Program & Abstract Book - EPFL Latsis Symposium 2009

EPFL-LATSIS Symposium 2009 

Lausanne, Switzerland 

understanding 

February 11 – 13 th 2009 

VIOLENCE 

Recent advances in biology, sociology and modeling 

Program & 

Abstract Book

EPFL Latsis Symposium 2009: Understanding Violence 

Scientific Committee 

Organizer: 

Carmen Sandi 

EPFL, Switzerland 

Co-organizers: 

Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg 

Mel Slater 

Pierre Magistretti 

FONDATION LATSIS 

Internationale 

Sponsors 

Local Organizers 

Jorge Castro 


Ioana Steinmann 


February 11-13 2009 

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Practical Information 

Meeting Logistics and Organization 

Prof. Carmen Sandi 

E-mail: info-latsis2009@epfl.ch 

Media Relations 

Dr. Eng Ariane Vlérick 

Email: ariane.vlerick@epfl.ch 

Webmaster 

M. Olivier Burri 

E-mail: webmaster.burri@gmail.com 

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Emergency telephone during the 

Conference 

+41 (0)21 693 82 02


Credits 


Recall that participation to this meeting allows 

you to obtain Continuous Education Credits 

from the following institutions: 

Swiss Society for Pediatry 

SSP-SGP 

Swiss Neurological Society 

Swiss Society for Neuropediatry 

SGN 

Genetic Medicine 

Swiss Cantonal Veterinary 

Association (ASCV) 

10 Credits 

3 Credits 

2 Credits 

2 Credits (Continuous Education) 

1 Day Credit Recognition 

Remember to request a certificate 

of your participation as you leave the 

conference and return your badge 

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8:00-8:45 Registration 

Understanding VIOLENCE: 

Recent advances in biology, sociology, and modeling 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11th, 2009 

8:45-9:00 Opening Remarks 

Prof Dusan Sidjanski (Latsis Foundation) 

Prof Giorgio Margaritondo (Vice-president EPFL) 

Session 1 Are individuals born violent? Can we talk of ‘genetic’ determinism? 

Chair Carmen Sandi 


9:00-9:45 Richard E Tremblay 

Developmental trajectories of human physical violence and their determinants: From genes to 

social policy (or vice versa) 

9:45-10:20 Klaus Peter Lesch 

The neurobiology of impulsivity and aggression in ADHD 

10:20-10:50 Coffee break 

10:50-11:25 Stephen J. Suomi 

Aggression, serotonin, and gene X environment interactions in primates 

11:25-12:00 Caroline Blanchard 

The evolution and adaptive functions of anger, aggression and violence 

12:00-12:35 Discussion - Didier Trono 

LUNCH 

Session 2 Are hormones key to understanding aggression? 

Chair John Archer 

14:00-14:45 Richard Ebstein 

Nonapeptide social hormones, oxytocin and arginine vasopressin, the flip side of violence? 

14:45-15:20 Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg 

Neurogenetic and neurohormonal mechanisms of prosocial and aggressive behavior 

15:20-15:55 Jozsef Haller 

Types of aggression and types of brain mechanisms. The role of glucocorticoids 

15:55-16:30 Discussion - Ron de Kloet 

16:30-18:30 Poster Session with Coffee and refreshments



THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12th, 2009 

Session 3 What are the social, contextual and evolutionary causes of violence? 

Chair Pierre Magistretti 

9:00-9:45 Richard Wilkinson 

The violence of inequality 

9:45-10:20 Stefan Klusemann 

Micro-situational antecedents of violent atrocity 

10:20-10:55 Mark Broom 

Balancing risks and rewards: the logic of violence 


11:25-12:10 John Archer 

Sexual selection as an explanation of human sex differences in aggression 

12:10-12:45 Discussion - Alexander Butchart 

LUNCH 

Session 4 What works differently in the brain of violent individuals? What makes 

psychopaths different? Can we reverse, treat aggression? 

Chair Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg 

Symposium Program 

14:00-14:45 Kent Kiehl 

Psychopathy, violence and brain 

14:45-15:20 Sheilagh Hodgings 

Getting the phenotypes right: the essential ingredient to understanding aetiological mechanisms 

and developing effective treatments 

15:20-15:55 Joshua W. Buckholtz 

Multimodal characterization of genetic risk mechanisms for impulsive aggression 

15:55-16:30 Discussion - Olaf Blanke 


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17:00-18:30 Round Table: “TACKLING VIOLENCE” 

Panelists Hans-Peter Schmoll-Flockerzie 

AHBasel Krisentintervention für Jugendliche, Basel 


Stephen Thomas 

Security Officer for UEFA and Assistant Chief Constable British Transport Police 

Bruno Gravier 

Head of the Prison Medicine and Psychiatry Service, CHUV, Lausanne 

Gregoire Rubovszky 

Head of Emergency Psychiatry Service, HCUGE, Geneva 

Christopher Mikton 

Technical Officer, Prevention of Violence Unit, WHO 

Jakob Lund 

Director of the SMART programs in Scandinavia, Art-of-Living 

Marie-Claude Hofner 

Violence Medical Unit - University Center of Legal Medicine Western Switzerland 

19:00 Banquet – Departure Bus



FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13th, 2009 

Symposium Program 

Session 5 Are individuals ‘made’ violent? Does stress shape individual’s aggression? 

Chair Stephen J. Suomi 

9:00-9:45 Francois Ansermet and Pierre Magistretti 

Neuronal plasticity, homeostasis and violence 

9:45-10:20 Inga D. Neumann 

Abnormal social behaviour and aggression: Link to anxiety 

10:20-10:55 Jaap M. Koolhaas 

From aggression to violence in rats and mice: role of individual behavioral and neurobiological 

characteristics 


11:25-12:00 Carmen Sandi 

Stress as a generator of social imbalance 

12:00-12:35 Discussion - Daniel Schechter 

LUNCH 

Session 6 Do people know how they would behave in an unexpected violent situation? 

Chair Mel Slater 

How can virtual reality and modelling approaches help for treatment? 

14:00-14:35 Mark Levine 

Groups, bystanders and the informal regulation of violence 

14:35-15:10 Mel Slater 

Virtual reality in the study of extreme situations 

15:10-15:45 Lee Alan Dugatkin 

Winners, losers and bystanders: the structure of dominance hierarchies 


16:15-17:00 Albert Rizzo 

Reexposure to combat in virtual reality as a treatment for PTSD 

17:00-17:35 Discussion - Philippe Cotter 

17:35-17:45 Concluding Remarks 

17:45 Farewell 

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Speakers 

Richard E. Tremblay 

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Professor, Research Unit on Children’s Psychosocial 

Maladjustment University of Montreal, Canada 


http://www.psy.umontreal.ca/employes/TREMBLAYRichardE.html 

Richard Tremblay started his clinical career treating dangerous 

mentally offenders. For the past 25 years he has conducted 

a program of longitudinal and experimental studies to understand 

the physical, cognitive, emotional characteristics of humans 

from conception onward, in order to gain a better understanding 

of the development and prevention of physically 

violent behaviors. 

Abstract Title: De v e l o p m e n t a l t r a j e c t o r i e s o f h u m a n p h y s i c a l v i o l e n c e a n D t h e i r 

D e t e r m i n a n t s : fr o m g e n e s t o s o c i a l p o l i c y (o r v i c e v e r s a) 

Klaus-Peter Lesch 

Professor of Psychiatry and Vice Chair of the Department of 

Psychiatry, Psychsomatics, and Psychotherapy and Director of 

the ADHD Program of the University of Würzburg, Germany 

http://www.psychobiologie.uni-wuerzburg.de/ 

Klaus-Peter Lesch’s work has led to new insights into the psychobiology 

of personality, behavior, and psychiatric disorders. 

He has been pioneer in discovering genes linked to aggression 

in different animal species. He is strongly committed to bridge 

the sizeable gap between basic molecular and clinically applicable 

research. His work attempts to elucidate neural mechanisms 

involved in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders 

with the goal to identify final common pathways which could 

be targeted by novel treatments. 

Abstract Title: th e n e u r o b i o l o g y o f impulsivity a n D a g g r e s s i o n in aDhD 

Stephen J. Suomi 

Chief of the Laboratory of Comparative Ethology, the National 

Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD), 

National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland 

http://www.nichd.nih.gov/about/staff/bio.cfm?nih_id=0010152932 

Prof. Suomi has received international recognition for his extensive 

research on biobehavioral development in rhesus monkeys 

and other primate species, with a particular focus on aggressive 

behaviors. His research at Wisconsin led to his election 

as Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of 

Science “for major contributions to the understanding of social 

factors that influence the psychological development of nonhuman 

primates.” 

Abstract Title: ag g r e s s i o n, s e r o t o n i n , a n D g e n e X e n v i r o n m e n t i n t e r a c t i o n s


Speakers, Discussants and Round Table Panelists 

Caroline Blanchard 

Professor at the Pacific Biosciences Research Center, and Dept. 

of Genetics and Molecular Biology, John A. Burns School of 

Medicine, University of Hawaii 

http://www2.hawaii.edu/~blanchar/home.html 

Caroline Blanchard’s work has focused on the functions and 

biology of “negative” emotion patterns such as aggression 

and defense, across mammalian species and, more recently, 

on more “positive” emotions, examining behaviors comprising 

sociality and affiliative emotions. Her approach characterizes 

by using research based on lower order mammals to analyze 

both the expression of these emotions in people, and the brain 

systems involved in potentially related human emotional psychopathologies. 

She recently (2004-2006) served as President 

of the International Society for Research on Aggression. 

Abstract Title: th e ev o l u t i o n a n D aD a p t i v e fu n c t i o n s o f an g e r , ag r e s s i o n a n D 

vi o l e n c e 

Richard J Ebstein 

Director, Department of Research – Herzog Hospital Director, 

Scheinfeld Center for Human Behavioral Genetics Hebrew 

University Professor 

http://ebsteinlab.huji.ac.il/index.html 

Richard Ebstein has made major contributions to human behavioral 

genetics, especially in the emerging field of personality 

genetics. His catalyzing role in personality genetics was 

initiated with a seminal report in Nature Genetics in 1996 that 

first showed an association between a common polymorphism 

and a specific temperament (Ebstein et al 1996). He has published 

more than 200 scientific articles. 

Abstract Title: a r o l e f o r a r g i n i n e v a s o p r e s s i n a n D o X y t o c i n in s h a p i n g h u m a n s o c i a l 

b e h a v i o r 

Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg 

Professor, Chair of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University 

of Heidelberg and Director, Central Institute of Mental Health, 

Mannheim, Germany 

http://snp.nimh.nih.gov/ 

Prof. Meyer-Lindenberg is an expert in the fields of neural 

mechanisms of psychopathology, imaging genetics, social neuroscience 

and systems neuro-science in humans. Using mathematical 

tools, he investigates complex inter-actions between 

genetic variants and their influence on the human brain. He 

combines studies of genetic indicators of mental illness with 

neuroimaging. 

Abstract Title: ne u r o g e n e t i c a n D n e u r o h o r m o n a l m e c h a n i s m s o f p r o s o c i a l a n D a g g r e s s i v e 

b e h a v i o r 

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12 

Jozsef Haller 


Professor, Head of the Behavioural Neurobiology Department 

Institute of Experimental Medicine Budapest, Hungary 

http://www.koki.hu 

Jozsef Haller’s research interests focus on the understanding 

of brain mechanisms involved in violent forms of aggression. 

By comparing the brain mechanisms of violent aggression induced 

by different means (e.g. genetic selection, social deprivation, 

glucocorticoid deficiency), he has made major contributions 

to the field. Working in rodents, he has identified main 

components of the brain circuitry underlying violent forms of 

aggression. 

Abstract Title: ty p e s o f a g g r e s s i o n a n D t y p e s o f b r a i n m e c h a n i s m s . th e r o l e o f 

g l u c o c o r t i c o i D s 

Richard Wilkinson 

Professor of Social Epidemiology, University of Nottingham 

Medical School, UK 

Visiting Professor, International Centre for Health and Society, 

University College London 

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/cps/index.php?page=2.0.0.40 

Richard Wilkinson’s research career focusses on health inequalities 

and the social determinants of health. Working in 

the field for 30 years, Richard has played a formative role in research 

and public awareness of health inequalities and the social 

determinants of health. Since persuading the UK Secretary 

of State to set up the working party which in 1980 produced 

the Black Report on Health Inequalities, he has worked particularly 

on the health and social effects of income inequality. 

Abstract Title: th e vi o l e n c e o f in e q u a l i t y 

Stefan Klusemann 

Scientist at Sociology MA, University of Pennsylvania, USA 

Stefan Klusemann works at the University of Pennsylvania, 

USA, on violence, armed groups, historical sociology of political 

and cultural change, and sociological theory, Stefan Klusemann 

work studies rituals, violence and the organization of force in 

situations of state breakdown. He received an M.A. in Sociology 

from the University of Pennsylvania and a Diploma in Sociology, 

Economics, and Law from the Free University of Berlin. 

Abstract Title: mi c r o-s i t u a t i o n a l a n t e c e D e n t s o f v i o l e n t a t r o c i t y



Mark Broom 

Professor, Head Department of Mathematics University of 

Sussex, UK 

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/maths/profile27849.html 

Mark Broom’s research focuses on the application of game theory 

to the mathematical modelling of biology, especially using 

the concept of the Evolutionarily Stable Strategy (ESS). He 

works in modelling a number of biological phenomena, most 

notably including the areas of dominance hierarchies and of 

food-stealing. Recent work involves the modelling of simple 

evolution processes and more complex games on structured 

populations, especially graphs. 

Abstract Title: ba l a n c i n g r i s k s a n D r e w a r D s: t h e l o g i c o f v i o l e n c e 

John Archer 

Professor, Director of Research The Aggression Research Group 

University of Central Lancashire, UK 

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/facs/science/psychol/research/people/Archer.htm 

Prof. Archer’s research interests are the study of human aggression, 

and bereavement and loss. He is the former President 

of the International Society for Research on Aggression 

(ISRA), and is on the editorial board of the journal Aggressive 

Behavior. He is the author of several books and has published 

over 100 articles, with a total citation count of over 3,500. John 

Archer studies topics such as young men’s physical aggression 

from an evolutionary perspective, including cross-national 

comparisons, partner violence and stalking, bullying and aggression 

in prisons and other secure institutions, testosterone 

and aggression, and people’s attributions about their aggression. 

Abstract Title: se X u a l s e l e c t i o n a s a n e X p l a n a t i o n o f h u m a n s e X D i f f e r e n c e s in 

a g g r e s s i o n 

Kent Kiehl 

Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of New 

Mexico; Director, Mobile Imaging Core and Clinical Cognitive 

Neuroscience, Mind Research Network, New Mexico 

http://www.mrn.org/kkiehl 

Prof. Kiehl conducts clinical neuroscience research of major 

mental illnesses, with special focus on criminal psychopathy, 

substance abuse, and psychotic disorders. His group uses noninvasive 

techniques for measuring brain function, including 

event-related potentials (ERPs) and functional magnetic resonance 

imaging (fMRI). He has authored over 70 articles and 

book chapters and he currently directs four major NIH projects 

in the areas of adolescent psychopathy, adult psychopathy, 

substance abuse, and early stage psychosis. 

Abstract Title: criminal ps y c h o p a t h y : as s e s s m e n t, vi o l e n c e , a n D ne u r o s c i e n c e 

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Sheilagh Hodgins 


Head of Forensic Mental Health Sciences King’s College 

London, UK 

Professor at the Institute of Psychiatry King’s College, 

University of London UK 

http://www.iop.kcl.ac.uk/staff/profile/?go=10161 

Sheilagh Hodgins has authored numerous papers, book chapters, 

and books on antisocial, violent, and criminal behaviours 

among persons with mental disorders. Her current work aims 

to identify causal mechanisms leading to early-onset antisocial 

behaviour that remain stable over the life-span among persons 

who develop schizophrenia, as well as the factors that maintain 

these unwanted behaviours. She also works on the development 

of treatments to reduce violent behaviour. 

Abstract Title: ge t t i n g t h e p h e n o t y p e s r i g h t : th e e s s e n t i a l i n g r e D i e n t t o u n D e r s t a n D i n g 

a e t i o l o g i c a l m e c h a n i s m s a n D D e v e l o p i n g e f f e c t i v e t r e a t m e n t s 

Joshua W. Buckholtz 

Scientist at the Neuroscience Vanderbilt Brain Institute 

Department of Psychology Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 

USA 

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/psychological_sciences/people/buckholtz 

Joshua Buckholtz uses functional, structural, and receptor imaging 

techniques to characterize the influence of genetic risk 

factors for antisocial behavior and addiction on neural circuitry 

for affect regulation, motivation, and social cognition. He obtained 

his bachelor of science degree from the University of 

Wisconsin – Madison and then received training in genetics 

and neuroimaging in the intramural program of the National 

Institute of Mental Health. 

Abstract Title: mu l t i m o D a l c h a r a c t e r i z a t i o n o f g e n e t i c r i s k m e c h a n i s m s f o r impulsive 


Stephen J. Suomi 

Chief of the Laboratory of Comparative Ethology, the National 

Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD), 

National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland 

http://www.nichd.nih.gov/about/staff/bio.cfm?nih_id=0010152932 

Prof. Suomi has received international recognition for his extensive 

research on biobehavioral development in rhesus monkeys 

and other primate species, with a particular focus on aggressive 

behaviors. His research at Wisconsin led to his election 

as Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of 

Science “for major contributions to the understanding of social 

factors that influence the psychological development of nonhuman 

primates.” 

Abstract Title: ag g r e s s i o n, s e r o t o n i n , a n D g e n e X e n v i r o n m e n t i n t e r a c t i o n s



Francois Ansermet 

Head Service of psychiatry of children and adolescents Geneva 

University Hospital 

Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Geneva Faculty of 

Medicine 

http://spea.hug-ge.ch/ 

Prof. Ansermet’s research has focused on perinatal stress, and, 

specifically, on risks for and consequences of prematurity. He 

has also explored the psychological and ethical implications 

of new advances in perinatal biotechnology, in particular, assisted 

reproductive therapy, genetic counselling, and gender 

attribution in cases of ambiguous genitalia. Moreover, Prof. 

Ansermet is interested in the link between neuroscience and 

psychoanalysis and the role of neuronal plasticity in the psychoanalytic 

process. 

Abstract Title: ne u r o n a l p l a s t i c i t y, h o m e o s t a s i s a n D v i o l e n c e 

Pierre Magistretti 

Professor of Neuroscience - Director, Brain Mind Institute, EPFL 

Director of the Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, University 

of Lausanne Medical School and Hospital (CHUV) 

http://bmi.epfl.ch/page61215.html 

Prof. Magistretti’s laboratory has discovered some of the cellular 

and molecular mechanisms that underlie the coupling between 

neuronal activity and energy consumption by the brain. 

He is strongly engaged in public understanding of neuroscience 

and in establishing links betweens neuroscience and psychoanalysis. 

He has occupied an International Chair 2007-08 

of the Collège de France, Paris. He is member of Academia Europea 

and of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences. He is the 

Past-President of the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies 

(FENS) and Vice-Chairman of the European Dana Alliance 

for the Brain (EDAB). 

Abstract Title: ne u r o n a l p l a s t i c i t y, h o m e o s t a s i s a n D v i o l e n c e 

Inga D. Neumann 

Professor, Head Department of Behavioural and Molecular 

Neuroendocrinology University of Regensburg, Germany 

http://www.biologie.uni-regensburg.de/Zoologie/Neumann/index.htm 

Her main research interest focuses on uncovering molecular, 

neuronal and neuroendocrine parameters linked to complex social 

and emotional behaviours, including intermale aggression, 

depression- and anxiety-related behaviours, social phobia and 

social cognition as well as maternal care and aggression. Using 

animal models, she studies interactions between genetic 

and early environmental events shaping adult stress-related 

behaviours. 

Abstract Title: ge n e t i c a n D e a r l y e n v i r o n m e n t a l f a c t o r s s h a p i n g a D u l t m a l e a g g r e s s i o n 

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16 

Jaap M. Koolhaas 


Professor in Behavioral Physiology, University of Groningen, 

The Netherlands 

http://www.onderzoekinformatie.nl/en/oi/nod/onderzoeker/PRS1237036/ 

His research aims to unravel the behavioral and physiological 

mechanisms by which animals (rodents) adapt to challenges 

in their social environment. Specifically, his group studies 

both the causes and the consequences of intermale aggressive 

behavior. The research tries to understand the interaction 

between social environmental demands and the individual 

capacity to cope with these demands in terms of behavior and 

physiology (coping style). The results of his studies are relevant 

for understanding the interaction between personality 

and environmental factors in the development of violence and 

depression. 

Abstract Title: ag g r e s s i o n a n D vi o l e n c e in a n i m a l s; r o l e o f p e r s o n a l i t y f a c t o r s 

Carmen Sandi 

Professor, Head of Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics 

Brain Mind Institute EPFL, Switzerland 

http://lgc.epfl.ch/ 

Carmen Sandi is interested in understanding how stress affects 

brain function, behavior and cognition. Her work has implicated 

stress hormones and associated pathways in the modulation of 

learning and memory. Her recent work focuses on the impact 

of stress on social dominance hierarchies and aggressive behaviour. 

Her lab is also devoted to develop cognitive enhancers 

and new drug treatments for stress-related mood and anxiety 

disorders. 

Abstract Title: st r e s s a s a g e n e r a t o r o f s o c i a l i m b a l a n c e 

Carmen Sandi, M. Isabel Cordero, Cristina Marquez, Marjan Timmer 

Mark Levine 

Professor of Psychology at the Lancaster University, UK 

http://www.psych.lancs.ac.uk/people/MarkLevine.html 

Mark Levine’s research, in the behaviour of bystanders in emergencies 

has integrated classic work on bystander intervention 

with more recent developments in the social psychology of 

group behaviour. His research uses a variety of quantitative 

and qualitative methods to explore bystander behaviour at the 

group level, with a particular interest on analysing ‘real life’ 

behavioural data, or at least trying to study behaviour in ‘real 

time’. Recently, he has been working on an analysis of CCTV 

footage of violent incidents in the night-time economy. 

Abstract Title: gr o u p s , by s t a n D e r s a n D t h e in f o r m a l re g u l a t i o n o f vi o l e n c e



Abstract Title: ?? 

Mel Slater 

Professor of Virtual Environments Department of Computer 

Science University College London, UK 

http://www.event-lab.org 

Mel Slater carries out research in immersive virtual reality - 

systems that incorporate a participant into a virtual space that 

is created by computer displays. His research covers both the 

technical aspects, such as creating new display methods, and 

new forms of interaction, and also the scientific side, in order 

to understand how people respond to being inside a virtual reality. 

His main application interests are in the use virtual reality 

in aspects of neuroscience and psychotherapy. In 2005 he 

was awarded the Virtual Reality Career Award by IEEE Virtual 

Reality. 

Lee Alan Dugatkin 

Professor and Distinguished University Scholar, Department of 

Biology, University of Louisville, USA 

http://louisville.edu/~laduga01/dugatkin.htm 

Prof. Lee Alan Dugatkin’s main area of research interest is the 

evolution of social behavior. He is currently studying the evolution 

of cooperation, the evolution of aggression, the interaction 

between genetic and cultural evolution, the evolution 

of disease virulence, the evolution of antibiotic resistance and 

the evolution of risk-taking behavior. He is the author of seven 

books on evolution and behavior, and has published over 120 

articles in highly regarded scientific journals. 

Abstract Title: wi n n e r s , l o s e r s a n D b y s t a n D e r s : t h e s t r u c t u r e o f D o m i n a n c e h i e r a r c h i e s 

Albert Rizzo 

Professor, Institute for Creative Technologies University of 

Southern California, USA 

http://www.usc.edu/schools/medicine/departments/cell_neurobiology/research/isnsrrizzo_pres.htmll 

Albert Rizzo conducts research on virtual applications that use 

360 Degree Panoramic video for exposure therapy (social phobia), 

role-playing applications, anger management, etc.), journalism 

studies and digital media art creation. He also conducts 

research to study of how virtual reality simulation technology 

can be usefully applied to serve the needs of the user/client/ 

patient in a manner that goes beyond what is available with 

traditional 20th Century tools and methods. His latest project 

has focused on an exposure therapy application for combatrelated 

PTSD with Iraq War veterans. 

Abstract Title: re-e X p o s u r e t o co m b a t in vi r t u a l re a l i t y a s a tr e a t m e n t f o r ptsD 

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Discussants 

Didier Trono 

18 


Professor, Dean of Life Science Faculty EPFL, Switzerland 

http://tronolab.epfl.ch/ 

His research focuses on interactions between viral pathogens 

and their hosts, and on the exploration of genetics from both 

fundamental and therapeutic perspectives. More recently, he 

has become interested on the study of epigenetic mechanisms 

regulating brain function and behavior and has started a research 

programme addressed to ascertain genomic and epigenomic 

mechanisms linked to differences in personality traits 

and stress vulnerability. For the last four years, has been serving 

as deputy director of the Swiss National Science Foundation 

“Frontiers in Genetics” Center of Excellence. 

Ronald de Kloet 

Professor of Medical Pharmacology, Leiden University The 

Netherlands 

http://www.medicalpharmacology.leidenuniv.nl/ 

Ron de Kloet is a work leader in the field of neuroendocrinology 

of stress and adaptation. He received the 2008 Lifetime 

Achievement Award of the International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology, 

the 2007 Award of the European College 

of Neuropsychopharmacology and the 2005 Geoffrey Harris 

Award of the European Federation of Endocrine Societies. In 

2004 he was awarded the prestigious Academy Professorship 

of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, one 

of the highest scientific accolades in The Netherlands. He has 

published more than 550 articles on the topic and 6 books. 

Alexander Butchart 

Prevention of Violence Coordinator, WHO, Switzerland 

http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/en/ 

Dr. Alexander Butchart’s responsibilities at WHO include coordinating 

the Global Campaign for Violence Prevention, the development 

of policy for the prevention of interpersonal violence, 

preparation of guidelines for the prevention of specific types of 

interpersonal violence, and the coordination of research into 

various aspects of interpersonal violence and its prevention. 

Prior to joining WHO, he worked mainly in Southern and East 

Africa, where he was lead scientist in the South African Violence 

and Injury Surveillance Consortium, and participated in 

training violence and injury prevention workers from a number 

of African countries.



Olaf Blanke 

Professor, Head Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience Brain 

Mind Institute EPFL, Switzerland 

http://lnco.epfl.ch/ 

Olaf Blanke’s research focuses on cognitive and social neuroscience 

and the role of different sensory systems and the motor 

systems in bodily self-consciousness. Projects rely on the investigation 

of healthy subjects as well as neurological patients 

combining psychophysical and cognitive paradigms with state 

of the art neuroimaging techniques such as intracranial electroencephalography 

(EEG), surface EEG, and functional magnetic 

resonance imaging. His most recent research on bodily 

self consciousness has integrated full-body tracking and other 

technologies from the field of virtual reality with cognitive science 

and neuroimaging. 

