Citation

Aggensteiner PM, Holz NE, Böttinger BW, Baumeister S, Hohmann S, Werhahn JE, Naaijen J, Ilbegi S, Glennon JC, Hoekstra PJ, Dietrich A, Deters RK, Saam MC, Schulze UME, Lythgoe DJ, Sethi A, Craig MC, Mastroianni M, Sagar-Ouriaghli I, Santosh PJ, Rosa M, Bargalló N, Castro-Fornieles J, Arango C, Penzol MJ, Vidal J, Franke B, Zwiers MP, Buitelaar JK, Walitza S, Banaschewski T, Brandeis D. Psychol. Med. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Cambridge University Press)

DOI

10.1017/S0033291720002111

PMID

32624021

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Brain imaging studies have shown altered amygdala activity during emotion processing in children and adolescents with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD) compared to typically developing children and adolescents (TD). Here we aimed to assess whether aggression-related subtypes (reactive and proactive aggression) and callous-unemotional (CU) traits predicted variation in amygdala activity and skin conductance (SC) response during emotion processing.

METHODS: We included 177 participants (n = 108 cases with disruptive behaviour and/or ODD/CD and n = 69 TD), aged 8-18 years, across nine sites in Europe, as part of the EU Aggressotype and MATRICS projects. All participants performed an emotional face-matching functional magnetic resonance imaging task.

RESULTS: Differences between cases and TD in affective processing, as well as specificity of activation patterns for aggression subtypes and CU traits, were assessed. Simultaneous SC recordings were acquired in a subsample (n = 63). Cases compared to TDs showed higher amygdala activity in response to negative faces (fearful and angry) v. shapes. Subtyping cases according to aggression-related subtypes did not significantly influence on amygdala activity; while stratification based on CU traits was more sensitive and revealed decreased amygdala activity in the high CU group. SC responses were significantly lower in cases and negatively correlated with CU traits, reactive and proactive aggression.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed differences in amygdala activity and SC responses to emotional faces between cases with ODD/CD and TD, while CU traits moderate both central (amygdala) and peripheral (SC) responses. Our insights regarding subtypes and trait-specific aggression could be used for improved diagnostics and personalized treatment.

Language: en

Keywords

Aggression; neuroimaging; conduct disorder; CU traits; oppositional defiant disorder; subtypes