multiverse analysis incorporating both classical significance testing and Bayesian analyses.

Cross-cultural effects of parent warmth and control on aggression and rule-breaking from ages 8 to 13.

We investigated whether bidirectional associations between parental warmth and behavioral control and child aggression and rule-breaking behavior emerged in 12 cultural groups. Study participants included 1,298 children (M = 8.29 years, standard deviation [SD] = 0.66, 51% girls) from Shanghai, China (n = 121); Medellín, Colombia (n = 108); Naples (n = 100) and Rome (n = 103), Italy; Zarqa, Jordan (n = 114); Kisumu, Kenya (n = 100); Manila, Philippines (n = 120); Trollhättan/Vänersborg, Sweden (n = 101); Chiang Mai, Thailand (n = 120); and Durham, NC, United States (n = 111 White, n = 103 Black, n = 97 Latino) followed over 5 years (i.e., ages 8-13). Warmth and control were measured using the Parental Acceptance-Rejection/Control Questionnaire, child aggression and rule-breaking were measured using the Achenbach System of Empirically-Based Assessment. Multiple-group structural equation modeling was conducted. Associations between parent warmth and subsequent rule-breaking behavior were found to be more common across ontogeny and demonstrate greater variability across different cultures than associations between warmth and subsequent aggressive behavior. In contrast, the evocative effects of child aggressive behavior on subsequent parent warmth and behavioral control were more common, especially before age 10, than those of rule-breaking behavior. Considering the type of externalizing behavior, developmental time point, and cultural context is essential to understanding how parenting and child behavior reciprocally affect one another.

Monoamine oxidase A genotype and methylation moderate the association of maltreatment and aggressive behaviour

BackgroundThe association between childhood maltreatment and subsequent aggressive behaviour is modified by monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) functional polymorphism (MAOA-uVNTR) genotype, MAOA-Long (MAOA-L) in females, MAOA-Short (MAOA-S) in males. Childhood maltreatment is associated with differential DNA methylation in several genes. Consistent with recent proposals, we hypothesized that the association of the interaction of MAOA genotype and maltreatment with aggressive behaviour is further moderated by methylation of a region of interest (ROI) spanning the first exon and partial first intron of MAOA. MethodThe sample included 117 women and 77 men who completed interviews and questionnaires to report maltreatment and aggressive behaviour towards others and provided saliva samples for DNA extraction. The MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism was genotyped, and methylation of the MAOA ROI was assessed. ResultsFollowing adjustment for substance misuse, psychoactive medication use, and in males tobacco use, the highest levels of aggressive behaviour were found among maltreated male carriers of MAOA-S with high levels of exonic methylation. ConclusionMethylation levels within the MAOA ROI further contributed to the interaction of MAOA risk genotypes and maltreatment on aggressive behaviours among men.

Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Recidivism in Serious Juvenile Offenders: Testing the Mediating Role of Future Orientation.

Evidence suggests delinquent youth are more likely to suffer from posttraumatic stress symptoms and links those symptoms to subsequent aggressive behavior and criminal activity. Research also indicates the impact of decision-making capacity in this context. Specifically, future orientation has been shown to play an important role in adolescent delinquency; less future orientation has been linked with persistent delinquency. Notably, trauma exposure is associated with slower development of future orientation in delinquent youth. Using a sample of serious juvenile offenders, the current study examined the relation between posttraumatic stress symptoms and aggressive reoffending testing the hypothesis that future orientation would mediate that relation. Results did not indicate significant mediation by future orientation in the link between posttraumatic stress symptoms and aggressive reoffending. However, experiencing posttraumatic stress symptoms and low future orientation separately increased the likelihood of aggressive recidivism. Findings highlight the value of comprehensive prevention and intervention efforts, targeting both posttraumatic stress symptoms and future orientation.

Attenuating anger and aggression with neuromodulation of the vmPFC: A simultaneous tDCS-fMRI study

Angry outbursts during interpersonal provocations may lead to violence and prevails in numerous pathological conditions. In the anger-infused Ultimatum Game (aiUG), unfair monetary offers accompanied by written provocations induce anger. Rejection of such offers relates to aggression, whereas acceptance to anger regulation. We previously demonstrated the involvement of the ventro-medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in accepting unfair offers and attenuating anger during an aiUG, suggestive of its role in anger regulation. Here, we aimed to enhance anger regulation by facilitating vmPFC activity during anger induction, using anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and simultaneously with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to validate modulation of vmPFC activity. In a cross-over, sham-controlled, double-blind study, participants (N = 25) were each scanned twice, counterbalancing sham and active tDCS applied during administration of the aiUG. Outcome measures included the effect of active versus sham stimulation on vmPFC activity, unfair offers' acceptance rates, self-reported anger, and aggressive behavior in a subsequent reactive aggression paradigm. Results indicate that active stimulation led to increased vmPFC activity during the processing of unfair offers, increased acceptance rates of these offers, and mitigated the increase in self-reported anger following the aiUG. We also noted a decrease in subsequent aggressive behavior following active stimulation, but only when active stimulation was conducted in the first experimental session. Finally, an exploratory finding indicated that participants with a stronger habitual tendency to use suppression as an emotion regulation strategy, reported less anger following the aiUG in the active compared to sham stimulation conditions. Findings support a potential causal link between vmPFC functionality and the experience and expression of anger, supporting vmPFC's role in anger regulation, and providing a promising avenue for reducing angry and aggressive outbursts during interpersonal provocations in various psychiatric and medical conditions.

