Are you prone to fits of rage? Your small brain might be to blame, according to Science Daily. A new neuroimaging study has found that those who are prone to intermittent explosive disorder, or IED, have less gray matter in particular areas of the brain, leading to a smaller "emotional brain."
"Intermittent explosive disorder is defined in DSM-5 as recurrent, problematic, impulsive aggression," said lead author Emil Coccaro. "While more common than bipolar disorder and schizophrenia combined, many in the scientific and lay communities believe that impulsive aggression is simply 'bad behavior' that requires an 'attitude adjustment.'"
"However, our data confirm that IED, as defined by DSM-5, is a brain disorder and not simply a disorder of personality," he added.
The study took 168 people and subjected them to MRI testing; of that number, 57 were those who were previously diagnosed with IED, 53 were deemed healthy and 58 were control subjects, according to News Medical.
"Across all subjects, reduced volume in frontolimbic brain structures was associated with increased aggressiveness," said University of California psychology professor Cameron Carter. "These important findings suggest that disrupted development of the brain's emotion-regulating circuitry may underlie an individual's propensity for rage and aggression."
