Neuropsychobiological transdiagnostic risk mechanisms for aggression in mental disorders across the life span

Background: Aggression in mental disorders (AMD) is a prevalent symptom, poses difficulties to the clinical setting and has far-reaching societal implications. The biological basis of different manifestations, developmental courses, and disease-specific mechanisms remains largely unknown. The lack of understanding of the complex mechanisms underlying AMD due to the heterogeneity of aggression and psychiatric disorders themselves, will be addressed by studying a longitudinal transdiagnostic cohort of patients suffering from mental disorders dimensionally quantified with respect to aggressive behavior. Methods: Capitalizing on the Research Domain Criteria “negative valence system” (NVS) and “cognitive system” (CS), multilevel measurements of behavioral and biological systems provide a harmonized dataset at three study sites (Frankfurt, Mannheim/Heidelberg, Aachen; 900 adults, 200 children/youth) including forensic satellites (n = 150). A cross-sectional matched control group (300 adults, 100 youth) will also be included. Discussion: The goal of the study is to provide a multilevel characterization of patients, assessing dimensional phenotypic measures across time points and diagnoses, to finally define aggressive biosignatures. Trial Registration: The present study has been registered at https://drks.de/register/en/trial/DRKS00035731 (number of registration: DRKS00035731; date of registration: 20/02/2025).