Aggressive behavior after social exclusion is linked with the spontaneous initiation of more action-oriented coping immediately following the exclusion episode

The experience of social exclusion may provoke prosocial, avoidant, or antisocial (aggressive) behaviors. Multiple situational and personal factors seem to affect which course of action people adopt, and to which degree. The present study examined the relevance of the most spontaneous initiation of more passive, avoidant (disengagement) or action-oriented (engagement) coping immediately following a social exclusion experience to subsequent aggressive behavior. In a sample of n = 85 healthy female students, an ostensible discussion group excluded (versus included) the participant on the basis of her personal traits and preferences. The dynamics of heart rate changes immediately following the social exclusion episode yielded information on the most spontaneous preparation for passive, avoidant coping (sustained heart rate deceleration, indicating temporary behavioral inhibition and vigilance, “freezing”) or action-oriented coping (heart rate acceleration, indicating mobilization for action, “fighting”). Aggressive tendencies following social exclusion were assessed using the hot sauce paradigm. On average, social exclusion was followed by heart rate deceleration, indicating the spontaneous drive to avoid directly dealing with the threat (F(time by condition) = 3.3, p = .017, η2 = 0.038). A less pronounced cardiac slowing or even accelerative response to the exclusion, however, was associated with more subsequent aggressive behavior (r = 0.35, p = .023). The results indicate that individual differences in exclusion-related antisocial responding are in part already initiated instantaneously following the exclusion experience, before conscious interpretation and regulation efforts can take effect and modulate the behavioral outcome. The findings point to a potentially important factor that, in concert with other determinants, may explain interindividual differences in changes of social behavior following the experience of social exclusion.

Aggression and plasma testosterone in male golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) in response to encounters with receptive vs. nonreceptive females

Exposure to sexual stimuli can lead to increased aggression in male mammals, but it is unclear whether the aggression is related to the receptiveness of the females. Interactions with receptive females elicit testosterone (T) pulses that are important for sexual behaviors. We investigated the effects of male–female interactions on subsequent aggressive behaviors and T responses in the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus (Waterhouse, 1839)). Three groups (n = 18, 17, and 18) of males were exposed to receptive females, nonreceptive females, and blank (control), respectively. Then, we randomly chose eight animals from each group and measured their aggression toward an unfamiliar male conspecific; the remaining 29 males were used for a T assay (to avoid effects of aggression on T levels). The results show that interactions with females led to significantly higher male aggression and T levels than were found in control males. The increased aggression was not related to the receptiveness of the females, but receptive females elicited higher levels of T in males than nonreceptive females. Our findings suggest that the elevated aggression following the sexual encounter may serve to defend the female, by enhancing the ability of males to exclude other males from the vicinity of females, whereas the post-encounter T release may serve to assist mating behaviors and reproductive success.

The Neural Basis of Fear Promotes Anger and Sadness Counteracts Anger.

In contrast to cognitive emotion regulation theories that emphasize top-down control of prefrontal-mediated regulation of emotion, in traditional Chinese philosophy and medicine, different emotions are considered to have mutual promotion and counteraction relationships. Our previous studies have provided behavioral evidence supporting the hypotheses that “fear promotes anger” and “sadness counteracts anger”; this study further investigated the corresponding neural correlates. A basic hypothesis we made is the “internal versus external orientation” assumption proposing that fear could promote anger as its external orientation associated with motivated action, whereas sadness could counteract anger as its internal or homeostatic orientation to somatic or visceral experience. A way to test this assumption is to examine the selective involvement of the posterior insula (PI) and the anterior insula (AI) in sadness and fear because the posterior-to-anterior progression theory of insular function suggests that the role of the PI is to encode primary body feeling and that of the AI is to represent the integrative feeling that incorporates the internal and external input together. The results showed increased activation in the AI, parahippocampal gyrus (PHG), posterior cingulate (PCC), and precuneus during the fear induction phase, and the activation level in these areas could positively predict subsequent aggressive behavior; meanwhile, the PI, superior temporal gyrus (STG), superior frontal gyrus (SFG), and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) were more significantly activated during the sadness induction phase, and the activation level in these areas could negatively predict subsequent feelings of subjective anger in a provocation situation. These results revealed a possible cognitive brain mechanism underlying “fear promotes anger” and “sadness counteracts anger.” In particular, the finding that the AI and PI selectively participated in fear and sadness emotions was consistent with our “internal versus external orientation” assumption about the different regulatory effects of fear and sadness on anger and aggressive behavior.