Daniel Schechter 

Professor, Department of Psychiatry Columbia University 

Medical Center 

http://asp.cumc.columbia.edu/facdb/profile_list.asp?uni=dss11&DepAffil=Ps 

ychiatry 

Daniel Schechter’s focuses on the effects of mothers’violencerelated 

posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD) on their functioning 

as caregivers. In further examining the impact on the children’s 

development of stress reactivity, psychiatric symptoms, 

and mental representations of self and other prospectively, 

his team hopes to understand how psychosocial interventions 

might more effectively target and interrupt intergenerational 

cycles of violence and related psychopathology. 

Philippe Cotter 

University of Geneva 

http://www.eclectica.ch/ 

Philippe Cotter’s research initially focused on collective violence 

within the parameters of traditional historical analysis. 

Then, intellectual curiosity incited him to look at other forms of 

extreme violence. He found a number of similarities between 

the psychology of the serial killer and that of political extremists, 

the Nazi leaders in particular. His field of study then extended 

to include terrorist violence in the wake of 9/11, making 

use of all relevant scientific disciplines. His subsequent publications 

are the result of the unexpected convergence between 

the functioning of individual and collective forms of extreme 

violence. His latest book is La vengeance des humiliés (written 

with Gilbert Holleufer). 

19


20 


Round Table Panellists 

Hans-Peter Schmoll-Flockerzie 

AHBasel Krisentintervention für Jugendliche, Basel 

http://psychologie.ahbasel.ch/index_html?content=Team 

Hans-Peter Schmoll-Flockerzie is Psychologists specialized in 

Clinical Psychology, Criminology, Behavioral Therapy and Supervision. 

He treats violent adolescents with the method of Anti-Aggressivitäts-Training 

AAT © and Coolness Training CT. He 

gives courses of AAT/CT to tutors and teachers in the Institute 

of Confrontational Pedagogy IK-S (www.ik-s.ch). 

Stephen Thomas 

Security Officer for UEFA and Assistant Chief Constable British 

Transport Police 

Security Officer for UEFA and Assistant Chief Constable British Transport 

Police 

Stephen has performed his UEFA role in many European countries 

for club competitions and the European Championships 

of 2004 and 2008. He was a Syndicate Director for the UEFA 

Safety and Security Education Programme. 

He provides advice to those hosting international football tournaments, 

club competition final games and on measures improve 

safety and security. His policing role includes being the 

head of Football Policing in the UK, where he works closely 

with football authorities, clubs and police organizations to reduce 

violence in football, as well as leading English Police Delegations 

to other European countries for national team and club 

games. 

Bruno Gravier 

Head of the Service de Médecine et Psychiatrie Pénitentiaires 

Associate Professor/Psychiatry Department/ Centre Hospitaler 

Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne 

http://www.chuv.ch/psy/smpp.htm 

Bruno Gravier has devote himself to the developpment of medical 

and psychiatric care in correctional facilities. He has created 

in the CHUV of Lausanne a specific service for treating 

mentally ill offenders inside the prisons of the Canton de Vaud. 

His main fields of interest and research are the assessment of 

dangerousness, the treatment of sexual offenders and the articulation 

between care and law in a forensic field. He his president 

of the swiss association of doctors working in prison and 

vice president of the Swiss Forensic Psychiatry Society.



Gregoire Rubovszky 

Head of Emergency Psychiatry Service, HCUGE, Geneva 

Dr Gregoire Rubovszky is leading the emergency psychiatry unit 

in Geneva. He was consultant in the Interdisciplinary Consultation 

of Medicine and Prevention of Violence. He is in charge of 

the PTSD consultation team inside the consultation liaison and 

he is also contributing for the Consultation for Victims of Tortures 

and War. 

Christopher Mikton 

Technical Officer, Prevention of Violence Unit, WHO, 

Switzerland 

http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/about/whos_who/mikton/ 

en/index.html 

Dr Mikton’s work at WHO focuses on promoting the integration 

of violence prevention activities in Official Development 

Assistance agency programmes; the prevention of child maltreatment; 

maintaining the Violence Prevention Alliance secretariat; 

and evaluating the effectiveness of violence prevention 

interventions. Before joining WHO’s Violence Prevention Team, 

he worked as Clinical Scientist for the UK Ministry of Justice 

and Department of Health’s Dangerous and Severe Personality 

Disorder Programme, primarily conducting research on the effectiveness 

of the programme. 

Jakob Lund 

Director of the SMART programs in Scandinavia. 

http://www.artofliving.org/ 

Jacob Lund teaches breathing techniques (SMART) as a deep 

therapy for releasing anger and negative emotions. Jacob is 

instructor in marshal art and conducts courses inside and outside 

prison for persons who have problems with drugs, crime 

and violent behaviour; and for prison staff, psychologist, social 

workers and other persons involved in this area. The first 

SMART course was taught in Denmark, in the beginning of the 

year 2000. The affectivity of the courses is now being recognized 

by the Danish Department of Justice and the municipality 

(local authority). 

21


22 

Marie-Claude Hofner 


Medical doctor - Violence Medical Unit - University Center of 

Legal Medicine Western Switzerland – University Department 

of Community Medicine. Lausanne – Switzerland. 

http://www.artofliving.org/ 

Marie-Claude Hofner is a medical doctor specialised in public 

health. Since 1998 she is directing an interdisciplinary prevention 

program of interpersonal violence, which lead to the 

creation of the Violence Medical Unit (VMU) of the University 

Hospital Centre of Lausanne. The VMU is an original example 

of medico-legal and community oriented service for adults victims 

of violence. She is also currently deputy to represent Switzerland 

within the European network “Violence and Injury Prevention” 

of the Whorl Health Organisation.


Abstracts 

Abstracts for Speakers 

Part 1: Speaker Abstracts 

23


S-1 


De v e l o p m e n t a l t r a j e c t o r i e s o f h u m a n p h y s i - 

c a l v i o l e n c e a n D t h e i r D e t e r m i n a n t s : fr o m 

g e n e s t o s o c i a l p o l i c y (o r v i c e v e r s a) 

Tremblay, Richard E. 

Research Unit on Children’s Psychosocial Maladjustment University 

of Montreal, Canada 

The aim of this presentation is to summarize recent results on: 

1. developmental trajectories of physical aggression from birth to adulthood; 

2. long term outcomes of early chronic physical aggression; 

3. genetic and environmental (physical and social) risk factors of chronic 

physical aggression; 

4. genetic and environmental mechanisms leading to chronic physical aggression; 

5. effectiveness of preventive interventions; 

6. implications of the 5 previous topics for the prevention of chronic physical 

aggression. The presentation will conclude with examples of new experiments 

for advancing knowledge on preventable causal mechanisms. 

25


S-2 

26 


th e n e u r o b i o l o g y o f impulsivity a n D a g g r e ss 

i o n in aDhD 

Lesch, Klaus-Peter 

Department of Psychiatry, Psychsomatics, and Psychotherapy, 

University of Würzburg, Germany 

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; MIM #143465) is defined 

as a clinically heterogeneous neurodevelopmental syndrome comprising the 

triad of inattention, hyperactivity and increased impulsivity. It is the most 

common behavioral disorder in children with persistence into adulthood 

which profoundly compromises functioning in multiple areas throughout 

the life span and can significantly contribute to a variety of health, social, 

and economic problems. Affected individuals are at increased risk for poor 

educational and occupational achievement despite normal cognitive and 

intellectual abilities, low income, underemployment, impaired social skills 

and relationships, family dysfunction, legal difficulties, and delinquency. On 

the other hand, high IQ and a highly supportive, wellstructured family environment 

are protective factors against ADHD-related behavioral limitations. 

While an age-dependent fading may render symptoms not prominent 

enough to justify diagnosis of ADHD in adulthood, they are frequently associated 

with clinically significant impairment of cognitive and executive 

functions as well as stress coping and emotion regulation. As a result, adult 

ADHD is characterized by high co-morbidity with depression, anxiety disorders, 

alcohol/drug dependence, and antisocial personality disorders. 

Twin, adoption, and molecular genetic studies revealed that ADHD is a highly 

heritable disorder (h2: 70–80%) with a multifactorial pattern of inheritance, 

likely due to several genes of small or moderate effect size. Genom-wide linkage 

and microarray-based association and copy number variation analyses 

identified several susceptibility loci and risk genes. Frequency and ancestry 

of the susceptibility variants are consistent with the concept that traits associated 

with the ADHD phenotype have been subject to positive selection 

and that ADHD is the extreme of a normal variation exacerbated by adverse 

environmental circumstances. With focus on relevance to pathophysiological 

and pharmacotherapeutic mechanisms, the candidate gene approach 

has also been utilized in case-control or family-based studies. Investigations 

concentrated on genes which modulate synaptic transmission and association 

with ADHD was detected for genes encoding key modulators of 

the dopaminergic and serotonergic signalling pathways. Moreover, gene 

targeting approaches, e.g. generation of knockout mice, provide informative 

insight into pathophysiological mechanisms of locomotor hyperactivity 

and effects of psychostimulant drugs, such as methylphenidate or cocaine. 

Finally, complex interactions are to be expected between environmental 

factors and multiple genes each with a small to moderate influence on different 

traits. Perinatal complications, low socio-economic status, disruptive 

family environment and other psychosocial adversity have been identified


S-2 


th e n e u r o b i o l o g y o f impulsivity a n D a g g r e ss 

i o n in aDhD (co n t i n u e D ) 

Lesch, Klaus-Peter 

Department of Psychiatry, Psychsomatics, and Psychotherapy, 

University of Würzburg, Germany 

as predisposing environmental risk factors. While prenatal and parental risk 

factors may be critical mediators of influences on the risk, the association 

between these variables and ADHD is generally indirect. 

Converging evidence from animal and human studies including structural 

and functional neuroimaging implicates dysregulation of prefrontal–striatal– 

thalamic– cerebellar excitatory and inhibitory circuits with broadening to a 

multi-pathway framework in the pathophysiology of ADHD. It is widely accepted 

that ADHD is the common final behavioral consequence of an array 

of dysfunctions in each of several independent systems, such as cognitive, 

motivational, and executive pathways, as well as circuitries of stress adaptation 

and emotion regulation. Executive functions, which consist of a set 

of higher order thought processes required for adaptive and future-oriented 

behavior (e.g. deliberate suppression of a response to achieve a later, internally 

represented goal) and are controlled by frontal-subcortical circuits, 

include behavioral inhibition, working memory, attention setshifting, interference 

control, planning, and sustained attention. Impairment of executive 

functions with failure of inhibitory control; dysregulation of brain systems 

mediating reward and response cost; and deficits in arousal, activation, 

and effortful control, are central to the pattern of neuropsychological deficits. 

Deficits in arousal and effort lead to state-dependent cognitive deficits 

and underscore the view of an impairment in regulating cognitive functions 

rather than core deficits in any single function. Inattention but not hyperactivity/impulsivity 

is associated with deficits in executive functioning and 

poor academic achievement, whereas hyperactivity/impulsivity appears to 

be more closely related to dysfunctions of reward mechanisms. 

Functional neuroimaging studies have assessed the degree of brain activation 

associated with neuropsychological tasks of attention and disinhibition. 

The findings are consistent with the structural studies indicating delays in 

brain maturation processes and locating abnormalities of brain activation 

in patients with ADHD in fronto–subcortical–cerebellar circuits. Since the 

spectrum of ADHD features is not explained by a single neuropsychological 

deficit, disorder-associated impairments are heterogeneous and this complexity 

corresponds with causal heterogeneity. Despite recognition of ADHD 

as a neurodevelopmental condition, only few causal explanations have considered 

the two-way interactions between pre-existing abnormal functioning 

and biological, cognitive, emotional, motor and social developmental processes, 

and their contribution to the expression of the clinical phenotype. 

27


S-3 

28 


ag g r e s s i o n, s e r o t o n i n , a n D g e n e X e n v i r o n - 

m e n t i n t e r a c t i o n s 

Suomi, Stephen J. 

Laboratory of Comparative Ethology, the National Institute of 

Child Health & Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes 

of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland 

Recent research has disclosed marked individual differences in patterns 

of biobehavioral development exhibited by rhesus monkeys across the life 

span. For example, approximately 5-10% of rhesus monkeys growing up in 

the wild consistently exhibit impulsive and/or inappropriately aggressive responses 

to mildly stressful situations throughout development; those same 

individuals also show chronic deficits in their central serotonin metabolism. 

These characteristic patterns of biobehavioral response emerge early in life 

and remain remarkably stable from infancy to adulthood. Laboratory studies 

have demonstrated that although these characteristics are highly heritable, 

they are also subject to major modification by specific early experiences, 

particularly those involving early social attachment relationships. 

For example, a specific polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene 

is associated with deficits in serotonin metabolism, extreme aggression, 

and excessive alcohol consumption among monkeys who have experienced 

insecure early attachment relationships but not in monkeys who have developed 

secure attachment relationships with their mothers during infancy 

(“maternal buffering”). Moreover, because the attachment style of a monkey 

mother is typically “copied” by her daughters when they grow up and 

become mothers themselves, similar buffering is likely to occur for the next 

generation of infants carrying that specific polymorphism.


S-4 


th e ev o l u t i o n an D aD a p t i v e fu n c t i o n s o f 

an g e r , ag g r e s s i o n a n D vi o l e n c e 

Blanchard, Caroline 

Pacific Biosciences Research Center, and Dept. of Genetics and 

Molecular Biology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University 

of Hawaii 

Evolutionary analyses of behavior begin with information indicating that the 

behavior in question is present, to varying degrees, in individuals within a 

species; that it can be analyzed in terms of antecedent conditions and probable 

outcomes in situations similar to those in which the species evolved; 

and that there is evidence of a genetic influence on that behavior. Additional 

factors, such as relatively consistent sex or age-based modulation of 

that behavior may contribute to the specificity and rigor of analysis. 

For aggression and violence, long regarded as aberrant behaviors, all of 

these conditions are met. Under a wide range of known conditions, aggression 

and some other forms of violence may be highly adaptive responses, 

for both the aggressive individual and its relatives. This talk will examine 

the circumstances eliciting or facilitating different aspects of aggression and 

violence, across mammalian species, with attention to factors such as resource 

competition, bodily threats to the individual, weapon systems, social 

structures, and age and sex differences. While the focus will be on nonhuman 

mammals, application of information from such species may be applied 

to aggression and violence in people. The human experience of anger 

is strongly associated with some forms of aggression, as well as aggressive 

motivations that may not be expressed in actions. Anger may therefore 

provide insights into the situations that elicit aggression and violence in 

humans, and the goals with which it is associated, as well as social, demographic, 

and individual factors that contribute to the inhibition of overt aggression 

and violence. 

29


S-5 

30 


a r o l e f o r a r g i n i n e v a s o p r e s s i n a n D 

o X y t o c i n in s h a p i n g h u m a n s o c i a l b e h a v i o r 

Ebstein, Richard 

Psychology Department Hebrew University and Herzog Hospital 

Jerusalem Israel 

Increasing evidence suggests that two nonapeptides, arginine vasopressin 

and oxytocin, shape human social behavior in both nonclinical and clinical 

subjects. We will discuss evidence that in autism spectrum disorders genetic 

polymorphisms in the arginine vasopressin receptor 1a (AVPR1a), the oxytocin 

receptor (OXTR), CD38 and neurophysin I & II contribute to deficits 

in socialization skills in this group of patients. Additionally, we will present 

molecular genetic evidence that in nonclinical subjects both the AVPR1a and 

OXTR receptors contribute to prosocial or altruistic behavior inventoried by 

two experimental paradigms, the Dictator Game and Social Values Orientation. 

We will further discuss the strategy of employing experimental economic 

games combined with molecular genetics towards understanding the 

social brain. Finally, we will present evidence that intranasal administration 

of vasopressin increases social stress using the Trier Social Stress Test.


S-6 


ne u r o g e n e t i c a n D n e u r o h o r m o n a l m e c h a - 

n i s m s o f p r o s o c i a l a n D a g g r e s s i v e b e h a v i o r 

Meyer -Lindenberg, Andreas 

Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany 

Well-being and survival in primates, including humans, depends critically 

on social interactions, and disturbed social behavior is a key component of 

diseases such as autism, schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders. However, 

little is known about specific neurobiological factors shaping the human social 

brain. Since many aspects of social function are highly heritable (4), we 

have adopted a genetic approach to identify molecular and systems-level 

mechanisms of social cognition in humans. Studies in Williams Syndrome, a 

genetic condition with pronounced hypersociability, identified abnormal prefrontal 

regulation of amygdala as a neural substrate of social fear regulation 

under genetic control. Studies of candidate gene polymorphisms (5-HTTLPR, 

MAOA vNTR) impacting on personality, aggressive behavior, and emotional 

regulation modulate on similar circuitry. In animals, oxytocin and vasopressin 

are key mediators of complex emotional and social behaviors, reduce 

anxiety and impact on fear conditioning and extinction. Recently, oxytocin 

administration in humans was shown to increase trust, suggesting involvement 

of the amygdala, a central component of the neurocircuitry of fear and 

social cognition that has been linked to trust and highly expresses oxytocin 

receptors in many mammals. We report on functional neuroimaging studies 

in healthy human subjects. In males receiving oxytocin or placebo, oxytocin 

potently reduced activation of the amygdala and reduced coupling of 

the amygdala to brainstem regions implicated in autonomic and behavioral 

manifestations of fear. We also report on imaging genetic studies characterizing 

the effects of genetic variation in the vasopressin receptor (AVPR1A) 

and the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR), implicated in risk for autism, on 

brain structure and function related to emotional regulation and social behavior. 

Taken together, the results suggest neural mechanisms for social 

cognition in the human brain that begin to define mechanisms for both pro- 

and antisocial behavior as well as molecular approaches to modulate and 

treat these behaviors. 

31


S-7 

32 


ty p e s o f a g g r e s s i o n a n D t y p e s o f b r a i n 

m e c h a n i s m s . th e r o l e o f g l u c o c o r t i c o i D s 

Haller, Joseph 

Behavioural Neurobiology Department Institute of Experimental 

Medicine Budapest, Hungary 

Aggression is a behavioral mechanism of competition, which consists of acts 

that are aimed at or threat with, inflicting physical harm in social conflict. 

Aggressiveness is expressed by all species that are endowed with appropriate 

motor skills and neural systems. As such, this behavior cannot be considered 

abnormal per se. Yet, aggressiveness constitutes a major problem 

in human societies. Those manifestations of aggression that raise the largest 

concerns either loose their competitive role (they are internally driven 

rather than goal oriented) or disregard social rules, for which reasons they 

cannot be considered normal any more. Not surprisingly, such abnormal 

manifestations of aggressiveness usually occur in the context of various 

psychological disorders. 

We argue here that the neural control of normal and abnormal aggression 

is different, and changes in glucocorticoid secretion patterns are among the 

factors that underlie the behavioral and neural shifts that lead to abnormal 

aggression. This proposal will be substantiated by laboratory studies 

involving models of abnormal aggression. We will show that factors that 

lead to psychopathology-associated abnormal aggression in humans result 

in the development of abnormal aggression patterns in laboratory rodents. 

Among the eliciting factors, the ones that affect glucocorticoid secretion 

will be in focus. We will also show that the neural control of such abnormal 

aggression patterns is different from the one that underlies male rivalry aggression, 

which can be considered normal in laboratory rodents. Important 

differences were found at many levels of the neuronal circuitry that controls 

aggression, e.g. in the prefrontal cortex, septum, extended amygdala, 

hypothalamus, and brainstem. We will also show that normal and abnormal 

aggression responds differently to pharmacological agents, suggesting that 

agents that decrease rivalry aggression will not necessarily decrease abnormal 

manifestations of aggressiveness. We suggest that different types of 

human aggression need different pharmacological approaches. 

Our findings demonstrate that aggression is not a unitary phenomenon, 

neither in terms of behavioral manifestations nor in terms of neural control. 

A differentiated view on these phenomena offers the chance of a deeper 

understanding and may enable the development more efficient treatment 

strategies.


S-8 

th e vi o l e n c e o f in e q u a l i t y 


Wilkinson, Richard 

University of Nottingham Medical School, UK; International Centre 

for Health and Society, University College London 

Rates of violence and homicide in societies are part of a wider pattern of social 

dysfunction. If you look at rich countries and compare life expectancy, 

mental health, homicide rates, conflict between school children, teenage 

birth rates, drug abuse, obesity rates, levels of trust or the strength of community 

life, you find that countries which tend to do well on one of these 

measures tend to do well on all of them, and the ones which do badly, do 

badly on all of them. What accounts for the difference? 

The key seems to be the amount of inequality in each society. The picture is 

consistent whether we compare rich countries or the 50 states of the USA. 

It seems likely that the extent of income inequality in each society serves 

as a determinant and expression of the scale and importance of social class 

stratification. The greater the inequality, the greater the status competition 

and the more prevalent are all the problems associated with relative 

deprivation. However, although the amount of inequality has its greatest 

effect on rates of problems among the poor, its affects extend to almost all 

income groups reducing levels of well-being among the vast majority of the 

population. 

Inequality has always been regarded as socially corrosive. Now comparisons 

between rich market democracies show that even small differences in 

inequality affect the quality of social relations in society at large. Research 

on the social determinants of health provides some pointers to why are we 

so sensitive to inequality: it increases status insecurity, raises the “social 

evaluative threat” and heightens issues of respect and disrespect. Particularly 

important are the effects of low social status, poor friendship networks 

and early childhood experience. These affect forms of psychosocial insecurity, 

anxiety and people’s sense of whether they are valued and appreciated. 

Through these pathways inequality not only affects social relation within a 

society, but also leads to differences in international relations. 

33


S-9 

34 


mi c r o-s i t u a t i o n a l a n t e c e D e n t s o f v i o l e n t 

a t r o c i t y 

Klusemann, Stefan 

Sociology MA, University of Pennsylvania, USA 

My paper presents an analysis of video-recordings showing micro-situational 

events that preceded the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in which more 

than 7,000 Bosnian-Muslim men were killed by troops of the Bosnian Serb 

Army. The paper focuses on the sequential unfolding of micro-interactions 

and emotional dynamics that preceded the atrocity. It is argued that micro-interactions 

constitute situational turning points towards, or away from 

atrocities. Even if there are pre-planned plots or macro-structural background 

conditions which lead particular persons to be motivated to commit 

violence, a micro-situational, emotional momentum is needed for atrocities 

to occur. The paper breaks new ground methodologically by analyzing video-material 

in violent situations with Paul Ekman’s research tools and the 

micro-sociological theories of Randall Collins, Jack Katz, Theodore Kemper, 

and Thomas Scheff.


S-10 


ba l a n c i n g r i s k s a n D r e w a r D s: t h e l o g i c 

o f v i o l e n c e 

Broom, Mark 

Department of Mathematics University of Sussex, UK 

The use of violence is widespread throughout the natural world, prominent 

examples being predatory violence between species, seasonal violent competition 

for mating rights and territories within species and competition for 

food both within and between species. These interactions are generally between 

unrelated individuals with no social connection. There are, however, 

also examples of violent behaviour which occurs within groups of individuals 

who otherwise cooperate to live, have significant social bonds and may 

also be related, and that is the primary focus of this talk. Examples are in 

the establishment and maintenance of dominance hierarchies, or in infanticide, 

where (usually) incoming males attempt to kill existing infants in a 

group. Such violence can at first sight seem paradoxical, but in fact is often 

perfectly logical from the perspective of the individual perpetrating the 

violence, as distinct from the group as a whole. We discuss such situations 

from the point of view of evolutionary game theory, and also touch on wider 

questions of intraspecific violence in general. 

35


S-11 

36 


se X u a l s e l e c t i o n a s a n e X p l a n a t i o n o f 

h u m a n s e X D i f f e r e n c e s in a g g r e s s i o n 

Archer, John 

The Aggression Research Group University of Central Lancashire, 

UK 

Darwin proposed that human sex differences in aggression arose from sexual 

selection, principally male competition. In psychology, there has been a 

long tradition of environmentally-based explanations, currently represented 

by social role theory. Both approaches are outlined, including recent formulations 

that address variability and flexibility within a broadly biological 

framework. Meta-analytic summaries show that the magnitude of the sex 

difference increases in magnitude with the degree of risk involved, consistent 

with a sexual selection view emphasizing more risky male than female 

competition. Sex differences in physical aggression are found early in life, 

and peak in young adulthood, again consistent with an evolutionary origin. 

Likely mediators of the sex difference are greater female fear of physical 

danger, greater male impulsiveness, and greater female empathy, all of 

which fit both a sexual selection and a social role interpretation. Greater 

male than female variability in physical aggression is consistent with an 

alternative life history perspective derived from sexual selection; variability 

according to the internalization of social roles is consistent with a social role 

view. Both ecologically-produced and role-related variability are consistent 

with both explanations. Overall, there is considerable evidence consistent 

with a sexual selection origin for human sex differences in aggression, and 

some evidence that social roles influence immediate causation. A range 

of other sex differences places these differences in aggression within the 

context of an adaptive complex, consistent with humans being a sexuallyselected 

species. A very different pattern of sex differences is found for 

between-sex aggression in western samples, in particular between partners: 

women and men are equally likely to physically aggress. There is considerable 

cross-national variability, which is highly correlated with gender 

empowerment. An evolutionary origin for partner violence is proposed, in 

terms of the conflicts of interest and inequality of coercive power between 

the sexes, with societal gender roles accounting for cross-national variability. 

The evidence therefore indicates a different operation of evolutionary 

and social forces according to sex of the opponent. Overall, sexual selection 

provides the most comprehensive explanation for same-sex aggression 

and a mix of evolutionary-based conflicts of interest and social roles for 

between-sex aggression.


S-12 

criminal ps y c h o p a t h y : as s e s s m e n t, 

vi o l e n c e , a n D ne u r o s c i e n c e 


Kiehl, Kent 

Mobile Imaging Core and Clinical Cognitive Neuroscience, 

Mind Research Network, Albuquerque, New Mexico 

Psychopathy is a personality disorder that includes interpersonal and affective 

traits such as glibness, lack of empathy, guilt or remorse, shallow affect, 

and irresponsibility, and behavioral characteristics such as impulsivity, 

poor behavioral control, and promiscuity. Individuals with psychopathy constitute 

approximately 20% of incarcerated populations. Longitudinal studies 

have shown that psychopaths commit a disproportionate amount of violent 

crime. Recently we have deployed a one-of-a-kind mobile MRI system to 

study psychopathy in incarcerated populations. Brain imaging results from 

our first 500 offenders will be presented. 

