Stressful experiences early in life can leave a lasting mark on the brain, altering how it processes threat, emotion, and social cues. In some individuals, these changes give rise to persistent irritability and maladaptive aggression that endure long after the stressor has passed. Although such outcomes are common in trauma-related psychiatric disorders, how early life traumatic stress itself produces lasting increases in aggression remains poorly understood.
This project tests the idea that traumatic stress is a primary driver of long-term changes in aggressive behavior. Using preclinical models, we combine behavioral analysis with state-of-the-art neuroscience tools—including in vivo electrophysiology, fiber photometry, optogenetics, and circuit-specific manipulations—to examine how stress reshapes limbic and hypothalamic brain pathways that regulate threat and aggression.
By identifying the synaptic and circuit-level mechanisms through which early life stress promotes persistent aggression, this work aims to uncover the biological roots of stress-induced pathology. Ultimately, these findings may reveal targets for interventions that reduce maladaptive aggression while preserving healthy social behavior.
