title: The corpus callosum: a commissural road to anger and aggression.
abstract: According to the frontal cortical asymmetry model of motivational direction, anger and aggression are associated with approach motivation and a dominant left frontal hemisphere. Functional interhemispheric connectivity has been proposed as a possible mechanism that could explain the frontal cortical asymmetry of anger and aggression. Reciprocal interactions between the cerebral hemispheres are primarily established by the corpus callosum which is the largest white matter bundle of the human brain. Experimental brain research has now provided evidence for callosal involvement in approach-motivation. In line with the frontal cortical asymmetry model of motivational direction, differences in the direction of interhemispheric signal transfer are proposed to contribute to anger and aggression. It is concluded that the human corpus callosum provides a possible neuroanatomical correlate for frontal cortical asymmetries and that interhemispheric signal transfer plays a role in the emergence of approach-related motivation and behaviour.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands; School of Psychology, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: d.schutter@uu.nl.
authors.forename: Dennis J L G
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Schutter
authors.forename: Eddie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Harmon-Jones
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology*; D000786:Anger / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000502:physiology*; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans
keywords: Aggression; Anger; Corpus callosum; Cortical asymmetry; Frontal cortex; Interhemispheric connectivity; Motivational direction