37


S-13 

38 


ge t t i n g t h e p h e n o t y p e s r i g h t : th e 

e s s e n t i a l i n g r e D i e n t t o u n D e r s t a n D i n g 

a e t i o l o g i c a l m e c h a n i s m s a n D D e v e l o p i n g 

e f f e c t i v e t r e a t m e n t s 

Hodgins, Sheilagh 

Institute of Psychiatry King’s College, University of London 

UK 

The population of individuals who as adults engage in persistent physical 

violence towards others is not homogeneous. The available evidence suggests 

that it includes at least three sub-groups. While all of the sub-groups 

display an early-onset pattern of antisocial behaviour that remains stable 

across the life-span, the sub-groups differ in behaviour, mental disorders, 

personality traits, emotion processing, cognitive abilities, attentional processes, 

and stress reactivity. These differences emerge at an early age and 

the sub-groups appear to remain distinct from childhood through adulthood. 

Yet, knowledge of the development of these sub-groups of individuals 

who become persistent violent offenders is very limited. Consequently, 

inadequate characterization of participants in investigations of genes that 

confer vulnerability for persistent violent behaviour, of brain structure and 

function, and in studies of the links between specific genes and brain structure 

and function limits the meaningfulness of the results. Accurate characterization 

of sub-groups of persistently violent individuals, at each developmental 

stage, is necessary in order to elucidate the complex mechanisms 

through the course of development that lead to an adult who persistently 

engages in violent behaviour towards others. Without understanding these 

developmental mechanisms, the establishment of effective prevention and 

treatment programmes is not likely.


S-14 


mu l t i m o D a l c h a r a c t e r i z a t i o n o f g e n e t i c 

r i s k m e c h a n i s m s f o r impulsive a g g r e s s i o n 

Buckholtz, Joshua W. 

Neuroscience Vanderbilt Brain Institute Department of Psychology 

Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA 

It has long been noted that antisocial traits and behaviors tend to run in 

families. More recently, family, adoption and twin studies have confirmed the 

heritability of antisocial aggression, demonstrating that genetic influences 

are in great part responsible for its intergenerational transmission. However, 

even for the most promising candidate gene for antisociality – MAOA 

– statistical genetic associations to disorders of aggression are often weak 

and inconsistent. By contrast, a robust and replicated gene-by-environment 

interaction has been demonstrated between childhood maltreatment and 

allelic variation in the MAOA promoter¸ with markedly higher rates of antisocial 

behavior found in male carriers of a low expressing allele (MAOA-L) 

who have been abused as children. I will present neuroimaging evidence 

that the MAOA-L allele is associated with profound alterations in the structure 

and function of, and connectivity between, key neural nodes for affect 

processing, emotion regulation and social evaluation. This “socio-affective 

scaffold” – comprised of amygdala, rostral cingulate, and medial prefrontal 

cortex – appears to be uniquely vulnerable to the effect of elevated serotonin 

levels during development, as other putative genetic risk factors for 

violence are also linked to an ontogenic excess of serotonin. I will outline a 

model whereby genetic predisposition to aggression – by altering structure 

and function within the socio-affective scaffold – amplifies the impact of 

early adverse life experience, creating stable sociocognitive biases which, 

in turn, lead to impulsive aggressive behavior. Finally, I will detail potential 

epigenetic mechanisms through which early adverse life experience might 

interact with genetic variation in MAOA to bring about the development of 

adult impulsive violence. 

39


S-15 

40 


ag g r e s s i o n, s e r o t o n i n , a n D g e n e X e n v i - 

r o n m e n t i n t e r a c t i o n s 

Suomi, Stephen J. 

Laboratory of Comparative Ethology, the National Institute 

of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD), National 

Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland 

Recent research has disclosed marked individual differences in patterns 

of biobehavioral development exhibited by rhesus monkeys across the life 

span. For example, approximately 5-10% of rhesus monkeys growing up in 

the wild consistently exhibit impulsive and/or inappropriately aggressive responses 

to mildly stressful situations throughout development; those same 

individuals also show chronic deficits in their central serotonin metabolism. 

These characteristic patterns of biobehavioral response emerge early in life 

and remain remarkably stable from infancy to adulthood. Laboratory studies 

have demonstrated that although these characteristics are highly heritable, 

they are also subject to major modification by specific early experiences, 

particularly those involving early social attachment relationships. 

For example, a specific polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene 

is associated with deficits in serotonin metabolism, extreme aggression, 

and excessive alcohol consumption among monkeys who have experienced 

insecure early attachment relationships but not in monkeys who have developed 

secure attachment relationships with their mothers during infancy 

(“maternal buffering”). Moreover, because the attachment style of a monkey 

mother is typically “copied” by her daughters when they grow up and 

become mothers themselves, similar buffering is likely to occur for the next 

generation of infants carrying that specific polymorphism.


S-16 


ne u r o n a l p l a s t i c i t y, h o m e o s t a s i s a n D 

v i o l e n c e 

Ansermet, François1 ; Magistretti, Pierre2 1Service of psychiatry of children and adolescents Geneva 

University Hospital 

2Laboratory of Neuroenergetics and Cellular Dynamics, 

Brain Mind Institute, EPFL 

In this presentation, we will address the issue of violence through a theoretical 

model in which experience, traces left by experience through the mechanisms 

of neuronal plasticity and the associated somatic states are dynamically 

connected. Another related issue will be the notion of homeostasis and 

in particular the homeostatic function of the trace left by experience. Thus, 

as we previously discussed in our writings (e.g. Biology of Freedom, Other 

Press, NY, 2007) we propose a model through which the subject constitutes 

from experience an internal reality both conscious and unconscious. This 

internal reality associates somatic states (S) with representations (R). The 

prototypical model for the homeostatic role of the trace is the experience 

of satisfaction during the perinatal stages. Here the newborn is exposed 

not only to a new environment after leaving the homeostatic intra-uterine 

condition but also to a considerable set of stimulations originating from his/ 

her body, through the interoceptive system which generates a considerable 

perturbation of the homeostasis. The newborn can only re-establish 

the homeostatic status through the intervention of the Other. This process 

generates a set of traces which inscribes this homeostatic experience in the 

neuronal network. 

It appears justified to consider that most of these interoceptive stimulations 

are associated with unpleasure which cannot be related to meaningful 

representations. In other words, the newborn is passive in front of these internally-derived 

unpleasant sensations which leave traces of somatic states 

(S) that cannot be related with meaningful representations (R). Thus, one 

can view this condition of the newborn as a state of chronic stress. With 

the intervention of the Other, these internal states which are enigmatic to 

the subject as they are not associated with a representation, progressively 

become meaningful. Thus the somatic states (S) become buffered by the 

representations (R) through a process generated by the action of the Other. 

If this action of the Other does not take place, for example as consequence 

of maternal deprivation, the homeostatic function of the trace does not occur. 

This sustains an absence of association between somatic states (S) and 

representations (R) leading to a state of chronic stress which requires an 

action to create a representation (R). We posit that violence, by generating 

a response from the external environment following the violent action of the 

subject, has a paradoxical homeostatic function, as under these conditions 

the somatic states become associated with a “meaningful” representation. 

Thus, a chronic state of stress due to the absence of association between 

somatic states and meaningful representations due to the absence of response 

or interactions with the Other at the early stages of life, generates a 

need for a discharge which can take place as a violent act. 

41


S-17 

42 


ge n e t i c a n D e a r l y e n v i r o n m e n t a l f a c t o r s 

s h a p i n g a D u l t m a l e a g g r e s s i o n 

Neumann, Inga D. 

Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neuroendocrinology 

University of Regensburg, Germany 

Aggression constitutes a central problem in our societies and is also linked 

to several psychopathologies, including stress-related affective disorders. 

Moreover, adverse early life experiences like emotional neglect and abuse, 

are established risk factors not only for the development of anxiety- and depression-related 

disorders, but also of abnormal or excessive forms of adult 

aggression. However, comparable animal studies on aggression are lacking. 

Here, we present animal models to study the influence of the genetic background 

for either high (HAB) or low (LAB) anxiety-related behaviour, as well 

the influence of early life stress on adult intermale aggression. 

First, we analyzed the aggression behaviour of HAB and LAB male Wistar 

rats during a 10-min resident-intruder (RI) test. LAB males displayed more 

aggressive behaviour than HAB or non-selected NAB males, which was reflected 

by more attacks and a shorter attack latency, and accompanied by 

a more pronounced plasma ACTH response, differential neuronal activation 

within relevant brain regions (PVN, septum), and a decrease in lateral septal 

vasopressin release as measured by intracerebral microdialysis (1,2). 

Moreover, LAB males show abnormal aggression towards a narcotized male, 

and a female intruder, respectively. 

Moreover, we analyzed the effects of maternal separation (MS) on juvenile 

play-fight behaviour as well as on adult intermale aggression. Juvenile MS 

rats showed a significant increase in offensive play-fighting (more nape 

attacks and vigorous fur pulling, less supine postures), and an increase in 

adult aggression during the RI test (more lateral threat, keep down and offensive 

upright). In order to understand possible underlying neurobiological 

mechanisms, we quantified vasopressin mRNA expression, as the brain 

vasopressin system is an important modulator of complex social behaviors 

including aggression. Interestingly, an increased vasopressin mRNA expression 

was found in the PVN of juvenile and adult MS rats (3). 

In order to reveal genetic X environmental interaction, HAB and LAB rats 

were exposed to MS. Quantification of adult intermale aggression revealed 

differential effects of MS depending on the genetic background thus confirming 

recent results in the context of anxiety- and stress-related adult 

parameters in early life-stressed HAB and LAB rats (4,5). 

Thus, the use and establishment of relevant animal models will enable us to 

reveal the genetic and early environmental factors which shape adult male 

aggression and underlying neuronal mechanisms. 

Supported by BMBF and DFG (IDN)


S-18 


ag g r e s s i o n a n D vi o l e n c e in a n i m a l s; r o l e 

o f p e r s o n a l i t y f a c t o r s 

Koolhaas, Jaap M. 

Behavioral Physiology, University of Groningen, 


While most animal studies of aggression concern aggressive behavior as a functional 

and adaptive form of social behavior, studies in humans often focus on 

impulsive aggression and violence as maladaptive forms of aggressive behavior. 

Violence can be defined as a form of aggression that is both out of control and out 

of context and lacks its social communicative function. Little is known about the 

factors involved in the change from adaptive aggression into violence. A number of 

animal experiments will be discussed aimed at the interaction between individual 

predisposition and previous social experience in the development of violence. 

Our research on feral (wild-derived rodents) shows that offensive aggression is 

more generally related to coping with environmental challenges. Highly aggressive 

males adopt a proactive coping style, whereas low levels of aggression reflect 

a more passive or reactive coping style. These divergent coping styles have now 

been observed in a wide variety of species and determine adaptive capacity and 

vulnerability to stress related pathologies, including disorders characterized by 

outbursts of intense aggression and violence. Recent experiments show that the 

proactive coping style is characterised by a high propensity to develop violence. 

The underlying factor in the transition of adaptive aggression into violence seems 

to be the gradual reduction of inhibitory control of aggression in the course of repeated 

winning experience. For example, an extensive sequential analysis of the 

pre-attack behavior of two interacting males shows that the aggressive behavior 

of the proactive animal becomes more and more independent of the opponent 

after repeated winning. Experienced, highly aggressive males no longer respond 

to social signals from the opponent and develop escalated, indiscriminating and 

injurious forms of offensive aggression. 

Our animal models allow the identification of underlying physiological and neurochemical 

systems involved in the transition from aggression to violence. The 

presentation will focus on brain serotonin (5-HT) as the major orchestrator of 

aggression in many species including humans. However, the current view of the 

role of 5-HT in aggression is too simple. For example, the paradox between the 

serotonin deficiency hypothesis of aggression and the inhibitory effects of 5-HT on 

aggression clearly needs a solution. Recent studies on the 5-HT system before, 

during and after normal adaptive and pathological forms of aggression emphasize 

the importance of a clear distinction between aggression and violence. Offensive 

aggression, aimed at territorial control and social dominance is positively related 

to 5-HT neuronal activity. The violent form of aggression is associated with a tonic, 

trait-like reduction in 5-HT activity. Experiments in male rats and mice show that 

this reduction is due to an excessive serotonergic auto-inhibition predominantly 

mediated via an enhanced sensitivity of the somatodendritic 5-HT1A auto-receptors. 

Future research will address the question how this dynamic change in the 

tonic inhibitory control of the 5-HT neuron in the course of the development of 

violent trait characteristics may affect the activity of the neuron during the violent 

act itself. 

43


S-19 

44 


st r e s s a s a g e n e r a t o r o f s o c i a l i m b a l - 

a n c e 

Sandi, Carmen; Cordero, M. Isabel; Marquez, Cristina; 

Timmer, Marjan 

Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics Brain Mind Institute 


Stress is frequently regarded as an inevitable drawback of many hierarchical 

arrangements of social groups. Most notably, subordinate individuals 

have frequently been shown to display clear signs of chronic stress (including 

weight loss, increased levels of glucocorticoid hormones, deficiencies in 

the immune system, and even increased death rate). Given that high stress 

and increasing stress hormone levels are linked to both physical and mental 

health problems, stress has been proposed as a key mediator of the wealth 

of health problems resulting from social inequity. 

Despite substantial evidence indicating that, on its turn, stress can have 

a major impact on aspects of social dominance –such as aggressiveness, 

success in competition for resources and social anxiety– the contribution 

of stress to creating social imbalance is still largely disregarded in psychosocio-biological 

contexts. This talk will present evidence from animal work 

showing that stress affects social hierarchies in different aspects, and potentiates 

aggressions among affected individuals, with all these examples illustrating 

how, eventually, stress has a profound impact not only in the directly 

stressed individuals but also in their interacting partners and offspring. The 

first part of the talk will deal with a model whereby being stressed at the 

time of a first social encounter (already established hierarchies are largely 

immune to disruption by stress) can have major consequences on the longterm 

establishment of the resulting social hierarchy, with stress acting as a 

two-stage mechanism: (i) by influencing the rank achieved after the social 

encounter; and (ii) by having a long-term impact on the subsequent status 

of the individual in future encounters with either the same (by promoting a 

long-term memory for the specific hierarchy) or with other (winner-loser effects) 

individual/s. The second part of the talk will discuss how stress during 

early development can affect individuals’ aggressiveness later on life and, 

on its turn, life quality and health in their social environments. 

Identifying stress among the critical mechanisms contributing to create social 

imbalance widens the potential interventions to reduce psychosocial 

and societal problems due to uneven status.


S-20 


gr o u p s , by s t a n D e r s a n D t h e in f o r m a l 

re g u l a t i o n o f vi o l e n c e 

Levine, Mark 

Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, UKA 

Ever since Nisbett and Wilson’s (1977) essay, “Telling More Than We Can 

Know”, social psychologists have been sensitised to the fact that people 

have very little introspective access to the underlying causes of their own 

behaviour. In other words, what our participants tell us in questionnaires 

and interviews and focus groups should not be treated as a veridical route 

to psychological reality. This raises some important questions about methods 

and the conclusions we draw from them. For example, in the study of 

helping behaviour, there is often a gap between what people say and what 

they do in real-life helping situations. Thus, reactive and non-reactive measures 

need to be combined in order to develop a more complete picture of 

the likelihood of helping. 

This strategy of combining verbal reports and behavioural studies works 

well, as long as it is possible to combine both levels of analysis. However, 

there are some domains in which it is difficult, for ethical and practical reasons, 

to carry out robust behavioural research. The study of violence, and in 

particular, bystander intervention in violence, is one such domain. There are 

many ethical challenges to be overcome in attempting to expose research 

participants to violent events, and many logistical difficulties in (re)creating 

violent events that can be used and manipulated in robust empirical studies. 

In this paper I will suggest that, one consequence of this has been a rather 

partial view of the role of groups in social psychological explanations of 

violence. For the most part, in traditional social psychology, groups tend to 

be seen as psychologically dangerous. On the one hand, the presence of 

others can lead to ‘peer-group pressure’, ‘mob violence’ or mass hysteria 

– all threats to individual rationality which are likely to produce anti-social 

behaviour. On the other hand, the presence of others can lead to ‘diffusion 

of responsibility’, ‘pluralistic ignorance’ and ‘bystander apathy’ – threats to 

individual rationality that are likely to prevent people from helping those 

under threat of violent attack. Thus, groups are damned for causing ‘excitation’ 

and damned for causing ‘inhibition’ – with both paths deriving from the 

same set of circumstances. 

I will argue that this idea of the danger of the group misunderstands the 

role of group processes in violence. I will demonstrate, using data from 

experiments exploring bystander behaviour in emergencies, that groups 

can facilitate pro-social behaviour. I will then go on to describe a detailed 

behavioural analysis of a corpus of 42 clips of CCTV footage 

45


S-20 

46 


gr o u p s , by s t a n D e r s a n D t h e in f o r m a l 

re g u l a t i o n o f vi o l e n c e (co n t .) 

Levine, Mark 

Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, UKA 

of violent incidents. I will show that an analysis of the behaviours of perpetrators, 

targets and bystanders to real life violence reveals that, as group 

size increases, more pro-social than anti-social acts occur. Moreover, I will 

show that there is an implicit pattern to the sequences in the CCTV clips 

such that violent and non-violent episodes are distinguished by what happens 

on the ‘third bystander act’. I will argue that the violence in these 

episodes cannot be understood with reference to the perpetrator, or the 

victim, or even the relationship between perpetrator and victim. Instead 

I will suggest that violence (and the informal control of potentially violent 

episodes) needs to be understood as a group level ‘choreography’. It is what 

the bystanders do – or do not do – that determines the trajectory of the 

violence. 

I will conclude by arguing that these findings would not be available from 

methods that rely on participant accounts or other forms of reactive data 

collection. To that end I will speculate on how conducting experiments using 

violence in Virtual Environments can create the empirical conditions 

required to test some of the important outstanding questions about the role 

of group processes in understanding violence.


S-21 

vi r t u a l re a l i t y in th e st u D y of 

eX t r e m e si t u a t i o n s 


Slater, Mel 

Virtual Environments Department of Computer Science 

University College London, UK 

When people experience situations and events in an immersive virtual reality, 

they typically respond as if these were really happening, even though 

they know for sure that nothing real is taking place. This power of virtual 

reality to induce response-as-if-real makes it a powerful tool in the investigation 

of how people would respond in dangerous and extreme situations 

– but avoiding the practical and ethical problems that would be involved in 

real exposure. In this talk we will introduce the main characteristics of a virtual 

reality system, and describe a number of experimental case studies on 

this theme. We will conclude with an discussion of the use of virtual reality 

in the study of violence. 

47


S-22 

48 


wi n n e r s , l o s e r s a n D b y s t a n D e r s : t h e 

s t r u c t u r e o f D o m i n a n c e h i e r a r c h i e s 

Dugatkin, Lee Alan 

Department of Biology, University of Louisville, USA 

Dominance hierarchies are a fundamental part of the social fabric of animals 

that live in groups, and behavioral ecologists have sought to understand the 

dynamics and stability of such dominance hierarchies. I present a family of 

models that my colleagues and I have developed to examine how winner effects, 

loser effects and bystander effects impact the structure and stability 

of dominance hierarchies. We have found that when winner effects alone 

are in play, a strict linear hierarchy emerges in which all individuals hold an 

unambiguous rank and fights are common. When examining loser effects in 

the absence of winner effects, a clear top-ranked individual always emerges, 

but the rank of others in the group is unclear. In addition, when loser 

effects are in play, interactions are primarily of the form “attack-retreat,” 

wherein one animal opts to fight, but the other does not.


S-23 


re-e X p o s u r e t o co m b a t in vi r t u a l re a li 

t y a s a tr e a t m e n t f o r ptsD 

Rizzo, Albert 

Institute for Creative Technologies University of Southern 

California, USA 

According to the DSM-IV [1], PTSD is caused by experiencing or witnessing 

an event involving actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat 

to the physical integrity of self or others. Such events may include military 

combat, violent personal assault, being kidnapped or taken hostage, rape, 

terrorist attack, torture, incarceration as a prisoner of war, natural or manmade 

disasters, automobile accidents, or being diagnosed with a life-threatening 

illness. The disorder also appears to be more severe and long lasting 

when the event is caused by human means and design (bombings, shootings, 

combat, etc.). Such incidents would be distressing to almost anyone, 

and are usually experienced with intense fear, horror, and helplessness. The 

essential feature of PTSD is the development of characteristic symptoms 

that may include intrusive thoughts, nightmares or flashbacks, avoidance of 

reminders of the traumatic event, emotional numbing, hyper-alertness, anger, 

isolation, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, survivor guilt, suicidal 

feelings and thoughts, negative self-image, memory impairment, problems 

with intimate relationships, emotional distance from family and others and 

denial of social problems. Symptoms of PTSD are often intensified when the 

person recalls or is exposed to stimulus cues that resemble or symbolize 

the original trauma in a non-therapeutic setting. Such uncontrolled cue exposure 

may lead the person to react with a survival mentality and mode of 

response that could put himself/herself and others at considerable risk. 

The violence of war is one of the most challenging environments that a 

human can experience. The cognitive, emotional and physical demands of 

a combat environment place enormous stress on even the best-prepared 

military personnel. Veterans exposed to combat are at increased risk of 

PTSD, with estimates of lifetime prevalence for PTSD at 26.9% and 30.9% 

for female and male veterans of the Vietnam War respectively, compared to 

a lifetime prevalence of 10.4% for women and 5% for men in the general 

population [2-4]. 

The Iraq/Afghanistan combat environments, with its ubiquitous battlefronts, 

ambiguous enemy identification and repeated extended deployments, was 

anticipated to produce a significant number of returning American Service 

Members (SMs) with PTSD and other mental disorders. Recent studies are 

now confirming this expectation in that significant numbers of veterans of 

the current combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are in fact at risk for 

developing PTSD [5-8]. Hoge and colleagues [5] administered an anonymous 

survey to U.S. SMs before and after deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Results of the PTSD Checklist (PCL) showed that following deployment 

to Iraq, a significantly higher percentage of SMs screened positive for PTSD 

(between 18 and 19.9%) than Soldiers deployed to Afghanistan (11.5%) 

49


S-23 

50 



t y a s a tr e a t m e n t f o r ptsD (co n t .) 

Rizzo, Albert 



or before deployment (9.4%). Furthermore, the prevalence of PTSD among 

SMs deployed to Iraq increased in a linear manner with the number of firefights 

experienced, such that PTSD rates were 4.5% for those involved in no 

firefights and increased to 19.3% for those involved in more than five firefights. 

Hoge et al., [6] in a more recent study analyzed the Post Deployment 

Health Assessment (PDHA) responses of over 300,000 SMs after deployment 

to Iraq and Afghanistan. Although the PDHA uses a different screening tool 

for PTSD, (the Primary Care PTSD screen; PC-PTSD), results were similar to 

previous research indicating that the PTSD rates for SMs deployed to Iraq 

were higher than the PTSD rates for SMs deployed to Afghanistan. Also, 

SMs who screened positive for any mental health concern were more likely 

to leave military service within a year after deployment, and their mental 

health concerns are likely to persist. Seal and colleagues [7], in a recent 

study of 103,788 OIF/OEF veterans seen at VA health facilities, reported 

that 31% received mental health/or psychological diagnoses and that 16% 

of veterans who sought treatment at VA facilities between September 2001 

and September 2005 met criteria for PTSD. Furthermore, these estimates 

were made before the violence escalated in the last 2 years, and the number 

of persons affected is likely to have grown in step with the intensity of 

the conflict. For example, VA statistics report that there were 19,356 OIF/ 

OEF veterans receiving compensation for PTSD as of March 2006, while five 

months after in August 2006, 34,380 discharged soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan 

were diagnosed by the VA with PTSD, of the 63,767 diagnosed 

with a mental disorder with current estimates suggesting approximately 

300,000 OIF/OEF Veterans at risk for developing PTSD [8]. These findings 

highlight the need and potential value in addressing this problem early, intensively 

and with the best non-stigmatizing treatment tools available for 

combat veterans still in service as well as upon discharge. 

Among the many approaches that have been used to treat PTSD, exposure 

therapy appears to have the best-documented therapeutic efficacy. Such 

treatment typically involves the graded and repeated imaginal reliving of 

the traumatic event within the therapeutic setting and is believed to provide 

a low-threat context where the patient can begin to therapeutically process 

trauma-relevant emotions as well as de-condition the learning cycle of the 

disorder via a habituation/extinction process. While the efficacy of imaginal 

exposure has been established in multiple studies with diverse trauma populations, 

many patients are unwilling or unable to effectively visualize the 

traumatic event. To address this problem, researchers have recently turned 

to the use of Virtual Reality (VR) to deliver exposure therapy by immersing 

patients in simulations of trauma-relevant environments that allow


S-23 



t y a s a tr e a t m e n t f o r ptsD (co n t .) 

Rizzo, Albert 



for precise control of stimulus conditions. 

Since 2004, the University of Southern California Institute for Creative 

Technologies has spearheaded an extensive scientific program for the development 

and evaluation of a novel Virtual Reality system for exposure 

therapy for PTSD. The initial prototype version of this system (Virtual Iraq/ 

Afghanistan) has undergone successful clinical tests via an open clinical trial 

at the Naval Medical Center-San Diego and Camp Pendleton and a randomized 

clinical trial is underway at Ft. Lewis, WA. Direct clinical application and 

other comparative clinical trials are ongoing at approximately 20+ sites. 

This talk will present an overview of PTSD exposure therapy, a description 

of VR and the rationale for how this technology has been applied as a tool to 

deliver exposure therapy along with a brief review of current research. We 

then provide a description of the Virtual Iraq/Afghanistan exposure therapy 

system and treatment protocol and present initial results from an open 

clinical trial with active duty military personnel. The talk will conclude with 

a summary of future directions where VR technology can be applied to more 

comprehensively address a range of issues relevant to the emotional consequences 

of the violence of war. Background and current results from this 

project can be found in Rizzo et al., [9-11]. 

51


52 

February 11-13 2009


Abstracts 

Part 2: Poster Abstracts 

Poster Abstracts 

53


P-1 


es t i m a t i o n o f a s t r a t e g y o f n e g o t i a t i o n - 

s u b m i s s i o n b y u r b a n a r e a o f a D o l e c e n t s 

w i t h a h i g h p r e s e n c e o f criminal 

o r g a n i z a t i o n . 

