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Tripp G. Moving forward. Use of the START NOW skills training program for female youth with ODD and CD - a commentary on Stadler et al. (2024). J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2024. [PMID: 38802092 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.14024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Female youth with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD) are an under studied and underserved population at high risk for poor adjustment in later life. Stadler et al. (2024) attempt to redress this situation for adolescent females with CD or ODD with an adapted version of the skills training program START NOW. They describe the results of an ambitious randomized control trial, comparing START NOW with standard care in youth welfare settings in Germany, Switzerland, and The Netherlands. The findings appear promising, but the paper is especially valuable for the spotlight it shines on the needs of this underserved population and those caring for them, together with the importance of undertaking such trials despite their challenges. This commentary seeks to encourage readers to engage with the START NOW trial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gail Tripp
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
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2
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Koerner S, Staginnus M, Cornwell H, Smaragdi A, González-Madruga K, Pauli R, Rogers JC, Gao Y, Chester S, Townend S, Bernhard A, Martinelli A, Kohls G, Raschle NM, Konrad K, Stadler C, Freitag CM, De Brito SA, Fairchild G. Does the Relationship between Age and Brain Structure Differ in Youth with Conduct Disorder? Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 2024:10.1007/s10802-024-01178-w. [PMID: 38557727 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-024-01178-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Conduct disorder (CD) is characterised by persistent antisocial and aggressive behaviour and typically emerges in childhood or adolescence. Although several authors have proposed that CD is a neurodevelopmental disorder, very little evidence is available about brain development in this condition. Structural brain alterations have been observed in CD, and some indirect evidence for delayed brain maturation has been reported. However, no detailed analysis of age-related changes in brain structure in youth with CD has been conducted. Using cross-sectional MRI data, this study aimed to explore differences in brain maturation in youth with CD versus healthy controls to provide further understanding of the neurodevelopmental processes underlying CD. 291 CD cases (153 males) and 379 healthy controls (160 males) aged 9-18 years (Mage = 14.4) were selected from the European multisite FemNAT-CD study. Structural MRI scans were analysed using surface-based morphometry followed by application of the ENIGMA quality control protocols. An atlas-based approach was used to investigate group differences and test for group-by-age and group-by-age-by-sex interactions in cortical thickness, surface area and subcortical volumes. Relative to healthy controls, the CD group showed lower surface area across frontal, temporal and parietal regions as well as lower total surface area. No significant group-by-age or group-by-age-by-sex interactions were observed on any brain structure measure. These findings suggest that CD is associated with lower surface area across multiple cortical regions, but do not support the idea that CD is associated with delayed brain maturation, at least within the age bracket considered here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Koerner
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Ruth Pauli
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Jack C Rogers
- Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Yidian Gao
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Sally Chester
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | | | - Anka Bernhard
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
| | - Anne Martinelli
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
- School of Psychology, Fresenius University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Gregor Kohls
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical Faculty, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Nora Maria Raschle
- Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development at the University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Centre Zurich (ZNZ), University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Kerstin Konrad
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
- JARA- Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, RWTH Aachen and Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany
| | - Christina Stadler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christine M Freitag
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
| | - Stephane A De Brito
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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3
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Oliveira VEDM, Evrard F, Faure MC, Bakker J. Social isolation and aggression training lead to escalated aggression and hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad axis hyperfunction in mice. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024:10.1038/s41386-024-01808-3. [PMID: 38337026 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-024-01808-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Although the participation of sex hormones and sex hormone-responsive neurons in aggressive behavior has been extensively studied, the role of other systems within the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis remains elusive. Here we assessed how the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and kisspeptin systems are impacted by escalated aggression in male mice. We used a combination of social isolation and aggression training (IST) to exacerbate mice's aggressive behavior. Next, low-aggressive (group-housed, GH) and highly aggressive (IST) mice were compared regarding neuronal activity in the target populations and hormonal levels, using immunohistochemistry and ELISA, respectively. Finally, we used pharmacological and viral approaches to manipulate neuropeptide signaling and expression, subsequently evaluating its effects on behavior. IST mice exhibited enhanced aggressive behavior compared to GH controls, which was accompanied by elevated neuronal activity in GnRH neurons and arcuate nucleus kisspeptin neurons. Remarkably, IST mice presented an increased number of kisspeptin neurons in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV). In addition, IST mice exhibited elevated levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) in serum. Accordingly, activation and blockade of GnRH receptors (GnRHR) exacerbated and reduced aggression, respectively. Surprisingly, kisspeptin had intricate effects on aggression, i.e., viral ablation of AVPV-kisspeptin neurons impaired the training-induced rise in aggressive behavior whereas kisspeptin itself strongly reduced aggression in IST mice. Our results indicate that IST enhances aggressive behavior in male mice by exacerbating HPG-axis activity. Particularly, increased GnRH neuron activity and GnRHR signaling were found to underlie aggression whereas the relationship with kisspeptin remains puzzling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinícius Elias de Moura Oliveira
- Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, GIGA-Neurosciences, University of Liege, 4000, Liege, Belgium.
