Basic and Clinical Neuroscience Journal

en Toward a Multimodal Neuroscience of Personality and Aggression: Integrating EEG, fMRI, and Computational Biomarkers of Externalizing Psychopathology Cognitive Neuroscience Cognitive Neuroscience Review Review <div style="text-align: justify;">Background: Personality traits associated with aggression and impulsivity have been consistently linked to externalizing behaviors and underlying neural differences. EEG and fMRI studies suggest that these traits are associated with altered activity and connectivity in emotion- and control-related brain networks. However, existing findings are heterogeneous across methods, tasks, and populations, limiting direct comparability. Methodology: This paper presents a structured review of EEG and fMRI studies published between 2020 and 2026 that examine the neural correlates of aggressive personality traits. Literature was identified through targeted searches in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science using combinations of keywords related to aggression, personality traits, EEG, and fMRI. Studies were selected according to predefined inclusion criteria, including human neuroimaging studies focused on aggression-related personality traits, impulsivity, or externalizing behaviors. Eligible studies were grouped by imaging modality, experimental paradigm, population characteristics, and functional networks. The synthesis focuses on identifying convergent patterns across studies while distinguishing well-replicated findings from preliminary or inconsistent evidence Results: Evidence across studies suggests that individuals with higher levels of aggressive traits show altered activity in prefrontal and limbic regions. EEG findings commonly report atypical frontal alpha asymmetry and alterations in the theta band, particularly in emotionally salient contexts. fMRI studies indicate disrupted functional connectivity within the amygdala–prefrontal circuitry and altered interactions across salience, default mode, and frontoparietal control networks. Despite these convergent patterns, variability in experimental paradigms, sample characteristics, and analytical approaches contributes to inconsistent findings across studies. Conclusions: Aggression-related personality traits are associated with distributed neural alterations involving emotion regulation and cognitive control networks. While EEG and fMRI provide complementary insights into these mechanisms, current evidence is insufficient to establish robust clinical biomarkers. Future research should prioritize longitudinal designs, methodological standardization, and multimodal integration to improve interpretability and translational potential.</div> Aggression, Personality Traits, EEG, fMRI, Functional Connectivity, Emotion Regulation, Neuroimaging 0 0 http://bcn.iums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-8578-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Helia Hajihassani heliahassani@yahoo.com 13700319475328460058072 13700319475328460058072 No Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. Parmis Barazesh parmisbrz@gmail.com 13700319475328460058073 13700319475328460058073 No Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. Nastaran Dadashi Ndadashi1378@gmail.com 13700319475328460058074 13700319475328460058074 No Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. Bita Amiri Havazeh B.amiri_havazeh@outlook.com 13700319475328460058075 13700319475328460058075 No Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. Mohammad Sadegh Fallahi Mmd.sadeq@gmail.com 13700319475328460058076 13700319475328460058076 No Department of Neurosurgery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Romina Hajihassani rominahassani@yahoo.ca 13700319475328460058077 13700319475328460058077 No Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. Aryana Avaei aryana.avaei@yahoo.com 13700319475328460058078 13700319475328460058078 No Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK. Amir Ghaffari Jolfayi 13700319475328460058079 13700319475328460058079 No Student Research Committee, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Maedeh Jorfi Maedehjorfi@gmail.com 13700319475328460058080 13700319475328460058080 No Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. Mobina Salehi mby4sal@gmail.com 13700319475328460058081 13700319475328460058081 No Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. Mohammadreza Bigdeli bigdelimohammadreza@yahoo.com 13700319475328460058082 13700319475328460058082 Yes Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.