Baralla, Francesca 1 ; Tramontano, Carlo 1 ; Giannini, Anna 

Maria 1 ; Sgalla, Roberto 2 ; Marchetti, Marco 3 

1 Sapienza, University of Rome; 2 Italian Ministry of Interior, Department 

of Public Security; 3 University of Molise 

The reconciliation hypothesis predicts that individuals try to “undo” the social 

damage inflicted by aggression (de Waal, 2000). Inside the most wide 

research on legality of young context in south Italy regions with a strong 

presence of criminal organization (Giannini 2008), it has been wanted 

to control how a negotiation-submission behaviour has been lived from 

a group of 1988 high school adolescents (51% male, 49% female, average 

age 16.43). A scenario has been shown in which presents a situation 

where a group of young people approaches in a threatening way a parked 

car; in the car there is a boy and a girl, and the group of young people 

warns the boys that it is dangerous to stop in that place without an adequate 

protection; the boy in the car, in answer to this, takes the wallets 

and hands them over to the group. 

Only 8% of the sample reserved acceptable this situation, considering that 

the law was not violated and affirms besides that it could present with a 

certain frequency in the place where they live. Such group could be characterized 

as more sensible to the logical deviation, even in virtue of the 

social pressure (Sutherland, 1934). Besides, between these subjects, 41% 

however affirms that considering probable that the victims of the aggressive 

interaction would return home to find friends and go back to take 

one’s revenge. In areas where the presence of social pressure to accept a 

deviate behaviour could be very strong, the negotiation-submission could 

be seen, superficially, as an implicit approval to a logical deviant. For a 

better comprehension as such a complex phenomenon, it could be useful 

to make a careful study of the dynamics at the base of the process of affiliation, 

as well as innate bases of our answers to aggression. 

55


56 

P-2 


in D i v i D u a l D i f f e r e n c e s in a g g r e s s i o n 

m o D u l a t e e a r l y f r o n t a l r e s p o n s e t o 

a g g r e s s i v e f a c i a l D i s p l a y s . 

Bediou Benoit, 1 3 ; Eimer, Martin 2 ; Calder, Andrew J. 1 

1 Medical Research Council - Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, 

15 Chaucer road, CB2 7EF Cambridge, UK.; 2 School of Psychology, 

Birkbeck College, University of London, Malet Street, London 

WC1E 7HX, UK; 3 Swiss Center for Affective Sciences CISA – University 

of Geneva, Rue des Battoirs, 7, CH 1205 Geneva, SWIT- 

ZERLAND 

Converging evidence from human and animal research suggest that aggressive 

behaviour arises from a dysfunction in the neural circuitry of 

emotion-regulation, especially in the connection between the prefrontal 

cortex and the amygdala. Both clinically aggressive individuals and healthy 

volunteers with elevated risk for aggression show increased amygdala and 

decreased prefrontal responses to facial signals of aggression. Individual 

differences in reward-drive have been associated with increased attention 

toward facial signals of aggression, heightened experience of anger and 

vulnerability to display aggressive behaviour. 

Here, we investigated the temporal dynamics of the interaction between 

an aggression-related personality trait (‘reward-drive’—the drive to gain 

reward, Carver &White, 1994) and the neural response to angry faces. 

We recorded high-density (64-electrodes) Event Related brain Potentials 

(ERPs) in subjects scoring high (N=12) and low (N=12) on the rewarddrive 

scale while they viewed angry, sad and neutral faces. 

Replicating previous findings, ERP results showed an enhanced frontal and 

frontocentral positivity in response to angry and sad faces compared with 

neutral faces from 130 to 200ms post stimulus. Crucially, reward-drive selectively 

modulated the midline frontocentral response to aggressive facial 

displays within 200-300ms after stimulus onset—compared to low rewarddrive 

subjects, individuals scoring high on the reward-drive scale showed 

a reduced midline frontocentral positivity for angry faces relative to neutral 

and sad expressions. 

Results are consistent with recent fMRI studies showing reduced ventromedial 

prefrontal response to angry faces relative to neutral and sad expressions 

in subjects with heightened risk for aggression (see Calder et al 

2008). Moreover, the temporal properties of this modulation are consistent 

with the idea of a reduced functional coupling from the vmPFC to the 

amygdala (but not vice versa) in subjects scoring high on reward-drive 

(see Passamonti et al 2008).


P-3 


Do st r e s s a n D ag g r e s s i o n in f l u e n c e o u r 

pe r c e p t i o n o f ot h e r s ? 

Bertsch, Katja 1 ; Khan, Robina 1 ; Kruk, Menno 2 ; Naumann, 

Ewald 1 

1 Department of Psychology, University of Trier, Germany; 2 Department 

of Medical Pharmacology, Leiden University, Netherlands 

For humans emotional facial expressions are the most immediate and 

salient cues to the state of mind of other individuals. The results of animal 

and clinical studies suggest a strong relationship between stress, the 

processing of conflict-relevant signals, and aggressive behavior. In a recent 

EEG experiment, we were able to confirm this and could show that 

experimentally provoked aggression has an impact on the processing of 

emotional facial expressions even in healthy individuals. In a second EEG 

study, we investigated the influence of stress and aggression on the processing 

of emotional facial expressions. Therefore, we administered either 

20 mg of hydrocortisone (stress group) or a placebo (placebo group) to 

healthy participants and provoked half of them with the Taylor Aggression 

Paradigm. Thereafter, all participants performed an emotional Stroop task 

with emotional facial expressions (happy, neutral, angry, fearful). The preliminary 

results indicate an influence of stress (hydrocortisone), aggressive 

behavior, as well as the interaction of stress and aggression on the 

processing of the emotional faces. These results are in line with the findings 

from animal and clinical studies and show a strong relationship between 

stress, aggression, and the processing of conflict-relevant signals. 

This is a further indication for a vicious circle between stress, aggression, 

and information processing which might explain the elicitation and escalation 

of aggressive behavior. 

57


58 

P-4 


as s o c i a t i o n b e t w e e n e X p e r i e n c e o f 

a g g r e s s i o n a n D a n X i e t y in m a l e m i c e : 

ef f e c t s o f D i a z e p a m a n D b u s p i r o n e 

Bondar, Natalia 1 ; Kudryavtseva, Natalia 1 

1 Neurogenetics of Social Behavior Sector, Institute of Cytology 

and Genetics SD RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia 

The sensory contact technique increases aggressiveness in male mice and 

allows an aggressive type of behavior to be formed as a result of repeated 

experience of social victories in daily agonistic interactions. In the low aggressive 

and high emotion mice of CBA/Lac strain, repeated positive fighting 

experience leads to increased plus maze anxiety in the winners after 

10 days of aggression experience and much more after 20 days. Aggressive 

motivation in the winners was significantly increased as revealed by 

parameters of partition test measuring behavioral reactivity to other conspecifics. 

Thus, anxiety as a consequence of repeated experience of aggression 

associates with the increase of aggressive motivation in CBA/Lac 

mice. Repeated experience of aggression is accompanied by the increase 

of anxiety and decrease of aggressive motivation in 20 days-winners of 

high aggressive C57BL/6J strain. It was concluded, that 1. Repeated experience 

of aggression provokes the development of anxiety in male mice. 

2. The level of anxiety as well as it’s behavioral realization depends on the 

duration of aggressive experience and genetic strain. 

Anxiolytics buspirone (1 mg/kg, i.p) and diazepam (0.5 mg/kg, i.p) induced 

anxiogenic effect and reduced aggression in the winners with 3 

days experience of aggression. No significant effects of buspirone on aggressive 

and anxious behaviors were found in mice with 20 days experience 

of aggression. In this group of winners diazepam produced anxiolytic 

and antiaggressive effects. Opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone (1 mg/ 

kg, i.p.) also had different effects in the winners with long and short experience 

of aggression. It was hypothesized that previous aggression experience 

modified animal sensitivity to drug treatment. 

This work was supported by grant No. 07-04-00014 from the Russian 

Foundation for Basic Research and grant MK-2109.2007.4 from Russian 

Federation President in support of young scientists.


P-5 


tr a n s D u c e r o f r e g u l a t e D creb a c t i v i t y 

1 (torc1) : a r o l e in r e w a r D-r e l a t e D 

l e a r n i n g a n D m e m o r y a n D b e h a v i o r a l 

r e s p o n s e s t o e m o t i o n a l s t i m u l i ? 

Breuillaud, Lionel1 ; Pierre J., Magistretti,1 Olivier, Halfon2 ; 

1 2 

Jean-René, Cardinaux 

1 Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience; 2 Service of Child and Ado- 

lescent Psychiatry 

The transcription factor cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB) 

has been shown to be essential for the generation of long lasting forms of 

synaptic plasticity that are associated with learning and memory and the 

gating of emotional responses in the CNS. TORC1 is a newly discovered 

CREB coactivator that strongly enhances its transcriptional activity. We 

have shown that TORC1 functions as a calcium- and cAMP-sensitive coincidence 

detector in neurons and that it is involved in the maintenance of 

late-phase long-term-potentiation (L-LTP) in the rat hippocampus (Kovács 

et al., 2007. PNAS 104, 4700-4705). Given the importance of synaptic 

integration of dopamine- and glutamate-mediated signals in rewardrelated 

learning and memory mechanisms, we decided to study the role 

of TORC1 in this context. To this end we have produced a mouse with a 

deficient Torc1 gene using a gene trap approach. We have obtained viable 

heterozygous and TORC1-null mice that we are currently phenotyping. We 

are focusing on a putative alteration in the acquisition of cocaine addiction 

(cocaine-conditioned place preference and cocaine self-administration paradigms) 

and a general characterization of their behavior (memory, depression 

and anxiety). The study of this mouse line could make a contribution 

to the understanding of the molecular basis of neuropsychiatric conditions. 

59


60 

P-6 


se r o t o n e r g i c a u t o r e g u l a t o r y m e c h a n i s m s 

in v i o l e n t m i c e 

Caramaschi, Doretta 1 3 Natarajan, Deepa 1 3 ; de Weerd, 

Henk 2 ; van der Want, Han 2 ; Mulder, Kees C. 1 ; de Boer, Sietse 

F. 1 ; Koolhaas, Jaap M. 1 

1 Biologisch Centrum, Dept. Behavioral Physiology, University of 

Groningen, Haren, The Netherlands; 2 University Medical Center 

Groningen, Molecular Imaging and Electron Microscopy, Dept. 

Cell Biology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands; 

3 These authors contributed equally 

Human violence has been traditionally linked to a lowered functionality 

of the central serotonin (5-HT) system. Despite the vast accumulation 

of data linking reduced brain 5-HT activity to pathological aggressive 

behavior, information about the possible mechanisms underlying such a 

decreased 5-HT functioning is virtually absent. A major obstacle in this 

respect is the lack of relevant animal models of violence, and in particular 

the omission of objective criteria for assessing violence in preclinical studies. 

We recently established, using a rigorous ethological methodology, 

that feral mice originally genetically selected for Short Attack Latency (SAL 

line) show distinct characteristics of pathological aggression comparable to 

human violence. 

Employing this mouse model, we have investigated extensively the serotonergic 

system, focusing in particular on the autoregulatory control 

mechanisms. 

First, in line with the 5-HT deficiency hypothesis of aggression, we found 

that the pugnacious SAL mice have lower frontolimbic 5-HT levels than 

their docile Long Attack Latency (LAL) counterparts. However, this difference 

only appeared after the animals had acquired experience with repeated 

social conflicts and was not visible beforehand when animals were 

naïve with resident-intruder testing. This difference in 5-HT level seems 

not to be due to the activity of either the 5-HT-synthesis limiting enzyme 

tryptophan-hydroxylase or the main 5-HT-degrading enzyme monoamineoxidase. 

Rather, SAL mice showed less functional 5-HTT activity (serotonin 

transporter), regardless of the exposure to social experience. Moreover, 

SAL mice showed enhanced 5-HT1A autoreceptor and heteroreceptor functionality, 

which seems to correlate to the social experience and the escalation 

of aggression levels. 

These data suggest that the combination of a constitutionally low 5-HT 

reuptake functionality and (experience-driven) high 5-HT autoinhibitory 

activity leads to disrupted aggression regulation and accompanying lower 

levels of 5-HT.


P-7 


lo n g -t e r m e f f e c t s o f p e r i-p u b e r t y s t r e s s 

o n a g g r e s s i v e b e h a v i o u r in f e m a l e r a t s 

Cordero, Maria Isabel 1 ; Sandi, Carmen 1 

1 Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzer- 

land 

Experiencing adverse events during adolescence enhances the risk of 

developing different psychopathologies and violent behaviour in humans 

and animals. Previously, our group has reported that repeated exposure 

to stress during the peripuberty period increases pathological aggression 

in male rats. However, very little is known about the effects of stress on 

aggression in females. Although women are usually less violent than men, 

available evidence suggests soaring levels of aggression and serious violence 

among young women, and some studies have found a positive correlation 

with stress events experienced during development. For example, 

findings from the Rochester Youth Development Study suggest that growing 

up in disorganized, violent neighbourhoods is a risk factor for gang 

involvement among young women (Thornberry, 1997). In this work, we 

studied the long term effects of peripubertal stress on aggressive behaviour 

in female rats. For this purpose, female rats were stressed during the 

peri-pubertal period and their aggressive behaviour assessed at 3-months 

of age using the Resident-Intruder paradigm twice, once during diestrus 

cycle and 1 week after, during estrus. Similar to previous findings in male 

rats, peripuberty stressed females showed not only an increase in aggressive 

behaviour compared to control rats but an ‘abnormal’ aggressive 

behaviour, such as continual attacking of intruders displaying submissive 

behaviour. Furthermore, the differences found during diestrus were maintained 

during the estrus cycle, though female rats usually do not show 

aggressive behaviour during this phase of the menstrual cycle. Our results 

suggest that adolescence is a highly vulnerable period to stress induced 

aggression, in females as well as in males, and strongly suggests that 

social-aggression prevention campaigns should be addressed to both boys 

and girls. 

Thornberry, TP (1997) Membership in youth gangs and involvement in serious 

and violent offending. In R. Loeber and D.P. Farrington (Eds.), Serious 

and Violent Juvenile Offenders: Risk Factors and Successful Interventions 

(pp.147-166). Thousand Oaks, CA:Sage Publications. 

61


62 

P-8 


impulsivity, aggression anD 

acaDemic performance in 

chilDren 

Cosi, Sandra 1 ; Vigil-Colet, Andreu 1 ; Canals, Josepa 1 

1 Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain. 

Different studies have shown that impulsivity is related to aggression 

and poor scholastic achievement in adolescents (Colom et al., 2007; Vigil- 

Colet &Morales-Vives, 2006). The present study intends to test 

this pattern of relationships in children. With this purpose we 

developed two questionnaires, a children’s version of Barrat’s 

impulsivity scale (Cosi et al., 2008) and a proactive-reactive 

aggression questionnaire reported by teachers (Cosi et al., in press) 

which were administered to 267 children aged between 9 and 12 years. 

Furthermore teachers rated the academic performance of children. 

Proactive and reactive scales showed a negative relationship with 

academic performance, a positive relationship with the Motor 

impulsiveness and non-planning scales of BIS-c and a negative 

relationship with the cognitive impulsivity scale, being these 

relationships greater for boys than for girls. When impulsivity scores 

where partialled out, only proactive aggression showed a significant 

relationship with academic performance, although its magnitude was 

lower. 

The results presented are similar to the ones founded in adolescent 

samples, indicating that impulsivity is related to aggression and, 

that the relationship between aggression and academic failure is 

mainly due to impulsivity. Furthermore it seems that these 

relationships are higher for boys than for girls, perhaps because 

their higher levels of aggression.


P-9 

by s t a n D e r re s p o n s e s t o vi r t u a l 

vi o l e n c e 

Swapp, David 1 ; Rovira, Aitor 1 ; Slater, Mel 1 

1 University College London, London, UK 


A significant impediment to the study of violent behaviour is the inability 

to recreate such situations in an experimental setting. Utilising a virtual 

environment, inhabited by virtual characters (avatars), enables the simulation 

of violent situations and therefore the ability to study the behaviour 

of experiment participants. This is especially the case since it has been 

shown that people do tend to respond realistically to situations and events 

that occur in an immersive virtual environment (IVE). In this abstract we 

report an ongoing study of people’s responses to simulated violence in an 

IVE, in particular concentrating on aspects of the bystander phenomenon 

moderated by in-group and out-group identification. 

The experiment uses an IVE system commonly known as a CAVE. This is 

a room in which three walls and the floor are screens upon which stereo 

imagery is projected, and which dynamically adjusts to the participant’s 

perspective as they move about the room. The advantage of such a setup 

is that it enables the participant to move naturally within the simulated 

environment, and thus results in natural behaviours such as proxemics in 

interactions with virtual characters. 

The scenario is a bar in which participants witness a violent confrontation 

involving two football fans of rival teams. Our purpose at this stage of the 

study is simply to explore the degree of realism of the response of participants 

to this violent behaviour, as measured by their tendency to try 

to intervene, and their physiological responses. To create the simulation, 

we used 3D motion capture equipment to record the performance of two 

actors; this capture was then used to animate the avatars in the scenario. 

The purpose of early trials is to better understand how to construct a virtual 

scenario that might lead to more or less realistic responses. 

63


P-10 

64 


th e vicious c i r c l e t o w a r D s v i o l e n c e : 

fo c u s o n t h e n e g a t i v e f e e D b a c k 

m e c h a n i s m s o f b r a i n s e r o t o n i n 

n e u r o t r a n s m i s s i o n. 

de Boer, Sietse F. 1 ; Caramaschi, Doretta 1 ; Natarajan, Deepa 

1 ; Koolhaas, Jaap M. 1 

1 Department of Behavioral Physiology, University of 

Groningen,The Netherlands. 

Individuals differ widely in their propensity for violence during social conflict. 

While some individuals escalate aggression, others control their aggression 

or refrain from fighting. Our research on feral (wild-derived) 

rodents shows that offensive aggression is strongly related to coping with 

other challenges. Highly aggressive individuals adopt a proactive coping 

style, whereas low levels of aggression indicate a more passive or reactive 

style of coping. These divergent stress coping styles have now been 

identified in a range of species and can be considered important personality 

trait-like characteristics determining the individual adaptive capacity 

and hence vulnerability to stress-related pathologies, including mood 

and personality disorders characterized by outbursts of intense aggression 

and violence. Recent experiments show that violent characteristics 

can be engendered in proactively- but not reactively- coping individuals 

by permitting them repeatedly to dominate conspecifics during daily resident-intruder 

contests. Clearly, these high-aggressive phenotypes develop 

gradually, over the course of repeated victories, escalated (short-latency, 

high-frequency and –intensity attacks), persistent (lack of attack inhibition 

by defeat/submission signals from the victim), indiscriminating (attacking 

female and anesthetized male intruders) and injurious (enhanced vulnerable-body 

region attacks and wounding) forms of offensive aggression. 

This re-developed methodological approach highlights the rewarding and 

positive reinforcing nature of winning experiences that transform adaptive 

aggression into a violent pathological form resembling human aggression 

of clinical concern. This animal model allows us to identify the neurochemical 

changes that underlie such a transformation. We focus on brain serotonin 

(5-HT), as this well-conserved neurotransmitter system is the major 

molecular orchestrator of aggression in many species including humans. 

Based on the results of an extensive series of experiments, we provide 

evidence that excessive serotonergic auto-inhibition leading to reduced 

5-HT neurotransmission in several brain structures including frontal cortex 

paves the way to violent aggressive outbursts.


P-11 

si z e m a t t e r s: in c r e a s e D g r e y m a t t e r 

in c h i l D r e n w i t h c o n D u c t p r o b l e m s a n D 

c a l l o u s-u n e m o t i o n a l t r a i t s 


De Brito, Stéphane1 ; Mechelli, Andrea2 ; Wilke, Marko3 ; 

Laurens, Kristin1 ; Jones, Alice4 ; Barker, Gareth5 ; Hodgins, 

Sheilagh1 4 6 

; Viding, Essi 

1 Department of Forensic Mental Health Science, Institute of Psychiatry, 

King’s College, London, UK; 2 Department of Psychological 

Medicine and Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College, 

London, UK; 3 Department of Pediatric Neurology and Developmental 

Medicine, University of Tübingen, Germany; 4 Department 

of Clinical, Health and Educational Psychology, University College, 

London, UK; 5 Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Institute 

of Psychiatry, King’s College, London, UK; 6 Institute of Cognitive 

Neuroscience, University College London 

Brain imaging studies of adults with psychopathy have identified structural 

and functional abnormalities in limbic and prefrontal regions that 

are involved in emotion recognition, decision-making, morality and empathy. 

Among children with conduct problems, a small subgroup presents 

callous-unemotional traits (CP/CU+) thought to be antecedents of psychopathy. 

No structural brain imaging study has examined this subgroup 

of children. The present study used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to 

compare whole brain gray matter volumes and concentrations of boys with 

elevated levels of CP/CU+ traits and typically developing (TD) boys and 

explored four a priori regions of interest. sMRI scans were collected from 

23 boys with elevated levels of CP/CU+ traits (mean age = 11 years 8 

months) and 25 TD boys (mean age = 11 years 6 months) selected from a 

community sample of children. Data were analysed using optimised VBM. 

Study-specific probability maps were created and four a priori regions 

of interest identified (Orbitofrontal [OFC], anterior cingulate [ACC], and 

anterior insular cortices, and amygdala). Both gray matter volume and 

concentration were examined controlling for cognitive ability and hyperactivity-inattention 

symptoms. Boys with CP/CU+ traits, as compared to TD 

boys, presented increased gray matter concentration in the medial OFC 

and ACC, as well as increased gray matter volume and concentration in 

the temporal lobes bilaterally. These findings may indicate a delay in cortical 

maturation in several brain areas implicated in decision-making, morality, 

and empathy in boys with CP/CU+ traits. 

65


P-12 

66 


un D e r s t a n D i n g vi o l e n c e in we s t e r n 

su b u r b s: an in t e r c u l t u r a l clinical 

po i n t o f vi e w 

Derivois, Daniel 1 ; Guillier, Nathalie 1 

1 University of Lyon, France 

Understanding the current violence in western suburbs requires the articulation 

of several approaches in a global context. Our approach is in the 

field of intercultural clinical psychology. It incorporates historic and geopolitical 

dimensions understanding of this complex phenomenon. 

This communication is based on research conducted on the course of victim 

/ offender adolescents through various circles of life (family, schools, 

institutions of protection, prison, suburbs, etc.) in France. Some results 

of this research show the influence of the colonial divide and political violence 

in the development of victimization and delinquency behaviours in 

adolescence. 

Consequently, accompanying these adolescents requires from the professional 

taking into account not only of family, social and cultural factors but 

also the global dimension. 

Keywords : Adolescents in suburbs - Accompaniment - Interculturalities - 

Postcolonialism - Identity 






adolescence. 





Postcolonialism - Identity --


P-13 

Decision-ma k i n g in ec o n o m i c ga m e s 

is re l a t e D t o so c i a l be h a v i o r in 

aD o l e s c e n c e 


d’Acremont, Mathieu 1 ; Bossaerts, Peter 1 ; Van der Linden, 

Martial 2 

1 Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; 

2 University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland 

Economic games have been developed to study social interactions in an 

experimental setting. In these games, individuals have the possibility to 

exchange goods and their decisions are taken as indicator of their social 

preferences like altruism or equity. Past researches with economic games 

have mainly highlighted gender and age differences. However, it is unknown 

if decisions in economic games are related to social behavior in 

a natural setting. This absence of ecological validity has exposed game 

theory to serious criticism. The aim of this study was to test whether decisions 

in economic games were related to social behavior in adolescence, 

an age period when antisocial behavior is more frequent. Adolescents (44 

boys, 49 girls, 11-15 years old) completed economic games with their 

peers. Adolescents’ behavior in classroom was assessed by their teachers. 

Results showed that teenagers with a higher score of antisocial behavior 

shared less of their points when the opponent had no way to react (dictator 

game), but not when the opponent could refuse the offer (ultimatum 

game) or could send back part of the offer (trust game). Teenagers with a 

high score of social anxiety accepted lower offers (ultimatum game). Hyperactivity 

was not related to decision-making in these games. It can be 

concluded that decision-making in economic games is specifically related 

to social behavior in adolescence and that economic games have an ecological 

validity. 

67


P-14 

68 


co m m u n a l n e s t i n g , a n e a r l y s o c i a l 

e n r i c h m e n t , s h a p e s s o c i a l b e h a v i o r a n D 

c o p i n g r e s p o n s e t o s o c i a l s t r e s s in a D u l t 

m o u s e 

D’Andrea, Ivana 1 ; Cirulli, Francesca 1 ; Branchi, Igor 1 ; Alleva, 

Enrico 1 

1 Section of Behavioural Neurosciences, Department of Cell Biology 

and Neuroscience, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy. 

Early experiences produce persistent changes in behavior and brain function. 

Being reared in a Communal Nest (CN), consisting of a single nest 

where three mothers keep their pups together and share care-giving behavior 

from birth to weaning, provides an highly stimulating social environment 

to the developing pup. CN characterizes the natural ecological 

niche of the mouse species and represents a form of early social enrichment. 

In the CN, both mother-offspring and peer-to-peer interactions are 

markedly increased. At adulthood, CN mice show higher propensity to 

interact socially with conspecifics and more elaborate social competencies 

compared to mice reared in standard laboratory conditions (SN). In 

particular, CN mice play the role of either the dominant or the subordinate 

starting from the first agonistic encounter, while SN mice need five social 

encounters to fully show their social role. Furthermore, CN mice display 

high levels of aggressive behavior only when appropriate in an ecoethological 

perspective, i.e. when they have to set up or defend their own 

territory. With regard to emotional behavior and hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal 

(HPA) axis activation, CN mice are less vulnerable to anhedonia 

following psychosocial stress and display a reduced activation of the HPA 

axis after acute or prolonged exposure to social challenge. The present 

findings show that being reared in a CN plays a crucial role in structuring 

adult social competencies in the mouse. Overall, the social environment to 

which an organism is exposed during critical developmental periods, exerts 

a major effects in shaping social behavior at adulthood. Supported by 

EU, project INTELLIMAZE contract n 037965.