- Institute of Pathophysiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Florence Evrard
- Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, GIGA-Neurosciences, University of Liege, 4000, Liege, Belgium
| | - Melanie C Faure
- Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, GIGA-Neurosciences, University of Liege, 4000, Liege, Belgium
| | - Julie Bakker
- Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, GIGA-Neurosciences, University of Liege, 4000, Liege, Belgium.
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4
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Cornwell H, Toschi N, Hamilton-Giachritsis C, Staginnus M, Smaragdi A, Gonzalez-Madruga K, Mackes N, Rogers J, Martinelli A, Kohls G, Raschle NM, Konrad K, Stadler C, Freitag CM, De Brito SA, Fairchild G. Identifying cortical structure markers of resilience to adversity in young people using surface-based morphometry. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2024; 19:nsae006. [PMID: 38287706 PMCID: PMC10868125 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsae006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Previous research on the neurobiological bases of resilience in youth has largely used categorical definitions of resilience and voxel-based morphometry methods that assess gray matter volume. However, it is important to consider brain structure more broadly as different cortical properties have distinct developmental trajectories. To address these limitations, we used surface-based morphometry and data-driven, continuous resilience scores to examine associations between resilience and cortical structure. Structural MRI data from 286 youths (Mage = 13.6 years, 51% female) who took part in the European multi-site FemNAT-CD study were pre-processed and analyzed using surface-based morphometry. Continuous resilience scores were derived for each participant based on adversity exposure and levels of psychopathology using the residual regression method. Vertex-wise analyses assessed for correlations between resilience scores and cortical thickness, surface area, gyrification and volume. Resilience scores were positively associated with right lateral occipital surface area and right superior frontal gyrification and negatively correlated with left inferior temporal surface area. Moreover, sex-by-resilience interactions were observed for gyrification in frontal and temporal regions. Our findings extend previous research by revealing that resilience is related to surface area and gyrification in frontal, occipital and temporal regions that are implicated in emotion regulation and face or object recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harriet Cornwell
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, 10 West, Claverton Down, Bath, Somerset BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Nicola Toschi
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Viale Montpellier, Rome 1 – 00133, Italy
- Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging and Harvard Medical School, 149 13th Street Charlestown, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | | | - Marlene Staginnus
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, 10 West, Claverton Down, Bath, Somerset BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Areti Smaragdi
- Child Development Institute, 197 Euclid Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M6J 2J8, Canada
| | - Karen Gonzalez-Madruga
- Department of Psychology, Middlesex University, The Burroughs, Hendon, London NW4 4BT, UK
| | - Nuria Mackes
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Jack Rogers
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Anne Martinelli
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Deutschordenstrasse 50, Frankfurt am Main 60528, Germany
- Fresenius University of Applied Sciences, School of Psychology, Marienburgstrasse 6, Frankfurt am Main 60528, Germany
| | - Gregor Kohls
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstrasse 30, Aachen 52074, Germany
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, Dresden 01307, Germany
| | - Nora Maria Raschle
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Basel, Psychiatric University Hospital, Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, Basel 4002, Switzerland
- Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development at the University of Zurich, Andreasstrasse 15, Zurich 8050, Switzerland
| | - Kerstin Konrad
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstrasse 30, Aachen 52074, Germany
- JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, RWTH Aachen and Research Centre Juelich, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, Juelich 52425, Germany
| | - Christina Stadler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Basel, Psychiatric University Hospital, Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, Basel 4002, Switzerland
| | - Christine M Freitag
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Deutschordenstrasse 50, Frankfurt am Main 60528, Germany
| | - Stephane A De Brito
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Graeme Fairchild
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, 10 West, Claverton Down, Bath, Somerset BA2 7AY, UK
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5
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Gaule A, Martin P, Lockwood PL, Cutler J, Apps M, Roberts R, Phillips H, Brown K, McCrory EJ, Viding E. Reduced prosocial motivation and effort in adolescents with conduct problems and callous-unemotional traits. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2024. [PMID: 38287126 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prosocial behaviours - acts that benefit others - are of crucial importance for many species including humans. However, adolescents with conduct problems (CP), unlike their typically developing (TD) peers, demonstrate markedly reduced engagement in prosocial behaviours. This pattern is particularly pronounced in adolescents with CP and high levels of callous-unemotional traits (CP/HCU) who are at increased risk of developing psychopathy in adulthood. While a substantial amount of research has investigated the cognitive-affective mechanisms thought to underlie antisocial behaviour, much less is known about the mechanisms that could explain reduced prosocial behaviours in adolescents with CP. METHODS Here we examined the willingness to exert effort to benefit oneself (self) and another person (other, prosocial condition) in children with CP/HCU, CP and lower levels of CU traits (CP/LCU) and their TD peers. The task captured both prosocial choices, and actual effort exerted following prosocial choices, in adolescent boys aged 11-16 (27 CP/HCU; 34 CP/LCU; 33 TD). We used computational modelling to reveal the mechanistic processes involved when choosing prosocial acts. RESULTS We found that both CP/HCU and CP/LCU groups were more averse to initiating effortful prosocial acts than TD adolescents - both at a cognitive and at a behavioural level. Strikingly, even if they chose to initiate a prosocial act, the CP/HCU group exerted less effort following this prosocial choice than other groups. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that reduced exertion of effort to benefit others may be an important factor that differentiates adolescents with CP/HCU from their peers with CP/LCU. They offer new insights into what might drive low prosocial behaviour in adolescents with CP, including vulnerabilities that may particularly characterise those with high levels of CU traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Gaule
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Peter Martin
- Department of Applied Health Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - Patricia L Lockwood
- Centre for Human Brain Health, Institute for Mental Health and Centre for Developmental Science, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Jo Cutler
- Centre for Human Brain Health, Institute for Mental Health and Centre for Developmental Science, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Matthew Apps
- Centre for Human Brain Health, Institute for Mental Health and Centre for Developmental Science, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Ruth Roberts
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Harriet Phillips
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Katie Brown
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Eamon J McCrory
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Essi Viding
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
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6
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Karlsson P, Ekendahl M, Raninen J. Is there a gender paradox in the association between conduct problems and cannabis use? A cohort-study among Swedish adolescents. Drug Alcohol Rev 2024; 43:294-303. [PMID: 37867405 DOI: 10.1111/dar.13763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Conduct problems (CP) predict cannabis use prospectively but the research is mixed as to whether this association is stronger among girls. A stronger association among girls would suggest a 'gender paradox' as both CP and cannabis use is less common in this group. This study aimed to assess whether the longitudinal association between CP and cannabis use in Swedish adolescents is stronger among girls. METHODS Data from two waves of a nationally representative cohort study of Swedish adolescents born in 2001 were used. Baseline measurements were collected in 9th grade (at age 15-16) and follow-up measures at 11th grade (at age 17-18). RESULTS CP at baseline were significantly associated with cannabis use at follow-up adjusted for hyperactivity problems, emotional problems, socio-demographics, parental monitoring, school grades and truancy at baseline (odds ratio [OR] 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06-1.24) but not when also adjusting for substance use at baseline. Boys were more likely to have used cannabis during the past year, even when controlling for prior substance use (OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.76-2.98). The association between CP and cannabis use was significantly weaker for boys (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.72-0.95 in the fully adjusted model). The predicted probability of cannabis use was stable at 0.13 for boys across levels of CP, but ranged from 0.05 to 0.16 for girls. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION The longitudinal association between CP and cannabis use was stronger among girls. The findings are indicative of a 'gender paradox' in the association between CP and cannabis use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrik Karlsson
- Department of Social Work, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mats Ekendahl
- Department of Social Work, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jonas Raninen
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
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7
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Diaconu B, Kohls G, Rogers JC, Pauli R, Cornwell H, Bernhard A, Martinelli A, Ackermann K, Fann N, Fernandez-Rivas A, Gonzalez-Torres MA, Gonzalez de Artaza-Lavesa M, Hervas A, Stadler C, Konrad K, Freitag CM, Fairchild G, Rotshtein P, De Brito SA. Emotion processing in maltreated boys and girls: Evidence for latent vulnerability. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2023; 32:2523-2536. [PMID: 36738328 PMCID: PMC10682268 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-022-02132-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Evidence of alterations in emotion processing in maltreated youth has been hypothesized to reflect latent vulnerability for psychopathology. However, previous studies have not systematically examined the influence of psychopathology on the results. Here, we examined emotion recognition and learning in youth who differed in terms of presence vs. absence of maltreatment and psychopathology and tested for potential sex effects. Maltreatment and psychopathology were assessed in 828 youth (514 females) aged 9-18 years using diagnostic interviews and self- and parent-report questionnaires. Emotion recognition was assessed via identification of morphed facial expressions of six universal emotions. For emotion learning, reward and punishment values were assigned to novel stimuli and participants had to learn to correctly respond/withhold response to stimuli to maximize points. A three-way interaction of maltreatment by psychopathology by emotion indicated that when psychopathology was low, maltreated youth were less accurate than non-maltreated youth for happy, fear and disgust. A three-way interaction of sex, maltreatment and emotion indicated that maltreated girls and boys were impaired for fear, but girls showed an impairment for happy, while boys for disgust. There were no effects of maltreatment, psychopathology, or sex on reward learning. However, a two-way interaction between sex and maltreatment showed that maltreated girls were worse at learning from punishment relative to non-maltreated girls, while maltreated boys were better than non-maltreated boys. The study provides the first clear evidence of latent-vulnerability in emotion recognition in maltreated youth and suggests that girls and boys might be characterized by distinct profiles of emotion recognition and learning following maltreatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Diaconu
