Mapping brain development and aggression.

INTRODUCTION This article provides an overview of the basic principles guiding research on brain-behaviour relationships in general, and as applied to studies of aggression during human development in particular. METHOD Key literature on magnetic resonance imaging of the structure and function of a developing brain was reviewed. RESULTS The article begins with a brief introduction to the methodology of techniques used to map the developing brain, with a special emphasis on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It then reviews briefly the current knowledge of structural maturation, assessed by MRI, of the human brain during childhood and adolescence. The last part describes some of the results of neuroimaging studies aimed at identifying neural circuits involved in various aspects of aggression and social cognition. CONCLUSION The article concludes by discussing the potential and limitations of the neuroimaging approach in this field.