P-15 


a v o X e l-b a s e D m o r p h o m e t r y (vbm) s t u D y 

o f b r a i n s t r u c t u r e in m a l e a D o l e s c e n t s 

w i t h co n D u c t Di s o r D e r 

Fairchild, Graeme 1 ; Passamonti, Luca 2 ; Hurford, Georgina 

1 ; von dem Hagen, Elisabeth 2 ; van Goozen, Stephanie 3 ; 

Fletcher, Paul 1 ; Goodyer, Ian 1 ; Calder, Andrew 2 

1 Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge University; 2 Medical Research 

Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge; 

3 School of Psychology, Cardiff University 

Recent studies from our group have demonstrated neurocognitive and 

emotional impairments in male adolescents with early-onset and adolescence-onset 

forms of Conduct Disorder (CD), a psychiatric diagnosis associated 

with increased aggressive and antisocial behaviour. To investigate 

the mechanisms underlying such impairments, we acquired structural 

magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from these individuals and used 

a data-driven approach, voxel-based morphometry (VBM), to quantify 

differences in brain structure between groups. We report preliminary results 

from 20 control participants and 30 participants with CD (20 had 

early-onset CD and 10 had adolescence-onset CD). Collapsing across CD 

subgroups, CD participants overall showed reductions in rostral anterior 

cingulate cortex (rACC; p>.001 uncorrected) and intraparietal sulcus 

(p>.001 uncorrected) grey matter volume relative to controls. Using 

a less stringent threshold (p>.01 uncorrected), volume reductions were 

observed across the anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala and anterior insular 

cortex in participants with CD. Compared with controls, participants 

with early-onset CD showed volume reductions in dorsal anterior cingulate 

cortex (dACC; p>.001 uncorrected) and intraparietal sulcus (p>.001 

uncorrected). These data suggest that the most pronounced structural 

abnormalities in CD occur in brain regions involved in emotion regulation. 

Findings of reduced dACC volume are consistent with a previous functional 

imaging study showing abnormal patterns of dACC activation during 

emotion processing in early-onset CD, but diverge somewhat from prior 

structural imaging studies primarily using subjects with comorbid CD and 

ADHD. This study differs from the others in the literature because most 

(73%) of the participants with CD did not have a comorbid ADHD diagnosis. 

69


P-16 

70 


on t h e n e u r a l p r o c e s s i n g o f v i o l e n t a n D 

n o n -v i o l e n t c o m p u t e r g a m e s c e n a r i o s in 

g a m e r s a n D n o n -g a m e r s 

Fehr, Thorsten 1 ; Regenbogen, Christina 2 ; Herrmann, Manfred 

1 

1 Center for Cognitive Sciences, Dept. Of Neuropsychology/Behavioral 

Neurobiology, Center for Advanced Imaging Bremen/Magdeburg, 

Bremen University, Germany; 2 Center for Cognitive Sciences, 

Dept. Of Neuropsychology/Behavioral Neurobiology, Bremen 

University, Dept. of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen 

University, Germany 

There is a large public and scientific discussion about the effects of violent 

video games on behaviour-related aspects such as arousal, emotion, and 

cognition. The ability to differentiate between reality and fiction has been 

discussed to be reduced in individuals who intensively use media particularly 

displaying violent content. In the present fMRI study violent computer 

game scenarios and an analogous parallel form of video sequences 

displaying real characters were presented to a group of 22 young males 

with (gamers) and without (non-gamers) history of long-term violent 

video game experience. A comparison between violent and non-violent 

scenarios suggested large differences in activation patterns between gamers 

and non-gamers as well as between the processing of the virtual and 

the real scenarios. A lack of sub-cortical network activation, as identified 

in both group- and single-individual analyses, indicated a rather ‘cold’ and 

neocortical represented and less arousal driven form of emotional processing 

of both virtual and real violent scenarios in both groups. This might 

indicate a general desensitisation-to-violence-effect in both gamers and 

non-gamers, potentially caused by predominantly miss-attributed and perverted 

forms of any kind of violence in all public media always present and 

chronically available for everyone. Additionally, large individual differences 

point to the necessity to particularly consider individual learning histories 

and developmental factors. Taken together, the present data do not support 

the view that gamers are impaired in differentially processing virtual 

and real contextual information, even after a long learning history of computer 

game play.


P-17 

an i n t e g r a t i n g s y s t e m o f m o r a l 

D i s e n g a g e m e n t a n D a g g r e g a t i o n 

w i t h D e v i a n t p e e r g o v e r n i n g v i o l e n t 


Fida, Roberta 1 ; Paciello, Marinella 1 ; Tramontano, Carlo 1 ; 

Caprara, Gian Vittorio 1 


1 Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy 

Earlier aggression predicts different manifestations of later violence (Farrington, 

1994 ; Loeber &Loeber, 1998; Stattin &Magnusson, 1989). Nevertheless 

not all aggressive behavior becomes violent over years, whereas 

violent conduct often derives from earlier aggression. 

We focused on the interconnection between contextual and individual factors 

as a mediator of the relation between aggression in pre-adolescence 

and violent outcomes in youth. We included aggregation with deviant peer 

as a relational risky context variable and moral disengagement as crucial 

individual dimension related to the recourse to social cognitive mechanisms 

that legitimate behaviors that hurt other people. We considered 

Bandura’s triadic reciprocal determinism as a pivotal model of causation in 

which violent aggression in youth can be seen as the result of interactive 

relation between moral disengagement and aggregation with deviant peer 

that operate as interrelated determinants that influence each other bidirectionally. 

In particular we hypothesized that aggression at 13/14 years 

influence violent aggression at 21/22 years directly and indirectly through 

the interrelation between the development of both moral disengagement 

and aggregation with deviant peer from 15 to 20 years. We use Growth 

Latent Curve analysis among a sample of 324 Italian adolescents (50% 

boys) part of an ongoing longitudinal two cohorts design assessed five 

times. 

We assessed earlier aggression using Physical and Verbal Aggression Scale 

(Caprara &Pastorelli, 1993) rated by peers; Moral Disengagement using 

Bandura’s scale (Bandura et al., 1996); Aggregation with deviant peer using 

Capaldi and Patterson’s scale (1989); Violent aggression using 3 items 

selected from Physical and Verbal Aggression Scale (Caprara, Pastorelli, 

1993) and 3 items selected from Violence Scale (Caprara, Mazzotti, &Prezza, 

1990). 

Results attested the reciprocal reinforcement between intra-individual and 

inter-personal processes during adolescence that can lead aggression in 

pre-adolescence into violent outcomes in youth. We discuss implication in 

preventing violent aggression in youth. 

71


P-18 

72 


ca m u s \’ \”st r a n g e r \”: wh y cr i m e s 

pr o s e e D 

Galyona, Eugene 1 

1 Karazin Kharkov National University, Ukraine 

As any literature which has a crime as central event, in “Stranger” it is 

made attempt to understand: what is the crime and why does it exist. 

In “Stranger” Camus criticize European system of justice. It should be 

noticed that the judicial system was not always been total resource of the 

violence prevention. As the majority ethnographers said there was nothing 

in archaic societies that reminds modern judicial system. Rene Girard 

results the following gradation of institutions of internal conflicts settlement: 

revenge, religious ritual, court. In his opinion efficiency of modern 

judicial system has led to disappearance (or more truly to dissolution in 

other institutions) of the sacrifice. However up to the XX-th century these 

three institutions were represented by three various practices of the conflict 

resolution: revenge (duel), religious ritual (Christian ethics) and court 

(the state law). In the XX-th century the judicial system becomes the only 

powerful institution of the violence prevention but just to its efficiency Camus 

had questions. 

From the ethological point of view (Konrad Lorenz) intraspecific aggression 

is the reason of an individualization and formation of the subject (through 

the pacification and greeting rituals). Thus thanks to violence there is 

the certain order generated by system of distinctions. When this order is 

broken, there is a situation which Girard names «sacrificial crisis» that is 

always accompanied by violence. Girard and Lorentz underline value of 

asymmetries. It not the violence apologia, it shows that the system which 

have to resists to it does not function; that the murder censure, without 

studying of deep sources of the violence, and any equality declared by democracy 

and humanistic ideas ignore by-effect of themselves that loosens 

basis on which they are generated.


P-19 


fr e q u e n c y a n D ty p e s o f Do m e s t i c ab u s e 

a m o n g el D e r l y r e f e r r i n g t o pa r k s o f 

te h r a n . 

Ghorbi, Banafsheh 1 ; Manoochehri, Houman 1 ; Hosseini, 

Meymanat 1 ; Nasiri Oskouei, Navideh 1 ; Karbakhsh, Mojgan 2 

1 Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science and Health Srevices, 

Tehran, Iran; 2 Tehran University of Medical Science and 

Health Srevices, Tehran, Iran 

Aging has always been concerned throughout history. The second half of 

the 20th century has been referred as population graying due to increased 

number of elderly people. Of related familial and social outcomes is the 

upsurge of antisocial behaviors and violence. Domestic elder mistreatment 

or abuse as a major health problem is a type of familial violence 

with a significantly increasing incidence in the last 2 decades. Since there 

is no specific organization to be responsible for this problem in developing 

countries like Iran, no information or evidence is available and limited 

studies are only limited to developed countries. This descriptive study was 

conducted to determine the degree and types of domestic abuse in the 

elderly referring to parks of Tehran. 

400 elders 60 years and over including men and women from all parts 

of Tehran took part in the study. A questionnaire in 3 parts including demographics, 

types of abuse and open questions was used for data collection. 

The tool was validated by face and content methods and made 

reliable by internal consistency as well as test-retest methods. The questionnaire 

was completed by the researcher through interviewing the subjects. 

Findings showed that %28 of the elderly was between 70 and 74, 

%38.2 had secondary education, %65.1 was married and %32.9 lived 

with their spouses. %87.8 of them experienced at least 1 type of abuse, 

%12.2 no abuse and %24.9 all 4 types of abuse. %84.8 experienced 

emotional abuse; %68.3, neglect; %40.1, financial exploitation; and 

%35.2, physical abuse. 

It can be concluded that domestic abuse is a widespread social problem 

which requires urgent, continuous and fundamental interventions. 

Clarification of the issue from different aspects, identification of predisposing 

and preventive factors and identification of at-risk elders are of high 

priorities in this regard. 

Keyword: Elderly, Domestic abuse, Parks. 

73


P-20 

74 


impairments in nonverbal 

emotion recognition as a 

risk factor for aggressive 

behavior 

Gomez, Jean-Marc 1 ; Van der Linden, Martial 2 

1 Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, 

Switzerland; 2 Department of Psychology, University of 

Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland 

Background: As researchers have postulated and shown (Marsh &Blair, 

2008), the perception of nonverbal affective cues may contribute in important 

ways to aggressive behavior in children. Indeed, misinterpretation of 

affective cues inevitably affects social interaction. This study examined the 

reliability of impairments in nonverbal emotion recognition in children with 

aggressive problems. Linguistic competence was also measured in order to 

determine its influence on facial emotional recognition. Method: 58 children 

(age range=7.5-13.8 years, M=11.4 years, SD=1.5), who attended 

special education in 13 classes in Geneva, participated in the study. The 

teachers assessed the aggressive behavior of their pupils with a questionnaire 

(French version of SDQ, d�Acremont &Van der Linden, 2008). Moreover, 

the children completed two standardized tests of nonverbal perception 

abilities (the first including emotional pictures, the second videos and 

auditory stimuli), as well as three control tests assessing the perception of 

faces and levels of syntax and vocabulary. Results: As predicted, children 

showing more pronounced prosocial behavior were better at recognizing 

emotions, especially fear and disgust. Children showing higher relational 

competence did particularly well at recognizing fear stimuli. Furthermore, 

children showing more prosocial behaviors were not only better, but also 

faster at recognizing facial and auditory emotional stimuli than were children 

with fewer empathic behaviors. We also observed a link between 

emotion perception and linguistic abilities. Conclusion: These results support 

the idea that deficits in emotion perception, which seem to be linked 

to linguistic competence, contribute to problematic behavior in children. 

More specifically, rapid information processing underlying the recognition 

of nonverbal emotional cues seems to be �underdeveloped� in children 

showing problematic social behavior. In conclusion, it is suggested that 

intervention programs specifically designed to boost the perception of affective 

cues may help resolve behavioral problems in aggression-prone 

children.


P-21 


the structural phenotypes of 

persistent violence: a nipa 

structural mri stuDy 

Guidi, Raffaella; Magistretti, Pierre J.; Halfon, Olivier; Cardinaux, 

Jean-René 

1 Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, UK 

Detailed neurobiological models of reactive violence in ASPD and instrumental 

violence in psychopathy have emerged in the last decade. However, 

potential structural brain differences between psychopathic men and 

antisocial men who do not meet psychopathy criteria remain to be established. 

The Neurobiological Investigations of Persistent Aggression (NIPA) 

study is attempting to distinguish between these groups across multiple 

modalities. The current study (a work in progress) examined the differences 

in grey matter volume between 3 groups of men matched for age 

and IQ: 1) violent offenders with ASPD but without psychopathy (PCL- 

R>25) (n=20); 2) violent offenders with ASPD and psychopathy (PCL-R 


P-22 

76 


im p o r t a n c e o f cbp a n D torc1 in creb 

t r a n s c r i p t i o n a l a c t i v a t i o n 

Guidi, Raffaella1 2 ; Magistretti, Pierre J. 1 3 ; Halfon, Olivier2 ; 

1 2 

Cardinaux, Jean-René 

1 Centre for Psychiatric Neuroscience, CHUV, Lausane; 2 Child and 

Adolescent Psychiatry (SUPEA), Lausanne; 3 Brain Mind Institute, 

EPFL, Lausanne 

cAMP-response-element-binding protein (CREB) is a member of a family 

of proteins that function as transcription factors. It is expressed in all cells 

in the brain and its activation is known to play a crucial role in learning 

and memory, as well as in several neuropsychiatric disorders. However, 

depending on the brain region and the stimuli leading to its transcriptional 

activation, neuronal functions may be affected in different manners. In 

the context of addiction, CREB was shown to be critical. When CREB is 

phosphorylated, it recruits a coactivator called CBP, and activates the expression 

of a set of genes that modifies the properties of striatal medium 

spiny neurons in the reward pathway. Moreover, we have recently shown 

that another coactivator called Transducer Of Regulated CREB activity 1 

(TORC1) functions as a calcium- and cAMP-sensitive coincidence detector 

in neurons, and is involved in hippocampal long-term synaptic plasticity 

(Kovacs et al., 2007.PNAS 104, 4700-4705). Given the importance of calcium 

and cAMP signaling pathways for reward-related long-term memory 

formation, we hypothesized that TORC1 could play a role in this process. 

To determine the respective involvement of CBP and TORC1 in the regulation 

of CREB-mediated transcription, we are developing different strategies 

to selectively interfere with these CREB coactivators in mouse primary 

neurons. Ultimately, we would like to better define the role of CREB, CBP 

and TORC1 in reward-related learning and memory and drug addiction.


P-23 

un D e r s t a n D i n g vi o l e n c e in we s t e r n 

su b u r b s : an in t e r c u l t u r a l clinical 

po i n t o f vi e w 

Derivois, Daniel 1 ; Guillier, Nathalie 1 

1 University of Lyon, France 


Understanding the current violence in western suburbs requires the articulation 

of several approaches in a global context. Our approach is in the 

field of intercultural clinical psychology. It incorporates historic and geopolitical 

dimensions understanding of this complex phenomenon. 






adolescence. 





Postcolonialism - Identity -- 

77


P-24 

78 


ne u r a l co r r e l a t e s o f aD a p t i v e Decision 

ma k i n g u n D e r un c e r t a i n t y in vi o l e n t 

cr m i n a l of f e n D e r s w i t h ps y c h o p a t h y 

a m D bo r D e r l i n e pe r s o n a l i t y Di s o r D e r 

Prehn, Kristin 1 ; Schlagenhauf, Florian 2 ; Schulze, Lars 1 ; 

Berger, Christoph 1 ; Vohs, Knut 1 ; Wagner, Sabine 3 ; Hauenstein, 

Karlheinz 3 ; Domes, Gregor 4 ; Herpertz, Sabine C. 1 

1 Dept. of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Rostock University, Rostock, 

Germany; 2 Dept. of Psychiatry, Charité University Medicine, 

Berlin, Germany; 3 Department of Radiology, Rostock University, 

Rostock, Germany; 4 Dept. of Psychology, University of Zurich, 

Zurich, Switzerland 

In everyday life individuals are required to make decisions that bear a certain 

degree of uncertainty regarding potential gains and losses. Individuals 

differ with respect to their ability to adjust their choices and behavior in 

the face of higher risk. 

To investigate the neural systems mediating these differences, we presented 

healthy controls (n=13) and two groups of criminal offenders [11 

patients with psychopathy as defined by the Hare Psychopathy Checklist 

and 12 patients with DSM-IV borderline personality disorder (BPD)] with 

the Behavioral Investment Allocation Strategy task (Kuhnen &Knutson, 

2005) and monitored brain activity using fMRI. During this task, participants 

were required to choose between two stocks and a bond. At the 

beginning of an experimental block one of the two stocks was randomly 

assigned to be the “good” (+10 €) or the “bad” stock ( 10 €) without the 

participants´ knowledge. The bond always paid 1 Euro. 

When uncertainty which stock to choose was high (e.g., at the beginning 

of a block) controls showed adaptive risk-avoidant behavior (i.e., 

were more likely to choose the bond). Chosing the bond in trials with high 

uncertainty was preceded by increased activity in a functional network 

including insula, inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and pre-supplementary motor 

area. Uncertainty was represented in rostral anterior cingulate gyrus 

(rACC). Criminal offenders with BPD did not choose more bonds when 

uncertainty was high. This risk-seeking behavior was accompanied by less 

activity in IFG before choosing the bond in contrast to controls. Psychopaths 

only differed from controls by decreased activity in rACC reflecting a 

deficit to emotionally represent uncertainty. 

These results support the theory that criminal offenders with psychopathy 

are characterized by a lack of emotion, whereas criminal offenders with 

BPD show a more pronounced deficit in behavioral control to adjust their 

choices in the face of higher risk.


P-25 

ch a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f victims o f v i o l e n c e 

visiting a m e D i c o l e g a l c o n s u l t a t i o n : 

a n o t h e r p a t h t o u n D e r s t a n D v i o l e n c e ? 

Hofner, M.-Cl. 1 ; Romain, N. 1 ; Mangin, P. 1 


1 Violence Medical Unit (VMU), University Centre for Legal Medicine, 

University Hospital Centre, Lausanne, Switzerland 

To improve care and services to victims of interpersonal violence, a Violence 

Medical Unit(VMU) was set up at the Lausanne University Hospital, 

Switzerland in 2006. The VMU consultation offers medico-legal and community 

care. Patients are received by forensic nurses for support, forensic 

examination, needs assessment and community orientation. 

A descriptive study of medical reports was conducted in 2008 with the 

aim to explore characteristics of this specific population. During the study 

period, 03.01.2006 to 31.12. 2007, the VMU registered 911 patients. Regarding 

eligibility criteria (complete medical file and actual interpersonal 

victimisation), final sample was 863, including: 55% of men and 45% of 

women, with a mean age of 30,5 years. 89% of men reported community 

violence for 37% of women, 63% of women reported domestic violence 

for 11% of men. For 55% the present violent event was not the first one 

in their adult lifetime and 25% reported violence during childhood. If 56% 

didn’t have Swiss nationality, more than 90% were speaking French fluently. 

85% of the aggressors were men for any type of violence and both 

sex of victims. 

Distribution of type of violence and socio demographic characteristics in 

our population does not differ from literature results: the population is 

young, men are more concerned by community violence and women by 

domestic one .However, a quarter of our population reported violence in 

childhood, more than a half already experienced being victim of violence 

and aggressors independently of type of violence or sex of the victims are 

men. Discussion of these results from a neuro scientific as well as a systemic 

point of view would be of great interest to enlarge understanding of 

the violent interpersonal interactions. 

79


P-26 

80 


genDer inequality , hiv/aiDs 

&violence : triple jeoparDy of 

women 

Joshi, Shambhu 1 ; Bhandari, rajan 2 ; Kumar, Ashok 3 

1 District Public Health Office, Malakhet, Nepal; 2 Community 

Health and Environmental Society Nepal,KTM, Nepal; 3 Univrsity 

of Bombay,Mumbai,India 

Background: HIV infection in Nepal has a female face because of it growing 

fastest in this subpopulation. How Gender, violence &HIV/AIDS make 

women jeopardized? 

Summary/Objectives: A study was conducted with PLWHA women during 

2005-2007. To examine the complexity of violence, HIV/AIDS and to learn 

more about the specific problems faced by women living with HIV - how 

the concept of gender, violence &HIV/AIDS make their life vulnerable. 

Case Studies and Informal Interviews with HIV infected women. Data was 

analysed with EPI info program. 

Results: Case studies and interviews with women from the study illustrate 

that low status in family, sexual violence, economic and social problems 

such as poverty, lack of education are some of the primary reasons to get 

infection. Cultural orientation inhibits them to talk about sex to their partners, 

which results in infectious status. In the middle-aged women, after 

sterilization they do not practice regular use of condoms, because they 

think it is primarily for family planning. Among the newly-married women 

they know their status only at time of pregnancy, which results in psychological 

trauma and other related aspects. Most of them are widows and 

they know their sero status at a later stage of their partner’s HIV infected 

life. After the death of their partner, some of them are being expelled from 

their home and undergo various violations of human rights. 

Lessons learned: This study revealed the need to develop appropriate program 

would be emphasing the target communities. Due to illiteracy, poverty, 

gender inequality women and girls are facing with spousal battering 

, sexual abuse of female children, dowry related violence, rape including 

marital rape, traditional practices harmful to female, no spousal violence, 

sexual harassment and intimidation at work and in school, trafficking of 

women, forced prostitution, rape in war, female infanticide, constant belittling 

includes controlling behaviors such as isolation from family &friends, 

monitoring her movements, restrict her access to resources. 

Govenment,NGOs,INGOs also have crucial role to work hand to hand in 

this issues by empowering female, law and policy, equal education and 

economic opportunities to female.


P-27 

Depicting t h e r o l e o f t h e kap1 

e p i g e n e t i c r e g u l a t o r in b e h a v i o u r a l 

v u l n e r a b i l i t y t o s t r e s s 

Marquis, Julien 1 ; Jakobsson, Johan 2 ; Bisaz, Reto 1 ; Sandi, 

Carmen 1 ; Trono, Didier 1 



2 Faculty of medicine, Lund university, 22184 Lund, Sweden 

Growing evidence points to the role of epigenetics in translating environmental 

stimuli into long-lasting changes of gene expression in the brain. 

Contrasting with the abundance of data pointing to the key role of epigenetics 

in animal behaviour, relatively little is known about the molecular 

mediators of this process. As part of a broad effort to define the roles of 

the KRAB/KAP1 gene regulation pathways in vivo, we carried out a reverse 

genetic approach by generating a mouse model in which the KAP1 gene 

was specifically inactivated in neurons of the adult forebrain. Behavioral 

studies reveal heightened level of anxiety-like and exploratory activity in 

these mice, as well as stress-induced alterations in spatial learning and 

memory (Jacobsson et al., Neuron, 2008, 60, 818-31). At the molecular 

level, transcriptome analyses detect the dysregulation of a small number 

of genes correlated with a decrease of H3K9-me3 and an increase of 

H4Ac, consistent with KAP1-dependent chromatin changes. 

Our initial molecular studies were performed on whole hippocampus, that 

is, on a mixture of KAP1-negative and KAP1-positive cells. We are now 

using laser-dissection to recover selectively KAP1-deleted cells and also 

analyze separately different hippocampal sub-area. We anticipate that, 

associated with transcriptome and chromatin analyses, the method should 

generate robust data to help deciphering the cascade of molecular event 

linking KAP1 to the observed “stress phenotype”. 

The Cre mediated hippocampal-KAP1 deletion occurs at approximately 

15-30 days of age, that is, when murine macroscopic brain structures are 

fully developed. Nevertheless, we cannot rule out that KAP1 deletion does 

not primarily impact on immature, developing neurological networks. To 

address this point, we have generated a similar mouse model but expressing 

a tamoxifen-inducible form of Cre. We will now study whether inducing 

KAP1 deletion at different ages has an impact on the “stress behaviour”. 

Along the same line, we will study the reversibility of that phenotype by 

controlling the re-expression of KAP1 through doxycycline treatment of 

animals carrying an rtTA-regulated expression system. 

Work performed in our laboratory indicates that KAP1 is an important mediator 

of stem cell proliferation/differentiation. Interestingly, several observations 

support the hypothesis that depression could be correlated with 

an altered adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus. Therefore, through 

combined labelling with BrdU and several neuronal differentiation marker, 

we are testing the possibility that adult neuronal maturation could be affected 

in hippocampal KAP1-deleted animals. The results of this analysis 

may provide insight into the biology of depression. 

81


P-28 

82 


ef f e c t s o f a c u t e a n D c h r o n i c hpa a X i s 

a c t i v i t y o n a g g r e s s i o n - D i f f e r i n g e f f e c t s 

f o r m a l e s a n D f e m a l e s 

Khan, Robina 1 ; Bertsch, Katja 1 ; Kruk, Menno 2 ; Naumann, 

Ewald 1 

1 University of Trier, Trier, Germany; 2 Leiden University, Leiden, 

the Netherlands 

Aggression and the understanding of its causes and biological mechanisms 

in men and women is today as important as ever. Animal studies suggest 

that aggressive behavior is influenced by both basal and reactive Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal 

(HPA) axis activity. In humans, results from 

clinical samples are inconsistent, experimental studies are rare, and both 

are mostly conducted with male samples. We therefore pharmacologically 

enhanced cortisol levels in 28 healthy subjects by administering 20mg of 

hydrocortisone (stress group), 28 others were given a placebo (placebo 

group). We then induced aggressive behavior with the Taylor Aggression 

Paradigm in half of the stress and the placebo group, respectively. Sex 

was balanced across groups. We furthermore analyzed the relationship of 

basal HPA axis activity, which was measured prior to the experiment, and 

aggression. Preliminary analysis suggests, that while the administration of 

hydrocortisone enhanced aggressive behavior in women compared to the 

placebo group, it reduced aggressive behavior in men. Furthermore, basal 

HPA axis activity seems to be negatively correlated with aggressive behavior, 

but only in women. The results suggest, that the acute and chronic 

state of the HPA axis activity are differentially related to aggressive behavior 

in men and women.


P-29 

th e p s y c h o p a t h o l o g y o f r e p e a t e D 

a g g r e s s i o n: an e X p e r i m e n t a l s t u D y 

Kudryavtseva, Natalia 1 


1 Institute of Cytology and Genetics SD RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia 

The sensory contact model allows the aggressive type of behavior to be 

formed as a result of repeated experience of victories in daily agonistic 

interactions in male mice. Some behavioral domains confirm the development 

of learned aggression in the winners similar to those in humans. The 

features are: repeated experience of aggression reinforced by victories; 

elements of learned behavior after period of confrontations; intent, measured 

by increase of the aggressive motivation prior agonistic confrontation; 

decreased emotionality. Positive fighting experience in daily social 

confrontations changes many characteristics of individual and social behaviors, 

these having been estimated in varied situations. Neurochemical 

data confirm the activation of brain dopaminergic systems and functional 

inhibition of serotonergic system in the winners under influence of repeated 

aggression, that create the low threshold for aggressive reaction in 

even weakly provoking environment. Changes in opioidergic systems form 

aggression abuse in male mice. Long experience of aggression is accompanied 

by development of abnormal and violent aggression accompanying 

by hyperkinetic and stereotypic reaction, hostile behavior, hostility, maniclike 

states, disturbances in social recognition, pronounced anxiety, addictive 

state etc [review, Kudryavtseva, 2006]. 