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
| | - Gregor Kohls
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Jack C Rogers
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
- Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Ruth Pauli
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | | | - Anka Bernhard
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Anne Martinelli
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- School of Psychology, Fresenius University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Katharina Ackermann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Nikola Fann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Amaia Hervas
- University Hospital Mutua Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain
- Global Institute of Neurodevelopment Integrated Care (IGAIN), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Christina Stadler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Kerstin Konrad
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
- JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, RWTH Aachen & Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany
| | - Christine M Freitag
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | - Pia Rotshtein
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Stephane A De Brito
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
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8
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Cornwell H, Toschi N, Hamilton-Giachritsis C, Staginnus M, Smaragdi A, Gonzalez-Madruga K, Rogers J, Martinelli A, Kohls G, Raschle NM, Konrad K, Stadler C, Freitag C, De Brito S, Fairchild G. Identifying structural brain markers of resilience to adversity in young people using voxel-based morphometry. Dev Psychopathol 2023; 35:2302-2314. [PMID: 37424502 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579423000718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that resilience in youth may have a neurobiological basis. However, the existing literature lacks a consistent way of operationalizing resilience, often relying on arbitrary judgments or narrow definitions (e.g., not developing PTSD) to classify individuals as resilient. Therefore, this study used data-driven, continuous resilience scores based on adversity and psychopathology to investigate associations between resilience and brain structure in youth. Structural MRI data from 298 youth aged 9-18 years (Mage = 13.51; 51% female) who participated in the European multisite FemNAT-CD study were preprocessed using SPM12 and analyzed using voxel-based morphometry. Resilience scores were derived by regressing data on adversity exposure against current/lifetime psychopathology and quantifying each individual's distance from the regression line. General linear models tested for associations between resilience and gray matter volume (GMV) and examined whether associations between resilience and GMV differed by sex. Resilience was positively correlated with GMV in the right inferior frontal and medial frontal gyri. Sex-by-resilience interactions were observed in the middle temporal and middle frontal gyri. These findings demonstrate that resilience in youth is associated with volume in brain regions implicated in executive functioning, emotion regulation, and attention. Our results also provide evidence for sex differences in the neurobiology of resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicola Toschi
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
- Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Jack Rogers
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Anne Martinelli
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Fresenius University of Applied Sciences, School of Psychology, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Gregor Kohls
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Nora Maria Raschle
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Basel, Psychiatric University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
- Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development at the University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Kerstin Konrad
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
- JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, RWTH Aachen and Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany
| | - Christina Stadler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Basel, Psychiatric University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christine Freitag
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Stephane De Brito
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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9
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Börchers S, Carl J, Schormair K, Krieger JP, Asker M, Edvardsson CE, Jerlhag E, Skibicka KP. An appetite for aggressive behavior? Female rats, too, derive reward from winning aggressive interactions. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:331. [PMID: 37891191 PMCID: PMC10611704 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02608-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
While aggression is an adaptive behavior mostly triggered by competition for resources, it can also in and of itself be rewarding. Based on the common notion that female rats are not aggressive, much of aggression research has been centered around males, leading to a gap in the understanding of the female aggression neurobiology. Therefore, we asked whether intact virgin female rats experience reward from an aggressive interaction and assessed aggression seeking behavior in rats of both sexes. To validate the involvement of reward signaling, we measured mesolimbic dopamine turnover and determined the necessity of dopamine signaling for expression of aggression-seeking. Together our data indicate that female rats exhibit aggressive behavior outside of maternal context, experience winning aggressive behaviors as rewarding, and do so to a similar extent as male rats and in a dopamine-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stina Börchers
