Mental Health

Angrier People Show 'Intermittent Explosive Disorder' Due To Smaller Brains

By R. Siva Kumar | Update Date: Jan 15, 2016 09:35 AM EST

If you are the sort that explodes into fits of rage, it may be due to your small brain, says Science Daily.

People who tend to be vulnerable to intermittent explosive disorder (IED) according to a neuroimaging study exhibit less gray matter in some parts of the brain, which leads 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.

There was a study in which 168 people were subjected to MRI testing. About 57 of these were diagnosed with IED, 53 were thought to be healthy and 58 were just 'controls', reports 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."

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