Kudryavtseva N.N. Psychopathology of repeated aggression: a neurobiological 

aspect. In “Perspectives on the Psychology of Aggression” Ed. J.P. 

Morgan, NOVA Science Publishers, Inc. 2006. Chapter 2, pp.35-64 

83


P-30 

84 


ne u r a l c o r r e l a t e s o f a b n o r m a l 

a g g r e s s i o n f o l l o w i n g p e r i p u b e r t a l s t r e s s 

in r a t s 

Marquez, Cristina 1 ; Vaucher, Angélique 1 ; Sonnay, Aliénor 1 ; 

Sigmund, Coralie 1 ; Marquis, Julien 2 ; Groner, Anna Claire 2 ; 

Sandi, Carmen 1 


2 Laboratory of Virology and Genetics, School of Life Science, 

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, 

Switzerland 

Early life stress in humans enhances the risk for psychopathologies, including 

excessive aggression and violence. Adolescence is an important 

maturation phase during which critical neurodevelopmental events occur 

in brain regions associated with motivation, emotion and cognition. It is 

also a relevant period for developing social competences required for adult 

life. In rodents, stress can induce long-lasting changes in emotional and 

neuroendocrine responsiveness to stress that can be associated with several 

psychopathologies. Here we examine behavioral and molecular consequences 

of exposure to stress during the peripubertal period. Male Wistar 

rats were subchronically exposed to stress (predator odour and open elevated 

spaces) during peripuberty (7 days of stress across the P28-P42 

period). The long term effects of peripubertal stress were examined when 

animals were 3 months-old. Peripuberty-stressed animals displayed increased 

anxiety and aggressive behaviors. In the resident-intruder test, 

peripuberty-stressed rats attacked more the vulnerable parts of their opponent 

and showed a lack of inhibitory control of their behavior (continued 

attacking despite clear signals of submission). In order to elucidate the 

mechanisms involved in this model of abnormal aggression, we studied 

(i) basal brain energy metabolism using 14C-2deoxyglucose autoradiography, 

(ii) the pattern of activation of different brain areas after an aggressive 

encounter (resident-intruder test) using c-fos immunohistochemistry, 

(iii) the levels of expression of the serotonin transporter using qPCR. 

Peripuberty-stressed animals showed an increased basal metabolism in 

amygdala and bed nucleus of stria terminalis, both areas related to anxiety, 

and an increase in the basal expression of the serotonin transporter 

in the prefrontal cortex. The aggressive animals showed increase in c-fos 

expression in medial amygdala and a lower activation of the medial orbitofrontal 

cortex, after the resident-intruder test. Our findings highlight the 

relevance of this peripubertal stress model to investigate the neurobiological 

correlates of abnormal aggression and confirm the serotonergic system 

and the interactions between amygdala and prefrontal cortex as key elements 

in the understanding of violence.


P-31 

Depicting t h e r o l e o f t h e kap1 

e p i g e n e t i c r e g u l a t o r in b e h a v i o u r a l 

v u l n e r a b i l i t y t o s t r e s s 

Marquis, Julien 1 ; Jakobsson, Johan 2 ; Bisaz, Reto 1 ; Sandi, 

Carmen 1 ; Trono, Didier 1 



2 Faculty of medicine, Lund university, 22184 Lund, Sweden 

Growing evidence points to the role of epigenetics in translating environmental 

stimuli into long-lasting changes of gene expression in the brain. 

Contrasting with the abundance of data pointing to the key role of epigenetics 

in animal behaviour, relatively little is known about the molecular 

mediators of this process. As part of a broad effort to define the roles of 

the KRAB/KAP1 gene regulation pathways in vivo, we carried out a reverse 

genetic approach by generating a mouse model in which the KAP1 gene 

was specifically inactivated in neurons of the adult forebrain. Behavioral 

studies reveal heightened level of anxiety-like and exploratory activity in 

these mice, as well as stress-induced alterations in spatial learning and 

memory (Jacobsson et al., Neuron, 2008, 60, 818-31). At the molecular 

level, transcriptome analyses detect the dysregulation of a small number 

of genes correlated with a decrease of H3K9-me3 and an increase of 

H4Ac, consistent with KAP1-dependent chromatin changes. 

Our initial molecular studies were performed on whole hippocampus, that 

is, on a mixture of KAP1-negative and KAP1-positive cells. We are now 

using laser-dissection to recover selectively KAP1-deleted cells and also 

analyze separately different hippocampal sub-area. We anticipate that, 

associated with transcriptome and chromatin analyses, the method should 

generate robust data to help deciphering the cascade of molecular event 

linking KAP1 to the observed “stress phenotype”. 

The Cre mediated hippocampal-KAP1 deletion occurs at approximately 

15-30 days of age, that is, when murine macroscopic brain structures are 

fully developed. Nevertheless, we cannot rule out that KAP1 deletion does 

not primarily impact on immature, developing neurological networks. To 

address this point, we have generated a similar mouse model but expressing 

a tamoxifen-inducible form of Cre. We will now study whether inducing 

KAP1 deletion at different ages has an impact on the “stress behaviour”. 

Along the same line, we will study the reversibility of that phenotype by 

controlling the re-expression of KAP1 through doxycycline treatment of 

animals carrying an rtTA-regulated expression system. 

Work performed in our laboratory indicates that KAP1 is an important mediator 

of stem cell proliferation/differentiation. Interestingly, several observations 

support the hypothesis that depression could be correlated with 

an altered adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus. Therefore, through 

combined labelling with BrdU and several neuronal differentiation marker, 

we are testing the possibility that adult neuronal maturation could be affected 

in hippocampal KAP1-deleted animals. The results of this analysis 

may provide insight into the biology of depression. 

85


P-32 

86 


wh y m e n r a p e: so c i o -c u l t u r a l f a c t o r s 

p r e D i s p o s i n g m e n t o a c t s o f r a p e in 

ke n y a 

Muchoki, Samuel 1 ; Wandibba, Simiyu 2 

1 Department of Culture and Heritage, National Museums of Kenya; 

2 Institute of Anthropology, Gender and African Studies, 

University of Nairobi 

Rape is one type of gender-based violence that is on increase in Kenya 

today. This paper is derived from a study designed to investigate the 

individual motivations and the socio-cultural factors that predispose men 

to acts of rape in Kenya between the month of January and March 2008. 

The study sample was drawn from Naivasha, Kamiti and Nyeri main Prisons 

in Kenya. Data was collected using the survey method, case histories 

and key informant interviews. The findings suggest that a number of social 

cultural factors may predispose a man to rape. The factors identified 

include view of rape as sexual act rather than an act of violence, social 

attitude that the woman ‘invited’ the rape, early childhood environment, 

cultural practices, peer influence and a lack of parental advice on sex. As 

an introduction, the paper highlights the theories put forward to explain 

the existence of rape in our society. However, looking at rape from the 

perspective of the rapists, we argue that rape is a socially acquired behavior 

where some rapists accustom themselves with the normative cultural 

expectations on women and within this framework they endeavor to create 

an image that shifts the blame from themselves to their victims. We 

conclude thus that rape emanates from the social environment that an 

individual grows in or finds himself in later in life


P-33 

an as s e s s m e n t o f t h e pr e v a l e n c e o f 

se X u a l vi o l e n c e : a ca s e st u D y o f 

na i v a s h a District 

Mwangi, Maryann 1 

1 St. Paul’s University, Limuru, Kenya 


Naivasha District has reported more rape cases and sexual assaults than 

any other town in Kenya. Sexual violence is both a global and local problem 

which is happening all around us. More women and children than 

men, are affected, and it becomes difficult to detect and prosecute the 

perpetuators as many incidents of rape and sexual assaults are committed 

by friends and close family members. Despite documentation and the fact 

that attention is being paid to the issue of sexual violence against women 

at the International and local level, the problem is getting worse. The 

purpose of this study is to find out why this District has been reported to 

have such high incidences of sexual violence. A survey will be conducted, 

which will involve dividing the District into 4 divisions. Questionnaires, 

interview schedules, key informants and focus group discussions, will be 

used as tools for data collection. A pilot study will be conducted in one 

division to validate the tools for research. Data collected will be analysed 

using SPSS Programme. This will assist the researcher in isolating the key 

factors that make Naivasha to have high prevalence of rape with a view 

of designing effective intervention mechanisms. It is hoped that the findings 

of this study, will be useful to a larger extent to the local community, 

Church and Government in their effort of eradicating gender violence and 

child defilement which has contributed greatly to the spread of HIV and 

AIDS. 

87


P-34 

88 


a st r u c t u r a l mo D e l o f ca u s a l in f l u e n c e 

b e t w e e n ag g r e s s i o n a n D ps y c h o l o g i c a l 

t r a i t s: su r v e y o f fe m a l e co r r e c t i o n a l 

facility in ja p a n 

Naomi, Matsuura 1 2 ; Toshiaki, Hashimoto 3 ; Motomi, Toichi 4 

1 School of Education, Tokyo University and Graduate School of 

Social Welfare, Japan; 2 Research Center for Special Needs Education, 

Nara University of Education , Japan ; 3 Department of 

Pediatrics, Tokushima Red Cross Hinomine Rehabilitation Center 

for the Disabilities, Japan; 4 School of Health Science, Kyoto University 

Faculty of Medicine, Japan 

(Abstract) 

The purpose of this study was to survey and clarify the characteristics of 

self-esteem, aggressiveness, AD/HD symptoms, and ACE in inmates of a 

female juvenile correctional facility and age- and gender-matched controls, 

analyze relationships among factors, and establish a causal model. 

The subjects were 41 juvenile (all females) admitted to “A” Female Juvenile 

Correctional facility, aged 15-18. Average students at an average high 

school were used as control group. The inmate group showed markedly 

lower levels of self-esteem but no difference in aggressiveness compared 

with the control group. Results of AD/HD Youth Self Report suggested 

marked AD/HD symptoms in the inmate group even in the primary school 

period. Multidimensional factors correlated with their aggression. There 

was a possibility that low self-esteem, a high AD/HD-YSR score, and high 

ACE score increase aggressiveness.


P-35 


an et h o l o g i c a l pe r s p e c t i v e o n vi o l e n c e 

Natarajan, Deepa 1 ; Caramaschi, Doretta 1 ; deVries, Han 2 ; 

deBoer, Sietse 1 ; Koolhaas, Jaap 1 

1 Dept of Behavior Physiology, University of Groningen, The Netherlands; 

2 Dept of Behavioral Biology, University of Utrecht, The 

Netherlands 

Bottlenecks to violence research have been manifold incl. lack of animal 

models, limited methodologies (frequency, duration of aggression) and 

objective definitions that cannot be implemented experimentally. These 

factors apart, a prime concern has been in delineating violence from functional 

aggression in animal models. The latter is identified as functional 

since it has endpoints of ecological advantage incl. acquiring resources 

and ranking in a given environment and hence a ubiquitous phenomenon 

in the wild. We achieved this distinction using both, mouse strains that 

were genetically selected for high/ low aggression as well as novel measures 

of quantifying inter-male agonistic combats namely Threat/ (Attack 

+ Chase), Offense/ Withdrawal ratios and context dependency. Sophisticated 

methodologies incl. the first-order Markov chain analysis was also 

carried out using frequency-based agonistic behavior transition matrices 

of both the residents as well as their interaction with opponents. We thus, 

identified violence as an un-inhibited (offense-oriented) form of aggression 

regardless of sex, state (free-moving/ anaesthetized) and the opponent 

subordination signals which is at once both socially dysfunctional as 

well as context-independent maladaptive, leading to reduced individual/ 

population fitness. We thus report violence as the agonistic trait in the 

short attack latency (SAL) mice while the agonistic trait is functional aggression 

in Turku Aggressive (TA) and North Carolina (NC900) mouse 

strains. 

Natarajan D and Caramaschi D contributed equally to this abstract. 

89


P-36 

90 


th e e f f e c t o f e m o t i o n s r e s u l t e D f o r m 

w a t c h i n g g a m e s o n s o m e ph y s i o l o g i c a l 

c h a n g e s o f e l D e r p e o p l e 

omara, osama 1 

1 South valley University, kena, Egypt 

World health organization in 1972 emphasized that care for the old people 

is a moral obligation. This is obviin the forms of care as food, health, care 

and leisure which forms a big part in their lives. Being old is bio-state 

viewed by the society as retirement which affects them psychologically, 

physically and socially thought they have great abilities in the form of 

experience that con not be neglected. The research aimed at identifying 

the effect of the emotions resulting from watching games on some physiological 

changes of the old people. It hypothesized that there are significant 

mean differences between the mean scores of the pre-post-testing in 

some physiological changes favoring the pre-testing. Twofold procedures 

were followed, firsts is the design and second is the experimental design 

with its pre and post testing was implemented. 

The community of the research is the old people living in Old Dormitory of 

the ministry of social affairs 2008 (46) and the group selected were (10). 

Data collection tools were: Growth percentage (age- tall-weight) and tests 

relating to the physiological changes (blood pressure, heart beat, white 

and red cells, chest outer and inner breathing). Results of the research 

concluded that the it verified the first hypothesis and achived identifying 

the emotions result from watching football matches and its effect on some 

physiological changes of old people. Finally it recommended that leisure 

programs should be designed to affect positively on the physiological 

changes to be searched. Community and sport media should contribute in 

decreasing the importance of winning or loosing a match.


P-37 


ca n e v o l u t i o n a r y i n f o r m e D p r i n c i p l e s o f 

p a r e n t a l i n v e s t m e n t p r e D i c t p a t t e r n s o f 

c h i l D homiciDe in no r w a y ? 

Ottesen, Vibeke 1 

1 Centre for Research and Education in Forensic Psychiatry, Oslo, 

Norway 

Background: Following principles of modern evolutionary theory one can 

deduce under what conditions parental investment in offspring can be expected 

to increase or decrease respectively in a given species. The use of 

such evolutionary informed principles of parental investment has proven 

successful in predicting patterns of child homicide in countries such as 

USA, Canada, England and Wales as well as a range of traditional cultures. 

The increasing list of cultures where principles of parental investment have 

predicted patterns of child homicide testifies to the universal validity of the 

principles and of their inherent understanding of the psychology of child 

homicide. An ongoing study of child homicide in Norway caters for the opportunity 

to test the validity of an evolutionary informed approach to child 

homicide in yet another culture. 

Methods: The present study will use a comprehensive national sample of 

child homicide cases that have been prosecuted and where the defendant 

was found guilty of murder, voluntary or involuntary manslaughter in Norway 

from 1980 to present day. The method will be document analysis of 

court rulings and forensic psychiatric evaluations of the defendants. Theses 

two sources of information were chosen for the elaborate information 

they hold. The court rulings include narratives of the incidents in question 

as presented by both prosecution and the defendant. They also include 

background information on the defendant´s previous convictions and his 

or her relationship with the victim. The forensic psychiatric evaluations 

include information about the defendant´s mental health history and also 

information on his or her family background and childhood. Both the data 

collection and analyses will be quantitative. 

Results: Preliminary results are expected to be available for presentation 

and discussion at the conference. 

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92 


a st a t i s t i c a l an a l y s i s o f cr i m e Da t a 

Panaretos,John, 1 2 ; Tsiamtsiouri, Alexandra 1 

1 Athens University of Economics and Business, Athens, Greece; 

2 University of California, Berkeley, USA 

We study and analyze Greek crime data. The data are reported crimes 

for the periods 1987-1997 (monthly data) and 1982-1997 (annual data). 

Crimes examined include Commonly Dangerous Crimes, Robbery, Theft, 

Murder, Rape, Arson, Personal Vengeance, Drug Violations, Smuggling of 

Antiquities and Beggary.


P-39 


pe r s o n a l i t y t r a i t s a n D e n D o c r i n e 

r e s p o n s e a s p o s s i b l e a s y m m e t r y f a c t o r s 

o f agonistic o u t c o m e in k a r a t e a t h l e t e s 

Harold, Dadomo 1 ; Alessandro, Bartolomucci 1 ; Pierfrancesco, 

Ferrari 1 ; Paola, Palanza 1 ; Alessandro, Vignali 2 ; Riccardo, 

Volpi 2 ; Stefano, Parmigiani 1 

1 Department of Evolutionary and Functional Biology, University of 

Parma, Parma,Italy.; 2 Department of Internal Medicine and Biomedical 

Sciences, University of Parma, Parma,Italy. 

Kumite (real fight) and Kata (highly ritualized fight) were studied in male 

Karate athletes. In Kumite the dyads were matched for weight, technical 

ability and body mass index to achieve symmetrical agonistic confrontations. 

Individual variations in the plasma levels of hormones (testosterone 

(T) and cortisol (C)), before and after Kumite and Kata, were measured 

and analysed in relation with the agonistic outcome (i.e. winning or losing) 

and personality trait measures. T and C increased only during Kumite 

contest and pre and post-competition C levels were higher in losers than 

winners. personality traits revealed that losers showed higher levels of 

harm avoidance (risk assessment), lower levels of novelty seeking and 

higher levels of anxiety than winners. significant correlations existed between 

personality traits and pre-competition C in the kumite contest with 

the novelty seeking negatively correlate with C and the higher the level 

of risk assessment, of emotionality and insecurity indexes the higher the 

C level. Thus personality traits might be an important factor of asymmetry 

between athletes influencing both the probability of winning or losing an 

agonistic interaction and the different anticipatory endocrine response to 

the incipient fight. Thus the “biological” and “psychological” measures can 

be used to characterize the athlete in terms of attitude and performance 

and to enhance individual coping strategy in challenging situations. 

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94 


ne u r a l b a s i s o f f a c i a l e X p r e s s i o n 

p r o c e s s i n g in m a l e a D o l e s c e n t s w i t h 

e a r l y-o n s e t co n D u c t Di s o r D e r 

Passamonti,Luca, 1 Fairchild, Graeme 2 ; Hurford, Georgina 

2 ; Goodyer, Ian 2 ; Calder, Andy 1 

1 Medical Research Council, Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, 

Cambridge, UK; 2 Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge University, 

Cambridge, UK 

Facial expressions serve key communicatory functions that critically modulate 

emotional behaviour. Individuals with Conduct Disorder (CD), particularly 

the early-onset subtype, show persistent aggressive-antisocial 

behaviour, and, as recently demonstrated, a marked impairment in recognizing 

facial expressions. It has been also suggested that this latter deficit, 

alongside with other dysfunctions, plays an important role in the development 

of the disorder. Although the neural substrate of this impairment is 

still poorly understood, recent data implicated both the amygdala and the 

ventromedial/orbitofrontal cortex (vmPFC/OFC) as key regions. In particular, 

hypoactive amygdala response to fearful faces has been shown in CD 

with psychopathic traits relative to controls. 

Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to further 

explore differences in brain activations between CD (the majority with no 

comorbid ADHD) and age-matched controls when viewing angry, sad, and 

neutral facial expressions. Our task also included null events as a low-level 

baseline. 

The amygdala, OFC, and other brain areas (superior temporal sulcus, insula, 

ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, intraparietal sulcus) showed reduced 

activation in CD relative to controls for angry vs. neutral faces. However, 

comparisons relative to null events showed that this effect was driven by 

angry and neutral expressions evoking significant but statistically equivalent 

activation in CD (angry=neutral), but differential level of response in 

controls (angry


P-41 


vi o l e n c e , t h e f i r s t l e a D i n g c a u s e, in j u r y 

s u r v e i l l a n c e s y s t e m, eg y p t 

saad, rania 1 ; Hafez, mohammed 2 ; Mamdouh, nasser 3 

1 Ministry of health , injury control unit, Egypt; 2 Ministry of health 

, injury control unit, Egypt; 3 Ministry of health , injury control 

unit, Egypt 

The Injury problem is considered one of the top priorities of the ministry 

of health since 1996. Violence is the first leading cause of morbidities and 

the third leading cause of mortalities counting more than 25% of the injury 

surveillance data annually. 

There are differences by age and show that young adults are by far the 

population that bears the greatest burden of injuries due to violence. 

Males are more affected than females. 

Inspite of the high magnitude of the problem of violence in Egypt, reporting 

is far from the ideal and there is underestimation of the problem. 

Hopefully the Use of ICD10 in classifying injuries data Since 2007 improved 

the reporting system but more national efforts needed for implementing 

a national strategic plan and engage victim counselling, parenting 

programmes and social developmental programmes. 

Currently, there are gaps in our national knowledge of causes and risk factors 

for violence and additional research is needed. 

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P-42 

96 


bl o c k e D r e w a r D t r a n s l a t e s i n t o e n h a n c e D 

f r u s t r a t i o n a n D r e s p o n s e f o r c e 

Rongjun, Yu 1 ; Dean, Mobbs 1 ; Andrew, Calder 1 

1 Medical Research Council, Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, 15 

Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 2EF, UK 

Mammalian studies show that frustration is experienced when goal-directed 

activity is thwarted or blocked (Amsel et al., 1952). It is well known 

that frustration is an antecedent to aggression (Dollard et al., 1939), 

yet the laws governing frustration are still not well understood. We 

tested a theory that the greater the motivation to reach the goal, the 

stronger the experienced frustration if the goal is blocked. In Experiment 

1, using a 4 trial reward schedule, we demonstrated that as the reward 

became proximal, participants responded faster, suggesting that their 

motivation increased as the reward proximity decreased. As participants 

approached the reward, their self-reported frustration increased after 

they failed to acquire the reward. We further demonstrate that responses 

direct following reward blocking showed that the applied force to the 

pressure-sensitive buttons increased with the enhanced self-reported 

frustration. In Experiment 2, using a multi trial reward schedule task, we 

further demonstrated that experienced frustration and applied forces 

following missed reward increase as a function of proximity after 

controlling for the efforts participants have devoted. We propose that 

frustration may serve an energizing function which translates the 

unfulfilled motivation into the vigor of subsequent behavior. Thus, 

blockage of proximal reward leads to enhanced frustration, which induces 

aggressive-like behavior.


P-43 


ag g r e s s i o n in psychiatric w a r D s : 

inDiviDual a n D e n v i r o n m e n t a l p r e D i c t o r s 

Salamin, Virginie 1 2 ; Schuwey-Hayoz, Aline 1 

1 Réseau fribourgeois de santé mentale, Centre de soins hospitaliers, 

Marsens, Switzerland; 2 Département de psychologie, Université 

de Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland 

Background. Violence and aggression are quite common phenomena in 

mental hospitals. Patient’s psychopathology, ward or environmental characteristics 

and staff variables may contribute to the development of aggressive 

interactions. The goal of this study is to identify the correlates of 

aggressive incidents in adult inpatient treatment wards. Method. We conducted 

a prospective study in seven wards in a mental hospital (admission 

wards, specialized wards for mood disorders, substance abuse, psychoses 

and crisis intervention). All aggressive incidents were recorded with the 

revised Staff Observation Aggression Scale (SOAS-R) over a 24-months 

period. Demographical data and diagnosis were routinely assessed. Results. 

The sample comprised 2671 treatment episodes of 1655 patients 

and a total of 95’365 treatment days. We recorded 9,5% of aggressive 

patients, mostly males, and a rather low incidence rate (0.52 aggressions 

per 100 treatment days). Younger age, a longer length of stay, male 

gender and personality disorders were associated with a higher risk for 

aggressive incidents. The prevalence of aggressive behaviour is highest 

among substance abuse (29%) and psychotic (23%) patients. Frequency 

and severity of aggressive behaviour are correlated to the monthly admission 

(respectively r=0.47 and r=0.37, p


P-44 

98 

cr e a t i n g a s t r e s s-f r e e m i n D a n D a 

v i o l e n c e -f r e e w o r l D 

Lund, Jakob 1 ; Schaller, Nathalie 2 


1 The International Association for Human Values (IAHV), worldwide; 

2 The International Art of Living Foundation (IALF), worldwide 

Violence is directly connected to the level of stress in our system, and 

stress is directly connected to our state of mind. Learning to deal with 

our mind and negative emotions is the key to individual peace, which is 

the only way to break the cycle of violence in the society. Learning about 

our mind could be compared to learning how to play of an instrument in 

order to make music instead of noise. Inside every culprit there is a victim. 

Victim of ignorance, small-mindedness and lack of awareness. It is 

the stress, lack of broad vision about life, lack of understanding, and bad 

communication that leads to violence in society. When there are blocks, 

tensions, contractions in our system, the connection to our self is cut off. 

The expression of violence is the attempt to release and free oneself from 

these tensions, not knowing how else to release them. 

The breath is the link between the mind, the body and the emotions. By 

learning how to use and control our breath, we can learn to free ourselves 

from stress, tensions and traumas in a constructive and safe way, allowing 

the life energy to circulate freely again in the system, and therefore ending 

the circle of violence within ourselves. 

For each emotion there is a corresponding pattern of breath. It is obvious 

that when we are angry, our breath is affected. Therefore, by attending 

to our breath, we can transform our emotion and our state of mind. One 

of the most comprehensive breathing techniques derived from the ancient 

Vedic science and taught by the AOLF is Sudarshan Kriya (SK). SK is understood 

to use specific rhythms of breath to eliminate stress, support 

the various organs and systems within the body, transform overpowering 

emotions, and restore peace of mind.


P-45 

ri s k a s s e s s m e n t in m e n t a l h e a l t h 

s e r v i c e s: a n a t i o n a l m o D e l 

Simpson, Alexander 1 


1 Mason Clinic and University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand 

Risk assessment in mental health services has been controversial and often 

resisted by mainstream mental health services. In New Zealand, schema 

in use in mental health services were often actuarial in form, resulting 

in static risk categorisations that are not useful in building an understanding 

of risk with a client. If it is to be widely applied and acceptable, risk 

assessment needs to be both simple and integrated with recovery based 

intervention. This paper describes the development of a proforma that 

builds on core skills of multidisciplinary mental health professionals to 

develop a simple and robust risk formulation that is dynamic and easily 

communicated with the client and others involved in their care. It communicates 

a shared understanding of risk issues that describes the particular 

pathways to risk for that individual. The proforma and accompanied training 

programme is now taught as the national policy for risk assessment in 

mental health services in New Zealand and all mental health professionals 

are trained in its use. The benefits and risks of such a policy will be described. 