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jil Carl
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Katharina Schormair
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jean-Philippe Krieger
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Mohammed Asker
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Christian E Edvardsson
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute for Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Elisabeth Jerlhag
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute for Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Karolina P Skibicka
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
- Department of Nutritional Sciences and Huck Institutes, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
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10
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Pauli R, Brazil IA, Kohls G, Klein-Flügge MC, Rogers JC, Dikeos D, Dochnal R, Fairchild G, Fernández-Rivas A, Herpertz-Dahlmann B, Hervas A, Konrad K, Popma A, Stadler C, Freitag CM, De Brito SA, Lockwood PL. Action initiation and punishment learning differ from childhood to adolescence while reward learning remains stable. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5689. [PMID: 37709750 PMCID: PMC10502052 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41124-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Theoretical and empirical accounts suggest that adolescence is associated with heightened reward learning and impulsivity. Experimental tasks and computational models that can dissociate reward learning from the tendency to initiate actions impulsively (action initiation bias) are thus critical to characterise the mechanisms that drive developmental differences. However, existing work has rarely quantified both learning ability and action initiation, or it has relied on small samples. Here, using computational modelling of a learning task collected from a large sample (N = 742, 9-18 years, 11 countries), we test differences in reward and punishment learning and action initiation from childhood to adolescence. Computational modelling reveals that whilst punishment learning rates increase with age, reward learning remains stable. In parallel, action initiation biases decrease with age. Results are similar when considering pubertal stage instead of chronological age. We conclude that heightened reward responsivity in adolescence can reflect differences in action initiation rather than enhanced reward learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Pauli
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
| | - Inti A Brazil
- Radboud University, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Gregor Kohls
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU, Dresden, Germany
| | - Miriam C Klein-Flügge
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jack C Rogers
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Dimitris Dikeos
- Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Roberta Dochnal
- Faculty of Medicine, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of the Child Health Center, Szeged University, Szeged, Hungary
| | | | | | - Beate Herpertz-Dahlmann
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Amaia Hervas
- University Hospital Mutua Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Kerstin Konrad
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, RWTH Aachen and Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Arne Popma
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Christina Stadler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christine M Freitag
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Stephane A De Brito
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Patricia L Lockwood
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
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11
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Strekalova T, Moskvin O, Jain AY, Gorbunov N, Gorlova A, Sadovnik D, Umriukhin A, Cespuglio R, Yu WS, Tse ACK, Kalueff AV, Lesch KP, Lim LW. Molecular signature of excessive female aggression: study of stressed mice with genetic inactivation of neuronal serotonin synthesis. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2023; 130:1113-1132. [PMID: 37542675 PMCID: PMC10460733 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-023-02677-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/07/2023]
Abstract
Aggression is a complex social behavior, critically involving brain serotonin (5-HT) function. The neurobiology of female aggression remains elusive, while the incidence of its manifestations has been increasing. Yet, animal models of female aggression are scarce. We previously proposed a paradigm of female aggression in the context of gene x environment interaction where mice with partial genetic inactivation of tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (Tph2+/- mice), a key enzyme of neuronal 5-HT synthesis, are subjected to predation stress resulting in pathological aggression. Using deep sequencing and the EBSeq method, we studied the transcriptomic signature of excessive aggression in the prefrontal cortex of female Tph2+/- mice subjected to rat exposure stress and food deprivation. Challenged mutants, but not other groups, displayed marked aggressive behaviors. We found 26 genes with altered expression in the opposite direction between stressed groups of both Tph2 genotypes. We identified several molecular markers, including Dgkh, Arfgef3, Kcnh7, Grin2a, Tenm1 and Epha6, implicated in neurodevelopmental deficits and psychiatric conditions featuring impaired cognition and emotional dysregulation. Moreover, while 17 regulons, including several relevant to neural plasticity and function, were significantly altered in stressed mutants, no alteration in regulons was detected in stressed wildtype mice. An interplay of the uncovered pathways likely mediates partial Tph2 inactivation in interaction with severe stress experience, thus resulting in excessive female aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatyana Strekalova
- Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Center of Mental Health, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Oleg Moskvin
- Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Singapore Medical School, BluMaiden Biosciences, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Aayushi Y Jain
