Aggression De-Escalation Gene Identified in Fruit Flies; Gene Called “nervy” Prepares Nervous System to Respond to Socio-Environmental Signals to Stop Fighting

The brain mechanisms that cause aggressive behavior have been well studied. Far less understood are the processes that tell the body when it’s time to stop fighting. Now, a new study by Salk scientists identifies a gene and a group of cells in the brain that play a critical role in suppressing aggression in fruit flies. The findings, published in Science Advances on September 7, 2022, have implications for disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, which can sometimes cause behavioral changes like increased aggression and combativeness. The open-access article is titled “A Neurogenetic Mechanism of Experience-Dependent Suppression of Aggression.”