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BOB HIRSHON (host):

Turning off anger.  I’m Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update.

Blocking pathological rage could be a boon to mental health, and could even reduce crime rates.  Now, University of Southern California pharmacologist Marco Bortolato and his colleagues have found a way to do it, at least in mice.  They studied mice with a genetic mutation found in many human violent criminals, and targeted a brain receptor called NMDA.

MARCO BORTOLATO (University of Southern California):

And we found that blocking the whole receptor, we actually could completely annul the aggression.

HIRSHON:
Bartolato says the NMDA receptor responds to an amino acid called glutamate, which is overproduced in mice with the aggression mutation. Shutting it off seems to protect the mice against a glutamate overload. This could lead to a fast-acting drug that could treat chronic aggression, and maybe even prevent aggression in healthy people experiencing extreme stress.  I’m Bob Hirshon for AAAS, the Science Society.