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Nikita Gorbunov
- Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Center of Mental Health, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Anna Gorlova
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Department of Normal Physiology, Sechenov Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Daria Sadovnik
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Department of Normal Physiology, Sechenov Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Aleksei Umriukhin
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Department of Normal Physiology, Sechenov Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Raymond Cespuglio
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Department of Normal Physiology, Sechenov Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
- Neuroscience Research Center of Lyon, Beliv Plateau, Claude-Bernard Lyon-1 University, Bron, France
| | - Wing Shan Yu
- Neuromodulation Laboratory, School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Anna Chung Kwan Tse
- Neuromodulation Laboratory, School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Allan V Kalueff
- Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Klaus-Peter Lesch
- Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Center of Mental Health, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
| | - Lee Wei Lim
- Neuromodulation Laboratory, School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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12
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Baumann S, Bernhard A, Martinelli A, Ackermann K, Herpertz-Dahlmann B, Freitag C, Konrad K, Kohls G. Perpetrators and victims of cyberbullying among youth with conduct disorder. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2023; 32:1643-1653. [PMID: 35348888 PMCID: PMC10460306 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-022-01973-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Due to modern technological innovations, aggressive behaviors have expanded into the cyberspace, creating a new matter of public concern: cyberbullying. Antisocial and aggressive behaviors, including bullying are characteristic for children and adolescents diagnosed with conduct disorder (CD), raising the question whether these youths are highly involved in cyberbullying experiences, too. 206 participants with CD versus typically developing controls (TDCs) aged 9-19 years (57% girls) were included in the study. Individuals completed several self-report measures investigating cyber- and traditional bullying experiences, and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to explain the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and perpetration with demographic and clinical variables. Experiences of cyberbullying victimization and perpetration were significantly higher among youth with CD compared to TDCs, and this was accompanied by significantly higher scores on a measure of traditional bullying in CD versus TDCs. CD diagnosis, female sex and higher levels of callous-unemotional (CU) traits were each uniquely associated with increased experiences of cyberbullying victimization, whereas CD diagnosis, higher levels of CU traits and older age were each uniquely associated with increased experiences of cyberbullying perpetration. Individuals with CD, compared to TDCs are at higher risk of becoming cyberbully victims and perpetrators, hence representing an important novel aspect in the assessment and treatment of these youths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Baumann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Neuenhofer Weg 21-22, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Anka Bernhard
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Anne Martinelli
- Psychology School, University of Applied Science Fresenius, Idstein, Germany
| | | | - Beate Herpertz-Dahlmann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Neuenhofer Weg 21-22, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Christine Freitag
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Kerstin Konrad
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
- JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, RWTH Aachen and Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Gregor Kohls
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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13
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van de Groep IH, Bos MGN, Popma A, Crone EA, Jansen LMC. A neurocognitive model of early onset persistent and desistant antisocial behavior in early adulthood. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1100277. [PMID: 37533586 PMCID: PMC10392129 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1100277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
It remains unclear which functional and neurobiological mechanisms are associated with persistent and desistant antisocial behavior in early adulthood. We reviewed the empirical literature and propose a neurocognitive social information processing model for early onset persistent and desistant antisocial behavior in early adulthood, focusing on how young adults evaluate, act upon, monitor, and learn about their goals and self traits. Based on the reviewed literature, we propose that persistent antisocial behavior is characterized by domain-general impairments in self-relevant and goal-related information processing, regulation, and learning, which is accompanied by altered activity in fronto-limbic brain areas. We propose that desistant antisocial development is associated with more effortful information processing, regulation and learning, that possibly balances self-relevant goals and specific situational characteristics. The proposed framework advances insights by considering individual differences such as psychopathic personality traits, and specific emotional characteristics (e.g., valence of social cues), to further illuminate functional and neural mechanisms underlying heterogenous developmental pathways. Finally, we address important open questions and offer suggestions for future research to improve scientific knowledge on general and context-specific expression and development of antisocial behavior in early adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilse H. van de Groep
- Erasmus School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychosocial Care, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Marieke G. N. Bos