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100 


ge n D e r a n D ag g r e s s i o n: an fmri-st u D y 

Strüber, Daniel1 2 ; Roth, Gerhard2 ; Herrmann, Manfred3 4 ; 

3 4 

Fehr, Thorsten 

1 Department of General Psychology, Helmut-Schmidt-University 

/ University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg, Germany; 

2 Brain Research Institute, University of Bremen, Germany; 3 Center 

for Cognitive Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology and 

Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Bremen, Germany; 4 Center 

for Advanced Imaging, Universities of Bremen and Magdeburg, 

Germany 

It is a well-known fact that men engage in more direct aggression than 

women. However, the neural correlates of this gender difference remain 

unclear. Here we employed a novel video stimulus inventory (BRAIN–BRemen 

Aggression INventory) to examine the affective responses and brain 

activations while 11 men and 11 women viewed aggressive and neutral 

scenes under natural viewing conditions. Per category, 30 video clips (5-6 

seconds duration) were presented in a pseudorandomized order. The behavioural 

results showed that the aggressive scenes induced more anger 

and less fear in men whereas women rated their emotions as more fearful 

and less angry. The fMRI data showed for both males and females activation 

patterns in postcentral and inferior parietal regions when watching the 

reactive aggressive situations in contrast to neutral ones. Females further 

showed occipital and occipital-temporal activations possibly reflecting a 

more intense and fear-based analysis of the situation, whereas males 

showed a more anterior distribution of activations in temporal and frontal 

brain regions. In addition, men only showed bilateral brainstem activations 

which might be linked to a more pronounced tendency of attack behaviour. 

Basic neural network components related to aggressive behaviour might 

be located predominantly in subcortical structures, whereas aggressionrelated 

action programs might reflect individual learning histories and, 

therefore, be located in group-specific and/or interindividually varying 

neocortical networks. These findings demonstrate gender-specific brain 

activations during the affective processing of aggressive situations that 

may relate to gender differences in direct aggression.


P-47 

violence against women, 

a social construction 

resulting from a seXist anD 

patriarchal society 

Terzidis, Amanda, Muri, Sandra 1 

1 Viol-Secours Association 


Understanding violence for Viol-Secours means to deal with sexual violence 

against women. Sexual violence appears in different forms, ranging 

from sexist verbal aggression to rape which is the ultimate crime. Our 

analysis underlines that violence start with trivialization of sexist advertising 

and pornography (promotion of women as sex object, who can be 

used and handled), eating disorder normalization, artificial and unattainable 

beauty criteria, promotion of plastic surgery, to finally culminate in 

rape. Rape is the extreme manner for a man to show his willingness to 

dominate and humiliate a woman. In fact, our experience highlights that 

a sexual aggression has nothing to do with sexual desire and/or sexual 

impulse. It is the will to dominate and humiliate which predominates for 

the aggressor. During a rape, the aggressor behaves as though he has the 

power to decide if “his victim” must live or die. 

We explain the origin of sexual violence against women neither as a fatality 

nor as a “male nature”, but as a social construction. This construction 

is the expression of a patriarchal society which assigns differentiated and 

unequal roles to people according to their gender. Discriminative gender 

differences appear in everyday life, as much in the public as in the private 

area. It starts with education still based on sexist stereotypes. In general, 

little girls are educated to be sweet, pleasant, altruistic, passive, while little 

boys are encouraged to be active, independent, conqueror and strong. 

It continues later in a social organisation which legitimates and perpetuates 

gender inequality. 

Consequently, in order to combat sexual violence, we are taking preventive 

action, notably in schools, and we continue to denounce sexism in 

everyday life, working for that, with both women and men. 

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ac u t e s t r e s s h a s a l o n g -l a s t i n g 

e f f e c t o n o f f e n s i v e b e h a v i o u r in a 

D o m i n a n c e h i e r a r c h y t e s t a n D l e a D s t o a 

D o w n r e g u l a t i o n o f m o n o a m i n e o X i D a s e a 

e X p r e s s i o n in l a t e r a l s e p t u m 

Timmer, Marjan 1 ; Sandi, Carmen 1 

1 Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzer- 

land 

Stress can have a major impact on social behaviour. We use a rat model to 

investigate the effect of a stressful experience on the establishment and 

maintenance of hierarchies. On day 1, one rat of a pair is exposed to foot 

shocks prior to a social encounter and a food competition test (FCT). On 

day 8, the memory for the hierarchy established on day 1 is tested in a 

water competition test (WCT). Previous experiments in our group showed 

that rats that are exposed to a stressful experience before the first encounter 

usually become the subordinate individual of a pair. Furthermore, 

the memory that is formed for the established hierarchy is enhanced by 

stress compared to pairs consisting of two non-stressed rats. 

In the present experiment rats were submitted to stress followed by a social 

encounter and a FCT on day 1. In a WCT on day 8 they were exposed 

to an unfamiliar partner that was either dominant or subordinate on day 

1 (without exposure to stress). Stressed rats became the dominant individual 

and showed a high ratio of offensive behaviour to a previously subordinate 

partner in the WCT, whereas this was not the case when paired 

with a previously dominant partner. In addition, we studied changes in 

the expression of monoamine oxidase A (MAO A) mRNA expression in the 

lateral septum under basal conditions, one week after exposure to stress 

and the social encounter. We found a downregulation in MAO A expression 

in stressed subordinate rats compared to naïve controls, and in the pairs 

consisting of a stressed and a non-stressed rat compared to pairs consisting 

of two non-stressed rats. 

Our results indicate that exposure to acute stress has a long-lasting effect 

on offensive behaviour, which might be explained by the downregulation in 

MAO A in lateral septum.


P-49 


th e e v a l u a t i o n o f criminal b e h a v i o u r a n D 

i t s relationship t o c e r t a i n inDiviDual 

c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s. a s t u D y o f a g r o u p o f 

a D o l e s c e n t s in so u t h e r n it a l y. 

Tramontano, Carlo 1 ; Baralla, Francesca 1 ; Giannini, Anna 

Maria 1 ; Sgalla, Roberto 2 ; Marchetti, Marco 3 

1 Sapienza University of Rome, Italy; 2 Italian Ministry of Interior, 

Department of Public Security, Italy; 3 University of Molise, Italy 

This study is part of a broader research project aimed at understanding 

attitudes toward deviant behaviour within specific social and interpersonal 

contexts. Scientific literature has demonstrated a relationship between 

early problematic behaviour and the forms of antisociality and deviance in 

adolescence and in adult life (Moffitt, 1993; Schaeffer, et al. 1993; Loeber, 

Hay, 1997; Nagin, Tremblay, 1999), as well as between assent to deviant 

behaviour and the frequenting of groups where violations of social norms 

prevail. This research (supported by European funds to the Italian Ministry 

of Interior) focused on four target southern regions which experience 

relatively high levels of organized crime and criminality. A paper-and-pencil 

assessment was conducted in the Spring of 2007 with 1988 high school 

adolescents (51% male, 49% female; average age 16.43, s.d. 1.53) 

in eight cities in four regions. Hypothetical scenarios describing criminal 

behaviours were presented. To assess how each criminal behaviour 

was viewed by the subjects, each was asked several questions including 

whether or not the situation was probable, if they believed that the behaviour 

was in violation of the law, and if they considered the act acceptable. 

Afterwards, there was an evaluation of a possible correlation to certain 

dispositional characteristics which are associated with and which regulate 

conduct and behaviour understood as moral (Bandura et al., 1997), taking 

into consideration the results relative to four different evaluations obtained 

through questionnaires intended to measure, respectively: civic disengagement, 

“permeability to illegality”, pro-social behaviour, anti-social 

behaviour. Six clusters (SLEIPNER Program; Bergman, El-Khouri, 1998), 

were identified, separately for males and females, which presented statistically 

significant differences in relation to the tendency to minimize the 

gravity of the crime, to the evaluation of probability and to the recognition 

of the violation of the law for the various types of crimes considered. 

Such differences were found also in the choice of behaviour in answer to 

the hypothetical crime situations. 

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104 


op p o s i t e v a s o p r e s s i n r e l e a s e p a t t e r n s 

within t h e b e D n u c l e u s s t r i a terminalis 

a n D t h e l a t e r a l s e p t u m D u r i n g t h e D i s p l a y 

o f i n t e r m a l e a g g r e s s i o n 

Veenema, Alexa 1 ; Beiderbeck, Daniela 1 ; Neumann, Inga 1 

1 Department of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Zoology, 

University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany 

Vasopressin (AVP) has been implicated in intermale aggression, but little 

is known about AVP neurotransmission during the display of intermale 

aggression. We used intracerebral microdialysis to monitor the in vivo 

secretory activity of AVP neurons within the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis 

(BST) and the lateral septum of adult male Wistar rats exposed 

as residents to the 10-min resident-intruder test. A significant increase in 

AVP release within the BST was found in non-aggressive rats compared 

with aggressive rats and compared with basal AVP release. The behavioral 

specificity of AVP release patterns was confirmed as both non-aggressive 

and aggressive rats showed a similar increase in AVP release when exposed 

to 10-min of forced swimming. Administration of the AVP V1a receptor 

antagonist d(CH2)5Tyr(Me)AVP into the BST of non-aggressive rats 

did not increase the level of aggression. However, application of synthetic 

AVP into the BST of aggressive rats significantly reduced the level of aggression. 

In contrast to the BST, AVP release within the septum was significantly 

increased in aggressive rats compared with non-aggressive rats 

and compared with basal AVP release. Pharmacological manipulation of 

the septal AVP system by local application of either synthetic AVP to nonaggressive 

rats or the specific V1a receptor antagonist to aggressive rats 

did not change the level of aggression. Taken together, we are the first to 

show that the display of intermale aggression is associated with distinct 

AVP release patterns within the BST and septum. Our data further indicate 

that AVP release within the BST directly affects the display of aggression, 

whereas AVP release within the lateral septum may rather be the consequence 

of the display of aggression and may have delayed effects on 

aggression-related behaviors, like anxiety and social memory. 

This work was supported by the Bayerische Forschungsstiftung (AHV) and 

the Deutsche Forschungsstiftung (IDN).


P-51 

ag g r e s s i v e r e s p o n s e s t o t r o u b l e D 

s i t u a t i o n s in s a m p l e o f a D o l e s c e n t s: 

Vigil-Colet, A 1 ; Lorenzo-Seva, U 1 ; Morales-Vives, F 1 

1 Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Research Center for Behavioral As- 

sessment. 


We developed a questionnaire for measuring aggressive behaviors taking 

into account different situations where these behaviors are executed. The 

questionnaire consisted of six situations (three related to unknown people 

and three related to relatives) and seven possible behaviours (supposedly 

related to physical and verbal aggression and to anger) which was 

administered to 350 adolescents . The corresponding person x situation 

x response data was analysed using a three-mode component analysis. 

Furthermore 127 participants completed also the Buss &Perry (1992) aggression 

questionnaire and the Dysfunctional Scale of Dickman’s Impulsivity 

Inventory (Dickman, 1991). The amount of variance explained by the 

persons x situations x responses interaction justified the three-mode component 

approach. Results showed the expected two latent dimensions for 

situations (unknown people and relatives) and three latent dimensions for 

responses (physical aggression, verbal aggression and anger). In addition 

we founded five latent dimensions for persons that reflected five different 

profiles which reflected the existence of interactions between the response 

components and the situations. When the scores on the five components 

where related to AQ and impulsivity, results indicated that traditional 

questionnaires such as them only can predict the scores of the component 

“physical aggression with unknowns”. 

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P-52 

106 


ge n e -e n v i r o n m e n t a l i n t e r p l a y o n t h e 

a s s o c i a t i o n b e t w e e n a g g r e s s i v e b e h a v i o r 

a n D a l c o h o l D e p e n D e n c e 

von der Pahlen, Bettina 1 ; Johansson, Ada 1 ; Sandnabba, N. 

Kenneth 1 ; Santtila, Pekka 1 

1 Center of Excellence in Behavior Genetics, Department of Psychology, 

Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland 

We investigated the interplay between genetic and environmental effects 

on the association between alcohol dependence and aggressive behaviour 

as well as sex differences in this interplay. There were 3141 male (mean 

age 26.2 [S.E. = 0.1]) and 6026 female (mean age 26.1[S.E. = 0.1]) participants 

in this extended twin study. Alcohol Use Disorder Identification 

Test (AUDIT), and two subscales of Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) were 

used to assess the phenotypes. The phenotypes were positively associated 

with men exhibiting higher levels on both phenotypes. In the model fitting, 

we explored first how the level of alcohol use moderated the genetic 

and environmental effects on aggressive behaviour separately for men 

and women. Second, we explored in similar fashion how the level of aggressive 

behaviour moderated the genetic and environmental effects on 

alcohol dependence. The implications of the results for understanding the 

connection between these two phenotypes will be discussed.


P-53 


ag g r e s s i o n: bi o p s y c h o s o c i a l me c h a n i s m s 

Wahl, Klaus 1 

1 German Youth Institute (Deutsches Jugendinstitut) and Univer- 

sity of Munich, Germany 

We try to close the gap between biological, psychological and sociological 

approaches to aggression and violence. In order to do this we are looking 

at the mechanisms connecting systems for aggression at the genetic, 

neuronal, psychic, and social levels. 

After a broad study of new research findings in the different sciences we 

recently started an empirical research project combining brain studies 

(EEG, fMRI), psychological tests (attachment, affective reactions etc.) and 

biographic interviews with violent perpetrators and a control group ( n = 

24 in the pre-study). This interdisciplinary study is done in cooperation 

with researchers from German and Austrian universities (Bremen, Magdeburg, 

Heidelberg, Kassel,Innsbruck). 

107


108 

February 11-13 2009



109

Participants 

List


ADEGBITE, Timothy Folagbade 

E. I NIGERIA LIMITED 

OSOSAMI 

NG-23402 IBADAN 

timo7772003@yahoo.com 

ALSAHEB, Maha 

Woman&Child Healt/family violence section 

MOH Jordan 

Alshesani st. abdullah bin Omar st.42 

JO-11195 Amman 

maha_saheb@hotmail.com 

ANDARI, Elissar 

UMR 5229 

Centre de Neuroscience Cognitive 

67 BD Pinel 

FR-69675 Bron 

elissar_andary@hotmail.com 


UMR 5229 


67 bd pinel bron 

FR-69675 Bron 



UMR 5229 


67 BOULEVARD PINEL 

FR-69675 Bron 


ANDRES-PUEYO, antonio 

Psicologia de la Personalitat- Facultad de Psicologia 

Barcelona University 

Passeig Vall Hebron 171 

ES-08035 barcelona 

andrespueyo@ub.edu 

ANDREW, Calder 

MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit 

15, Chaucer Road 

GB-CB2 7EF Cambridge 

andy.calder@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk 

ARCHER, John 

Psychology 

University of Central Lancashire 

Marsh Lane 

GB-PR1 2 HE Preston 

jarcher@uclan.ac.uk 

112 


ARINAITWE, PATRICK 

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH 

KADINET 

kampala,UGANDA 

UG-+256 KAMPALA 

arinaitwepatrick@yahoo.com 

ASSAL, Emmanuelle 

CTAS-Association Centre thérapeutique abus 

sexuels 

36 bd st Georges, 

CH-1205 Genève 

e.assal@hotmail.com 

AVONTROODT, Yolande 

Evens Foundation 

Van Breestraat 14 

BE-2018 Antwerpen 

ef@evensfoundation.be 

BABEL-GUERIN, Eliane 

Direction 

Croix-rouge genevoise 

9 route des Acacias 

CH-1211 Genève 4 

e.babel.guerin@croix-rouge-ge.ch 

BARALLA, Francesca 

Department of Psychology 

Faculty of Psychology, Sapienza University of 

Rome 

Via dei Marsi, 78 

IT-00185 Rome 

francesca.baralla@uniroma1.it 

BARBE, Remy 

DEA/Child Psychiatry 

University Hospital Geneva 

6 Rue Willy Donzé 


remy.barbe@hcuge.ch 

BEDIOU, Benoit 

CISA Centre for Affective Sciences 


rue des battoirs, 7 

CH-1206 Geneva 

benoit.bediou@unige.ch 

BERNOULLI, Nicole 

Salève 

SPEA 

Petit-Bel-Air 2 

CH-1225 Chêne-Bourg 

nicole.bernoullifiaux@hcuge.ch


BERTSCH, Katja 


University of Trier 

Universitätsring 15 

DE-54286 Trier 

bert1301@uni-trier.de 

BINNERT, Christophe 

Centre de Recherche Nestlé 

route du Jorat 

CH-1000 Lausanne 

christophe.binnert@rdls.nestle.com 

BISAZ, Reto 

Brain Mind institute, Science de la vie 

Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne 

(EPFL) 

Ecublens 


reto.bisaz@epfl.ch 

BLANCHARD, Caroline 

Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology 

Pacific Biosciences Research Institute, University 

of Hawaii; and John A. Burns School of 

Medicine 

1993 East-West Road, 

US-96825 Honolulu 

blanchar@hawaii.edu 

BLANKE, Olaf 

EPFL 

BMI 

Box 19 


olaf.blanke@epfl.ch 

BOLEA, Sonia 

LN Doctoral School 

Biophore 2204, Unil-Sorge 


sonia.bolea@unil.ch 

BONDAR, Natalia 

Neurogenetics of Social Behavior Sector 

Institute of Cytology and Genetics SD RAS 

Lavrentiev Ave, 10 

RU-630090 Novosibirsk 

nbondar@bionet.nsc.ru 

BONNARD, SABINE 

Dpt fédéral de l’économie 

Station de recherche agroscope Changins- 

Wädenswil, ACW 

rte de Duillier 

CH-1260 NYON 

sabine.bonnard@acw.admin.ch 

BREUILLAUD, lionel 

CNP CHUV SUPEA 

Site de cery, CNP 1er etage 

CH-1008 Prilly 

lionel.breuillaud@chuv.ch 

BROOM, Mark 

Department of Mathematics 

University of Sussex 

Mantell Building, 

GB-BN1 9RF Brighton 

m.broom@sussex.ac.uk 

Participants List 

BUTCHART, Alexander 

Violence and Injury Prevention and Disability 

World Health Organization 

Avenue Appia 20 

CH-1211 Geneva 27 

butcharta@who.int 

CADAS, Hugues 

Department of Cell Biology and Morphology 

Faculty of Biology and Medecine 

Rue du Bugnon 9 


hugues.cadas@unil.ch 

CARAMASCHI, Doretta 

Dept. Behavioral Physiology 

University of Groningen 

Kerklaan 30 

NL-9750 AA Haren 

d.caramaschi@rug.nl 

CARDINAUX, Jean-René 

Department of Psychiatry-CHUV 

Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience 

Hospital of Cery 

CH-1008 Prilly-Lausanne 

jean-rene.cardinaux@chuv.ch 

CASTRO, Jorge 

SV/BMI/LGC 


Station 15 


jorge.castro@epfl.ch 

113


CHARDONNENS, Evelyne 

Institut de psychologie 

Unil 

1015 Dorigny Lausanne 


evelyne.chardonnens@unil.ch 

CHICO, ELISEO 

Psicología 

Universidad Rovira i Virgili 

Carretera de Valls s/n 

ES-43007 Tarragona 

eliseo.chico@urv.cat 

CODORNIU-RAGA, Maria Jose 

Psychology 

Universitat Rovira i Virgili 



mariajose.codorniu@urv.cat 

COID, Jeremy 

Forensic Psychiatry Research Unit 

St Barts and the London Medical School, 

Queen Mary University of London 

William Harvey House 

61 bartholomew close 

GB-EC1A 7BE London 

j.w.coid@qmul.ac.uk 

CONBOY, Lisa 

Life Science 

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 

SV-BMI-LGC, Bat. AAB 201, 

Station 15, 


lisa.conboy@epfl.ch 

CORDERO, María Isabel 

BMI LGC 


Ecublens 


isabel.cordero@epfl.ch 

COSI MUñOZ, Sandra 

Psychology 

Universidad Rovira i Virgili 



alexandra.cosi@urv.cat 

114 

COTTINGHAM, Emily 

Psychology faculty 


40, bvd du Pont d’Arve 


emily.cottingham@unige.ch 

CRISTOFORI, Irene 

UMR 5229 


67 bd Pinel 

FR-69675 Bron 

irenecristofori@yahoo.it 

DAVID, Swapp 

Computer Science 


Malet Place 

GB-WC1E 6BT London 

d.swapp@cs.ucl.ac.uk 


DE BOER, Sietse 

Behavioral Physiology 

University of Groningen, Biological Center 

Kerklaan 30 

NL-9750 AA Haren 

s.f.de.boer@rug.nl 

DE BRITO, stephane 

Forensic Mental Health Science 

Institute of Psychiatry 

De Crespigny Park 

GB-SE5 8AF London 

stephane.debrito@iop.kcl.ac.uk 

DE KLOET, Ron 

Department of Medical Pharmacology 

Leiden University, LACDR 

Einsteinweg 55 

NL-2300RA Leiden 

e.kloet@lacdr.leidenuniv.nl 

DE SANTIS, Laura 

Psychiatry, CNP 

CHUV 

Cery 

CH-1008 Prilly/Lausanne 

laura.de-santis@chuv.ch 

DERIVOIS, DANIEL 

Institute of Psychology 

University of Lyon 

5, Ave Pierre Mendes France 

FR-69676 BRON 

daniel.derivois@univ-lyon2.fr


DOENLEN, Raphael 

Center of Phenogenomics 


Station 19 


raphael.doenlen@epfl.ch 

DOTTO, gian-paolo dotto 

University of Lausanne 

Department of Biochemistry 

Ch. des Boveresses 155 

CH-1066 Epalinges 

gian-paolo.dotto@unil.ch 

DUGATKIN, Lee 

Department of Biology 

University of Louisville 

Life Sciences Building 

US-40241 Louisville 

lee.dugatkin@louisville.edu 

D’ACREMONT, Mathieu 

Laboratory for Decision-Making under Uncertainty 


Station 5 


mathieu.dacremont@epfl.ch 

D’AMBROSIO, Arianna 

Vires, Organisme de traitement et de prévention 

des violences exercées dans le couple et 

la famille. Genève 

rue Gilbert, 17 

CH-1217 Meyrin 

arianna.dambrosio@libero.it 

D’ANDREA, Ivana 

Section of Behavioural Neurosciences, Department 

of Cell Biology and Neuroscience 

Istituto Superiore di Sanità 

Viale Regina Elena 

IT-00161 Rome 

ivana.dandrea@iss.it 

EBSTEIN, Richard 

Psychology Department 

Hebrew University 

Mt. Scopus Campus 

IL-91035 Jerusalem 

rpebstein@gmail.com 

EMILIE, Bovet 

FBM / CHUV 

IUHMSP 

Falaises 1 


emilie.bovet@chuv.ch 

ERKOHEN, Miriam 

retired 

ch. de la Damataire 26 

CH-1009 Pully 

merkohen@hotmail.com 

EVENS, Corinne 

Fondation Evens 

7 rue Beautreillis 

FR-75004 Paris 

secretariat.ce@siiffa.com 

FAIRCHILD, Graeme 

Developmental Psychiatry Section 

Cambridge University 

Douglas House, 18b Trumpington Road 

GB-CB2 8AH Cambridge 

gff22@cam.ac.uk 

FANTIN, Martina 

SV-BMI 


Station 15 1015 Lausanne 


martina.fantin@epfl.ch 

FEHR, Thorsten 

Center for Cognitive Sciences 

University of Bremen 

Hochschulring 18 

DE-28359 Bremen 

fehr@uni-bremen.de 

FIDA, roberta 

psychology 

sapienza university of rome 

via dei marsi 78 

IT-00185 Roma 

roberta.fida@uniroma1.it 

FRANKEN, Paul 

Center for Integrative Genomics 


Genopode building 

CH-1015 Lausanne-Dorigny 

paul.franken@unil.ch 


115


GAILLARD, Francois 

Psychology Institute 

UNIL 

Ch. du Trabandan 17 


francois.gaillard@unil.ch 

GALYONA, Eugene 

Philosophy 

Karazin Kharkov National University 

4, Svoboda sq. 

UA-61000 Kharkov 

lux84@mail.ru 

GAO, Virginia 

BMI 


18 Place du Tunnel 


virginia.gao@gmail.com 

GARCIA, Clara 

Nutrition and Health 

Nestle Research Center 

Vers chez les Blanc 


clara.garcia@rdls.nestle.com 

GEHRING, Alison 

Bute Medical School 

University of St Andrews 

Bute Building 

St Andrews 

GB-KY16 9TS Fife 

am2449@st-andrews.ac.uk 

GENOUX, David 

Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics 


ecublens 


david.genoux@epfl.ch 

GHORBI, banafsheh 

Nursing and Midwifery 

Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science 

& Health Services 

29 Nobakht st. Apadana ave. 

IR-15547 Tehran 

b_ghorbi75@yahoo.com 

116 

GOMEZ, Jean-Marc 

Psychology 


7, rue des Battoirs 


jean-marc.gomez@unige.ch 


GONZALEZ, Sonia 

Point du Jour Production 

23,rue de Cronstadt 


sonia.gonzalez@pointdujour.fr 

GRAVIER, Bruno 

Dept de Psychiatrie/CHUV 

Service de Médecine et de Psychiatrie Pénitentiaires 

Site de Cery 


bruno.gravier@chuv.ch 

GREGORY, Sarah 

Dept of Forensic Mental Health Sciences 

Insitute of Psychiatry 

De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill 


sarah_gregory@iop.kcl.ac.uk 

GRENNINGLOH, Gabriele 

Brain Mind Institute 

EPFL-SV-BMI 

Station 19 


gabriele.grenningloh@epfl.ch 

GUIDI, Raffaella 

Centre for Psychiatric Neuroscience 

CHUV / UNIL 

Hôpital de Cery, 1er étage 


raffaella.guidi@chuv.ch 

GUIGNARD, Gabriela 

Quality and Safety 

Nestec SA 

Vers-chez-les-Blanc 

CH-1000 LAUSANNE 26 

gabriela.guignard@rdls.nestle.com 

GUILLIER, Nathalie 

Institute of Psychology 

University of Lyon 

5, ave Pierre Mendès France 

FR-69676 BRON 

nathalie-g@hotmail.fr


HALFON, Olivier 

Service Universitaire de Psychiatrie de 

l’Enfance et de l’Adolescence 

CHUV 

Rue du Bugnon 23A 


olivier.halfon@chuv.ch 

HASSAN, Ghada 

Programs & Research 

Dubai Foundation for Women & Children 

Al Awir Road 

AE-97727 DUBAI 

dr.ghada@dfwac.ae 

HAYMOZ PANTILLON, Sandrine 

Penal law and Criminology 

University of Zurich 

Ch. des secrétaires 3 

CH-1442 Montagny 

sandrine.haymoz@unil.ch 

HERPERTZ, Sabine C. 

Psychiatry and Psychotherapy 

Rostock University 

Gehlsheimer Str. 20 

DE-18147 Rostock 

sabine.herpertz@med.uni-rostock.de 


Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy 

University Rostock 

Gehlsheimer Str. 20 




Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy 

University Rostock 

Gehlsheimer Straße 20 



HIRLING, Harald 

SV - Decanat 


SV 3809 


harald.hirling@epfl.ch 


HODGINS, Sheilagh 

Department of Forensic Mental Health 

Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London 

De Crespigny Park 

Denmark Hill 


s.hodgins@iop.kcl.ac.uk 

HOFNER, Marie-Claude 

CURML (University Center for Legal Medicine) 

CHUV - FBM 

César Roux 19 


marie-claude.hofner@chuv.ch 

HOFNER, Marie-Claude 

University Hospital Center Lausanne 

Violence Medical Unit 

Rue César Roux 19 


marie-claude.hofner@chuv.ch 

HUBERT VAN BLYENBURGH, Ninian 

Département d’anthropologie et écologie 

Université de Genève 

12 rue Gustave Revilliod 


ninian.hubert@unige.ch 

ISLAM, Dr. S. M. Shariful 

International Health 

Partners in Population and Development 

B-3, Road-1, Niketan, Gulshan-1 

BD-1212 Dhaka 

sharif.undp@gmail.com 

IYER, Keerthana 

SV 

BMI, LGC 

Batiment AAB 115, Station 15 


keets85@gmail.com 

JAQUIER, Veronique 

Ecole des sciences criminelles UNIL 

Institut de criminologie et de droit pénal 

BCH 


veronique.jaquier@unil.ch 

JAURY, Marie 

Point du Jour Production 

23, rue de Cronstadt 


mjaury@hotmail.fr 

117


JÄGGI, Sarah 

IFB 

Marktgasse 29 

CH-3000 Bern 

sarah.jaeggi@ifkjb.ch 

JOHNSTON-WENGER, Nathalie 

DBCM 

Université de Lausanne 

Rue du Bugnon 9 


nathalie.johnston-wenger@unil.ch 

JOSHI, Shambhu D. 

Health 

District Public health Office 

c/o Gokarna-9, KTM, Nepal 

NP-n/a Malakheti-3 

dr.sdjoshi@yahoo.com 

JOSHUA, Buckholtz 

Department of Psychology; Vanderbilt Brain 

Institute 

Vanderbilt University 

Vanderbilt University 

PMB 407817 

2301 Vanderbilt Place 

US-37240-7817 Nashville 

joshua.buckholtz@vanderbilt.edu 

JOZSEF, Haller 

Behavioral Neurobiology 

Institute of Experimental Medicine 

43 Szigony street 

1083 Budapest 

Hungary 

HU-1450 Budapest 

haller@koki.hu 

JULIEN, Marquis 

SV-GHI-LVG 


Station 15 


julien.marquis@epfl.ch 

KÖNIG, Chantal 

Kant. BEObachtungsstation Bolligen 

Hühnerbühlstrasse 206 

CH-3065 Bolligen 

chantal.koenig@jgk.be.ch 

118 

KELLER, Lucas 

IFB 

Im Surinam 156 

CH-4058 Basel 

lucas.keller@ifkjb.ch 

KHAN, Robina 


University of Trier 

Universitätsring 15 

DE-54286 Trier 

khan1301@uni-trier.de 


KIEHL, Kent 

Psychology and Neuroscience 

Univ of New Mexico & Mind Research Network 

1101 Yale Blvd NE 

Mind Research Network 

US-87131 Albuquerque 

kkiehl@unm.edu 

KLUSEMANN, Stefan 

Department of Sociology 

University of Pennsylvania 

3718 Locust Walk, McNeil Building, Suite 

113 

US-19104-6299 Philadelphia 

stefankl@ssc.upenn.edu 

KOOLHAAS, Jaap M 

Behavioral Physiology 

University Groningen 

Kerklaan 30 

9751 NN Haren 


NL-9750AA Haren 

j.m.koolhaas@rug.nl 

KREIS, Christian 

School of Criminal Justice, Institute of Criminology 

and Penal Law 


Schneitstrasse 11 

CH-6315 Oberaegeri 

christian.kreis@unil.ch 

KUDRYAVTSEVA, Natalia 

Neurogenetics of Social Behavior Sector 

Institute of Cytology and Genetics SD RAS 

pr. ak. Lavrentjeva, 10 

RU-630090 Novosibirsk 

natnik@bionet.nsc.ru


KUHN, André 

Institut de Criminologie et de Droit Pénal 

Ecole des sciences criminelles 


Internef 


andre.kuhn@unil.ch 

KUHN, Fabienne Kuhn 

Psychology 

Bern 

Missionsstrasse 

CH-4055 Basel 

fabiennekuhn1982@yahoo.com 

KUNZ, Tina 

Nutrition & Health 

Nestlé Research Center 

Vers-chez-les-Blanc 

CH-1000 Lausanne 26 

tina.kunz@rdls.nestle.com 

LARSEN, Marianne Hald 


Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne 

AAB201 (Bâtiment AAB), 

Station 15 


marianne.larsen@epfl.ch 

LAVANCHY, Tom 

LNCO 

BMI 

Ruelle des Châtaigniers 1 

CH-1026 Denges 

tom.lavanchy@epfl.ch 

LESCH, K. P. 

Department of Psychiatry 

University of Wuerzburg 

Fuechsleinstrasse 15 

DE-97080 Wuerzburg 

kplesch@mail.uni-wuerzburg.de 

LEVINE, Mark 

Department Of Psychology 

Lancaster University 

Fylde College 

GB-LA1 4YF Lancaster 

m.levine@lancaster.ac.uk 

LIGHTOWLERS, Carly 

CCSR 

Manchester University 

School of Social Sciences 

Kantorovich Building, 

Humanities Bridgeford Street 

University of Manchester 

GB-M13 9PL Manchester 

carly.lightowlers@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk 

LINDE, ANTONIA 

FACULTE DE DROIT ET SCIENCES CRIM- 

INELLES 

ECOLE DES SCIENCES CRIMINELLES 

rue Mornex 5B 

CH-1003 LAUSANNE 

tlinde75@hotmail.com 

LINGNAU, Eva 

Education and Behaviour Unit 

International Committee of the Red Cross 

19 Avenue de la Paix 


elingnau@icrc.org 

LOESCHE, Urs Caspar 

Law 

University Bern 

sulgenbachstr.29 

CH-3007 Bern 

caspar@students.unibe.ch 

LUCIA, Sonia 

Institut de criminologie et de droit pénal 

Ecole des Sciences Criminelles 

Batochime 

Dorigny 


sonia.luciaesseiva@unil.ch 


LUDIVINE, challet 

département de zoologie et biologie animal 

Universite de genève 

Quai ernest ansermet 30 

CH-1200 geneva 

challet3@etu.unige.ch 

LUKSYS, Gediminas 

LGC / LCN 


Rue J-J-Cart 1 


gediminas.luksys@epfl.ch 

119


LUND, Jakob 

Director, International Breathe SMART programs 

The International Assoc. for Human Values 

Rue du Lac 

DK-1000 Copenhagen 

breathesmart@mail.dk 

LUTHI-CARTER, Ruth 



Station 15 


ruth.luthi-carter@epfl.ch 

MACHADO, Françoise 

Neuropsychologie 

Ensemble Hospitalier de la Côte 

Hôpital de Gilly 

CH-1182 Gilly 

francoise.machado@ehc.vd.ch 

MAGISTRETTI, Pierre 

BMI/LNDC 


SV 2511 

Station 19 

1015 Lausanne 


pierre.magistretti@epfl.ch 

MARCHETTI, Marco 

Department of Health Sciences 

University of Molise 

Via De Santis, snc 

IT-86100 Campobasso 

marco.marchetti@unimol.it 

MARQUEZ, Cristina 


BMI EPFL 

AAB 2 01 (Bâtiment AAB) 

Station 19 


cristina.marquez@epfl.ch 

MARQUIS, Julien 

SV-GHI-LVG 


Station 15 


julien.marquis@epfl.ch 

120 

MARTI FAVRE, Maude 

EPFL/SV/BMI 

Brain and Mind Institute 

station 15 

CH-1004 lausanne 

maude.marti@epfl.ch 


MÜLLER, Sonja 

Institut de psychologie du travail et des organisations 

Université de Neuchâtel 

Rue de la Maladière 23 

CH-2000 Neuchâtel 

sonja.mueller@gmx.ch 

MÜLLER-ISBERNER, Rüdiger 

Haina Forensic Psychiatric Hospital 

Hoher-Lohr-Weg 10 

DE-D-35114 Haina 

rmi@psych-haina.de 

MCLEOD, Carol 

Scottish Violence Reduction Unit 

Strathclyde Police 

!st Floor, Pegasus House 

375 West George Street 

GB-G2 4LW Glasgow 

carol.mcleod@strathclyde.pnn.police. 

uk 

MESNIL, Yves 

Point du jour production 



y.mesnil@free.fr 

MEYER-LINDENBERG, Andreas 

Director 

Central Institute of Mental Health 

Square J 5 

DE-68159 Mannheim 

a.meyer-lindenberg@zi-mannheim.de 

MIKOSZ, Marta J. 

Department of Neurophysiology 

Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish 

Academy of Sciences 

3 Pasteur St. 

PL-02-093 Warsaw 

m.mikosz@nencki.gov.pl


MIKTON, Christopher 

Prevention of Violence Unit 

World Health Organization 

20 Avenue Appia 


miktonc@who.int 

MILTON, Mark 

Education 4 Peace Foundation 

Grand Rue 35 

CH-1180 Rolle 

michele@education4peace.org 

MIRABAUD, Madeleine 

Groupe de Protection de l’Enfant 

Hôpital des Enfants/HUG 

6 Rue Willy Donzé 


madeleine.mirabaud@hcuge.ch 

MORGENTHALER, Florence 

Center for BioMedical Imaging (CIBM) 


SB IPMC LIFMET 

CH F1, station 6 


florence.morgenthaler@epfl.ch 

MOTTAZ, Hélène 

biology 

CIG / UNIL 

Quartier UNIL-Sorge 

Bâtiment Génopode 


helene.mottaz@unil.ch 

MUCHOKI, Samuel 

Department of Culture and Heritage 

Nationa, Museums of Kenya 

Museum Hill 

KE-00100 Nairobi 

smmuchoki@yahoo.com 

MUELLER-ISBERNER, Ruediger 


Hoher-Lohr-Weg 10 

DE-D-35114 Haina 

rmi@psych-haina.de 

MUGENZI, DESIRE 

REFORMED TECHNOLOGICAL/THEOLOGICAL 

COLLEGE 

UG-000256 KAMPALA 

figaidug2000@yahoo.com 

MURAEB, maher 

SOCIOLOGY 

GULMA UNIVER 

GULMA UNIVERCITY- BUIL/01 N/05 

DZ-00123 GULMA 

almuraeb@hotmail.fr 

MWANGI, Maryann 

St. Paul’s Institute of Life-long Learning 

St. Paul’s University 

Kabuku 

KE-254 Limuru 

maryann.spill@stpaulslimuru.ac.ke 

NADRA, Karim 

Department of medical genetics 


rue du bugnon 27 


karim.nadra@unil.ch 

NAOMI, MATSUURA 

Tokyo University of Social Welfare 

2-13-32, Marunouchi, Nakaku 

JP-460-0002 Nagoya 

matuuranaomi@yahoo.co.jp 


NASSIR, MUSOKE 

TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING 

AIDS INFROMATION CENTRE- UGANDA 

MUSAJJA ALUMBWA ROAD- MENGO KISE- 

NYI 

UG-256 KAMPALA 

nassir@aicug.org 

NATARAJAN, Deepa 

Behavior Physiology 

University of Groningen 

Kerklaan 30 

NL-9751 NN Haren 

krishnapreethika@yahoo.com 

NEUMANN, Inga 

Behavioural and Molecular Neuroendocrinology 

University of Regensburg 

Universitystreet 

DE-93053 Regensburg 

inga.neumann@biologie.uni-regensburg.de 

NIKLAUS, Pia 

IFB 

Marktgasse 29 

CH-3000 Bern 7 

pia.niklaus@ifkjb.ch 

121


NIVEAU, Gérard 

Forensic psychiatry 

CURML 

Rue Michel-Servet 1 


gerard.niveau@hcuge.ch 

NOUCHINE, hadjikhani 

BMI/MCBI 

EPFL/HMS 

SV BMI AAB 011 

Station 15 


nouchine.hadjikhani@epfl.ch 

NURSE, Jo 

Regional Health Group 

Department of Health England 

Bridge House, 1 Walnut Tree Close, Guildford, 

Surrey 

GB-GU1 4GA Guildford 

jo.nurse@dh.gsi.gov.uk 

OMARA, osama 

kena college of physical education 

lecturer 

menavile village pharmacy- sfaga- red 

sea- Egypt 

EG-0020653 safaga 

dr_omara@hotmail.de 

OTTESEN, Vibeke 

Centre for Research and Education in Forensic 

Psychiatry 

Ullevål University Hospital 

Gaustad, Building 7 

NO-0407 Oslo 

vibeke.ottesen@kompetanse-senteret. 

no 

OUAKNINE, Nathalie 

Anthropole-Dorigny 

Institut de psychologie 

Quartier Dorigny 


nathalie.ouaknine@unil.ch 

OUAKNINE, Nathalie 

Bâtiment Anthropole 

Institute of Psychology Lausanne 

Anthropole - Quartier UNIL-Dorigny-University 

of Lausanne 


nathalie.ouaknine@unil.ch 

122 

OZOUX, Thomas 

Point du jour production 



tomtom.oz@free.fr 


PANARETOS, John 

Statistics 

Athens University of Economics and Business 

76, Patision St., 

Athens, Greece 

GR-104 34 Athens 

jpan@aueb.gr 

PARCHET, Grégoire 

BMI / LGC 

EPFL / SV 

Bâtiment AI 

station 15 


gregoire.parchet@epfl.ch 

PARLANGE, Mary 

Independent 

Chemin des Paquis 12 

CH-1025 St-sulpice 

mary.parlange@gmail.com 

PARMIGIANI, STEFANO 

DEpartment of Evolutionary and Functional 

Biology 

UNIVERSITY OF PARMA (ITALY) 

University Campus 

Via Usberti 1/A 

IT-43100 Parma 

stefano.parmigiani@unipr.it 

PASQUIER, Miriella 

SV IBI LMBM 


Station 15 


miriella.pasquier@epfl.ch 

PASSAMONTI, Luca 

Medical Research Council 

Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit 

15 Chaucer Road 


luca.passamonti@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk


PAUDEL KUMARI, Ambika 

advocacy and publication 

Conscious Media Forum 

COCAP BUILDING, Near Milan Bidhya 

mandir, Anamnagar 

NP-2332 Kathmandu 

pmayalu@gmail.com 

PEARCE, Jenny 

Peace Studies 

University of Bradford 

University of Bradford 

GB-BD7 1DP Bradford 

j.v.pearce@bradford.ac.uk 

PERRET, Nicolas 

svlgc 

Rue du Centre 1 

CH-1030 Bussigny 

nicolas.perret@epfl.ch 

PHILIPPE, Cotter 

Réseau Universitaire International de Genève 


Rue Varembé 9-11 


pcotter@bluewin.ch 

PINGAULT, Jean-Baptiste 

Département des Sciences Sociales 

Paris V, René Descartes 

34 Av Reille 


pingaultjb@yahoo.fr 

PONSONNET, Lionel 

CePO 

Chemin des Boveresses 155 


lionel.ponsonnet@unil.ch 

PREHN, Kristin 

Dept. of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy 

Rostock University 

Gehlsheimer Strasse 20 


kristin.prehn@med.uni-rostock.de 

PYTHON, Agathe 

SB IPMC LIFMET/CIBM 


Bâtiment CH 

Station 6 


agathe.python@epfl.ch 

RADICATI, Vanessa 

Fondation Anouk 

11 Grand Rue 


vanessa@anouk.org 

RANIA, Saad 

Injury Control Unit 

Ministry of health 

Imbaba, eltayar st 

EG-22222 Cairo 

rania_33indep@hotmail.com 

RIZZO, Albert 

Institute for Creative Technologies 

University of Southern California 

13274 Fiji Way 

US-90292 Marina del Rey 

arizzo@usc.edu 

RONGJUN, Yu 

Cognition and Brain Science Unit 

University of Cambridge 

15 Chaucer Road 


ry223@cam.ac.uk 

ROSA, Muriel 

Département de Biochimie 


Chemin des Boveresses 155 


muriel.rosa@unil.ch 

ROSS, Fred 

SV-GHI-UPKIN 


Station 15 


fred.ross@epfl.ch 

ROSSETTI, Clara 

BMI- Lab. of Genetic Behavior 


Station 15 


clara.rossetti@epfl.ch 


ROTH, Beatrice 

Centre de Neurosciences psychiatriques 

European Dana Alliance for the Brain (EDAB) 

Site de Cery 

CH-1008 Prilly/Lausanne 

beatrice.roth@chuv.ch 

123


ROVIRA-PEREZ, Aitor 

Computer Science 


Gower Street 

GB-WC1E 6BT London 

korama37@hotmail.com 

RUBOVSZKY, Gregoire 

DMCPR, SU, UAUP 

HUG 

Micheli-du-Crest 24 


gregoire.rubovszky@hcuge.ch 

SALAMIN, Virginie 

Service de psychologie 

Réseau fribourgeois de santé mentale 

Centre de soins hospitaliers 

CH-1633 Marsens 

salaminv@rfsm.ch 

SALEHI, basira 

brain and mind institute 


EPFL SV BMI LGC 

AAB 2 01 (Bâtiment AAB) 

Station 19 


basira.salehi@epfl.ch 

SANDI, Carmen 

SV / BMI / LGC 

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne 

Station 15 

Ecublens 


carmen.sandi@epfl.ch 

SARAGA, Michael 

PGE 

DP-CHUV 

Consultation de Chauderon, Echallens 9 


michael.saraga@chuv.ch 

SCHALLER, Nathalie 

Director, International Programs & Partnerships 

The International Association for Human Values 

31 rue des Bains 


nathalie.schaller@iahv.org 

124 


SCHECHTER, Daniel 

Service de Psychiatrie de l’enfant et de 

l’adolescent 

Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève 

51 Bd de la Cluse, 

2ème étage 


daniel.schechter@hcuge.ch 

SCHILLMÖLLER, Zita 

Gesundheitswissenschaften 

Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften 

Hamburg 

Lohbrügger Kirchstrasse 65 

DE-21033 Hamburg 

zita.schillmoeller@ls.haw-hamburg.de 

SCHLEMPER, Manola 

Department of Justice 

Psychiatric-Psychological Service 

Feldstrasse 42 

CH-8090 Zürich 

manola.schlemper@ji.zh.ch 

SCHMIDBAUER, Walter M. 


Landgraf-Philipp-Platz 3 

DE-35114 HAINA (Kloster) 

walter.schmidbauer@psych-haina.de 

SEVELINGE, Yannick 

Life sciences 


Laboratory of Behavioural Genetics 



yannick.sevelinge@epfl.ch 

SIDJANSKI, Sacha 

EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Federaled de Lausanne) 

School of Life Sciences 

SV-3814 

Station 19 


sacha.sidjanski@epfl.ch 

SIEBER, Marc 

HES-SO 

HEF-TS 

Jean Prouvé 10 

CH-1752 Givisiez 

marc.sieber@hef-ts.ch


SIEGMUND, Coralie 

LGC 


AI 3114 


coralie.siegmund@epfl.ch 

SIMPSON, Sandy 

Mason Clinic 

University of Auckland 

Unitec Enrance 2 

Carrington Road 

NZ-1746 Auckland 

sandy.simpson@waitematadhb.govt.nz 

SLATER, Mel 

Faculty of Psychology / EVENT Lab 

University of Barcelona 

Campus de Mundet, Edifici Ponent,Passeig 

de la Vall d’Hebron, 171 

ES-08035 Barcelona 

melslater@gmail.com 

SPIELMANN, Thorsten 

Psychiatrisch Psychologischer Dienst ZH 

Feldstr. 42 

CH-8090 Zürich 

thorsten.spielmann@ji.zh.ch 

SPREUX-VAROQUAUX, Odile 

Pharmacology, Biology Department 

Medical University Versailles and Versailles 

Hospital 

177 rue de Versailles 

FR-78157 Le Chesnay 

ovaroquaux@ch-versailles.fr 

STRüBER, Daniel 

General Psychology 

Helmut-Schmidt-University, University of the 

Federal Armed Forces Hamburg 

Holstenhofweg 85 

DE-22043 Hamburg 

strueber@hsu-hh.de 

SULE, DANIEL 

LIAIS OFFICE ABUJA 

KOGI STATE GOVERNMENT 

T.Y DANJUMA STREET ASOKORO 

NG-234-09 ABUJA 

kogistatgovt@yahoo.com 


SUOMI, Stephen 

Laboratory of Comparative Ethology 

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of 

Child Health & Human Development, National 

Institutes of Health 

6705 Rockledge Drive, Suite 8030 

US-20892-7971 Bethesda 

ss148k@nih.gov 

SWARTZ, Melody 

SV IBI LMBM 


Station 15 


melody.swartz@epfl.ch 

SYLVAIN, Lengacher 

BMI - LNDC 


Station 15 


sylvain.lengacher@epfl.ch 

TERCIER HOLST-RONESS, Florence 

Issues Affecting Women Programme 

Oak Foundation 

58, av. Louis Casai 

CH-1216 Cointrin 

florence.tercier@oakfnd.ch 

TERZIDIS, Amanda 

Viol-Secours Association 

3 place des Charmilles 


amanda.terzidis@viol-secours.ch 

THEWARAPPERUMA, udeni 

programme 

Women defining Peace 

0/4, Don Carolis Road, Colombo 05 

LK-0094 colombo 

taud1973@gmail.com 

THOMAS, Stephen 

British Transport Police 

25 Camden Road 

GB-NW1 9LN London 

stephen.thomas@btp.pnn.police.uk 

125


TIMMER, Marjan 

Brain Mind Institute - Laboratory of Behavioral 

Genetics 


Faculty of Life Science 

AAB201 

Station 15 


marjan.timmer@epfl.ch 

TRAMONTANO, Carlo 

Psychology 

Sapienza, University of Rome 

via dei Marsi 78 

IT-00185 Rome 

carlo.tramontano@uniroma1.it 

TREMBLAY, Richard 

Public health 

University College Dublin 

Belfield 

IE-Dublin 4 Dublin 

tremblar@grip.umontreal.ca 

TRONO, Didier 

Faculté des Sciences de la Vie 

Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne 

Station 19 


didier.trono@epfl.ch 

VAROQUAUX, Odile 

Pharmacology, Biology Department 

Medical university Versailles and Versailles 

Hospital 

177 rue de Versailles 

FR-78157 Le Chesnay 

ovaroquaux@ch-versailles.fr 

VATNAR, Solveig 

psychiatry 

Ullevaal university hospital, Center for Research 

and Education in Forensic Psychiatry 

Gaustad, Building 7, 0407 OSLO, Norway 

NO-0407 OSLO 

solveig.vatnar@kompetanse-senteret. 

no 

VAUCHER, Angelique 

LGC 

EPFL-BMI 

AI 3114 


angelique.vaucher@epfl.ch 

126 


VEENEMA, Alexa 

Department of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology 

University of Regensburg 

Universitaetsstrasse 31 

DE-93051 Regensburg 

alexa.veenema@biologie.uni-regensburg.de 

VERCRUYSSE, Filip 

SV 


Ch. De Belle-Source 5 


filipvercruysse@gmail.com 

VEUTHEY, Fernand 

Haute Ecole Fribourgeoise de travail social 

Jean-Prouvé 10 

CH-1762 Givisiez 

veutheyf@hef-ts.ch 

VIGIL-COLET, Andreu 

Psychology 

Universitat Rovira i Virgili 


ES-43007 TARRAGONA 

andreu.vigil@urv.cat 

VIJENDRAVARMA, Roshan Kumar 

DEE 

UNIL 

UNIL, 


roshan.vijendravarma@unil.ch 

VIJENDRAVARMA, Roshan Kumar 

Department of Ecology and Evolution 


UNIL sorge 


roshan.vijendravarma@unil.ch 

VLERICK, Ariane 

School of Life Sciences - EPFL 

Dean’s Office 

SV 3814 / Station 19 


ariane.vlerick@epfl.ch 

VON DER PAHLEN, Bettina 

Dept. of Psychology, 

Åbo Akademi University 

Biskopsgatan 3 

FI-20500 Turku 

bpahlen@abo.fi


WAGNER, Ullrich 

Laboratory for Neurology and Imaging of Cognition 


CMU, 1 rue Michel-Servet 


ullrich.wagner@unige.ch 

WAHL, Klaus 

Central Scientific Unit 

German Youth Institute (Deutsches Jugendinstitut) 

Nockherstr. 2 

DE-D-81541 München 

wahl@dji.de 

WALTER, Henrik 

Medical Psychology/Psychiatry 

University Clinic Bonn 

Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25 

DE-53105 Bonn 

henrik.walter@ukb.uni-bonn.de 

WANDERA, Stephen Ojiambo 

Population Studies 

Makerere University 

Makerere Hill Road 

UG-256 Kampala 

swandera@gmail.com 

WANG, Shr-Jie 

Research 

Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture 

Victims 

Borgergade 13 

DK-2014 Copenhagen 

sjw@rct.dk 

WESSLER, Adelheid 

Humanities and Social Sciences 

Volkswagen Foundation 

Kastanienallee 35 

DE-30519 Hannover 

wessler@volkswagenstiftung.de 

WILKINSON, Richard 

Epidemiology & Public Health 

University of Nottingham 

3 Old Lane Court, 

Colton, 

GB-LS24 8JQ Tadcaster, 

richard.wilkinson@nottingham.ac.uk 

WINCKLER, Lisa 

University Darmstadt 

Messelerstrasse 72 

DE-64291 Darmstadt 

winckler.l@googlemail.com 

YAHIA, Ghada 

Programs and Research 

Dubai Foundation for Women and Children 

Al Awir Street 

AE-0000 Dubai 

dr_ghada@yahoo.com 


YANG, Min 

Forensic Psychiatry Research Unit 

St Barts and the London Medical School, 

Queen Mary University of London 

William Harvey House, 61 Bartholomew 

Close 

GB-EC1A 7BE London 

m.yang@qmul.ac.uk 

ZAKANY, Jozsef 

Zoology and Animal Biology 


Sciences III, 30 Quai Ernest Ansermet 


jozsef.zakany@unige.ch 

ZARIC, Jelena 

CePO 

Ch des Boveresses 155 


jelena.zaric@unil.ch 

ZUFFEREY, Christophe 

Ecole des Sciences Criminelles 

Institut de Criminologie et de Droit Pénal 

(ICDP) 

Batochime 

UNIL-Sorge 


christophe.zufferey.2@unil.ch 

127

Program & Abstract Book - EPFL Latsis Symposium 2009

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