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Arne Popma
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychosocial Care, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health, Mental Health, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Eveline A. Crone
- Erasmus School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Lucres M. C. Jansen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychosocial Care, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health, Mental Health, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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14
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Fekete S, Romanos M, Vloet TD. 14/m mit aggressiven Durchbrüchen. Monatsschr Kinderheilkd 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00112-023-01703-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
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15
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Staginnus M, Cornwell H, Toschi N, Oosterling M, Paradysz M, Smaragdi A, González-Madruga K, Pauli R, Rogers JC, Bernhard A, Martinelli A, Kohls G, Raschle NM, Konrad K, Stadler C, Freitag CM, De Brito SA, Fairchild G. Testing the Ecophenotype Model: Cortical Structure Alterations in Conduct Disorder With Versus Without Childhood Maltreatment. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2023:S2451-9022(22)00347-0. [PMID: 36925341 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Childhood maltreatment is common in youths with conduct disorder (CD), and both CD and maltreatment have been linked to neuroanatomical alterations. Nonetheless, our understanding of the contribution of maltreatment to the neuroanatomical alterations observed in CD remains limited. We tested the applicability of the ecophenotype model to CD, which holds that maltreatment-related psychopathology is (neurobiologically) distinct from psychopathology without maltreatment. METHODS Surface-based morphometry was used to investigate cortical volume, thickness, surface area, and gyrification in a mixed-sex sample of participants with CD (n = 114) and healthy control subjects (HCs) (n = 146), ages 9 to 18 years. Using vertexwise general linear models adjusted for sex, age, total intracranial volume, and site, the control group was compared with the overall CD group and the CD subgroups with (n = 49) versus without (n = 65) maltreatment (assessed by the Children's Bad Experiences interview). These subgroups were also directly compared. RESULTS The overall CD group showed lower cortical thickness in the right inferior frontal gyrus. CD youths with a history of maltreatment showed more widespread structural alterations relative to HCs, comprising lower thickness, volume, and gyrification in inferior and middle frontal regions. Conversely, CD youths with no history of maltreatment only showed greater left superior temporal gyrus folding relative to HCs. When contrasting the CD subgroups, those with maltreatment displayed lower right superior temporal gyrus volume, right precentral gyrus surface area, and gyrification in frontal, temporal, and parietal regions. CONCLUSIONS Consistent with the ecophenotype model, findings indicated that CD youths with versus without maltreatment differ neurobiologically. This highlights the importance of considering maltreatment history in neuroimaging studies of CD and other disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Harriet Cornwell
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Nicola Toschi
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome "Tor Vergata," Rome, Italy; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Michal Paradysz
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Ruth Pauli
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Jack C Rogers
- Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Anka Bernhard
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Anne Martinelli
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; School of Psychology, Fresenius University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Gregor Kohls
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical Faculty, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Nora Maria Raschle
- Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Kerstin Konrad
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany; JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, RWTH Aachen and Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany
| | - Christina Stadler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christine M Freitag
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Stephane A De Brito
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Graeme Fairchild
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
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16
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Griem J, Kolla NJ, Tully J. Key challenges in neurocognitive assessment of individuals with antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:1007121. [PMID: 36119943 PMCID: PMC9478175 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1007121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Julia Griem
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Julia Griem
| | - Nathan J. Kolla
- Department for Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Research and Academics, Division, Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care, Penetanguishene, ON, Canada
| | - John Tully
- Academic Unit of Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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17
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Oliveira VEDM, de Jong TR, Neumann ID. Synthetic Oxytocin and Vasopressin Act Within the Central Amygdala to Exacerbate Aggression in Female Wistar Rats. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:906617. [PMID: 35663559 PMCID: PMC9158429 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.906617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Exacerbated aggression is a high-impact, but poorly understood core symptom of several psychiatric disorders, which can also affect women. Animal models have successfully been employed to unravel the neurobiology of aggression. However, despite increasing evidence for sex-specificity, little is known about aggression in females. Here, we studied the role of the oxytocin (OXT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) systems within the central amygdala (CeA) on aggressive behavior displayed by virgin female Wistar rats using immunohistochemistry, receptor autoradiography, and neuropharmacology. Our data show that CeA GABAergic neurons are activated after an aggressive encounter in the female intruder test. Additionally, neuronal activity (pERK) negatively correlated with the display of aggression in low-aggressive group-housed females. Binding of OXT receptors, but not AVP-V1a receptors, was increased in the CeA of high-aggressive isolated and trained (IST) females. Finally, local infusion of either synthetic OXT or AVP enhanced aggression in IST females, whereas blockade of either of these receptors did not affect aggressive behavior. Altogether, our data support a moderate role of the CeA in female aggression. Regarding neuropeptide signaling, our findings suggest that synthetic, but not endogenous OXT and AVP modulate aggressive behavior in female Wistar rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinícius E. de M. Oliveira
- Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, GIGA-Neurosciences, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
- Department of Neurobiology and Animal Physiology, Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Trynke R. de Jong
- Department of Neurobiology and Animal Physiology, Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
- Medische Biobank Noord-Nederland B.V., Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Inga D. Neumann
- Department of Neurobiology and Animal Physiology, Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
- *Correspondence: Inga D. Neumann,
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18
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White SF. Editorial: The Importance of Considering Multiple Factors Simultaneously to Advance Psychopathology Research. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2022; 61:608-609. [PMID: 35032579 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2022.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Recent advances in scientific techniques, particularly in psychoneuroendocrinology and functional neuroimaging, have made it clear that clinically significant antisocial behavior, such as that seen in conduct disorder, cannot be understood without reference to multiple biological systems.1 However, the additional complexity arising from the interaction between the multiple biological systems implicated in conduct disorder has not typically been reflected in the complexity of experimental designs. Most often, studies examine only one system or subsystem at a time. Furthermore, the majority of studies of conduct disorder have not included female participants, have included few female participants, and/or have not explicitly considered biological sex in analytic strategies.2 Particularly in the context of endocrinological functioning, biological sex is an important but understudied biological variable.3 Greater complexity in experimental design, incorporating data from different biological systems, and factoring in important variables such as sex will be needed moving forward to adequately model data from all of the relevant levels of analysis. This is true with respect not just to conduct disorder but to all psychopathology. The paper by Bernhard et al4 published in this issue is an excellent example of the types of studies that are required to grapple with the complexity of any psychiatric illness. Their study is notable for its examination of multiple endocrine systems simultaneously and for adequately incorporating biological sex as a variable into the study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart F White
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Nebraska; Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska.
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19
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Neuroendocrine Stress Response in Female and Male Youths With Conduct Disorder and Associations With Early Adversity. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2022; 61:698-710. [PMID: 34856340 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2021.11.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Conduct disorder (CD) involves aggressive and antisocial behavior and is associated with blunted cortisol stress response in male youths. Far less is known about cortisol stress responsivity in female youths with CD or other neuroendocrine responses in both sexes. Although CD is linked to early adversity, the possibility that neuroendocrine alterations may mediate the relationship between early adversity and CD has not been systematically investigated. METHOD Within the European FemNAT-CD multi-site study, salivary cortisol, testosterone, the testosterone/cortisol ratio, oxytocin, and psychological stress response to a standardized psychosocial stress test (the Trier Social Stress Test [TSST]), together with common pre- and postnatal environmental risk factors, were investigated in 130 pubertal youths with CD (63% female, 9-18 years of age) and 160 sex-, age-, and puberty-matched healthy controls (HCs). RESULTS The TSST induced psychological stress in both CD and HCs. In contrast, female and male youths with CD showed blunted cortisol, testosterone, oxytocin, and testosterone/cortisol stress responses compared to HCs. These blunted stress responses partly mediated the relationship between environmental risk factors and CD. CONCLUSION Findings from this unique sample, including many female youths with CD, provide evidence for a widespread attenuated stress responsivity of not only stress hormones, but also sex hormones and neuropeptides in CD and its subgroups (eg, with limited prosocial emotions). Results are the first to demonstrate blunted neuroendocrine stress responses in both female and male youths with CD. Early adversity may alter neuroendocrine stress responsivity. Biological mechanisms should be investigated further to pave the way for personalized intervention, thereby improving treatments for CD.
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20
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Svirin E, Veniaminova E, Costa-Nunes JP, Gorlova A, Umriukhin A, Kalueff AV, Proshin A, Anthony DC, Nedorubov A, Tse ACK, Walitza S, Lim LW, Lesch KP, Strekalova T. Predation Stress Causes Excessive Aggression in Female Mice with Partial Genetic Inactivation of Tryptophan Hydroxylase-2: Evidence for Altered Myelination-Related Processes. Cells 2022; 11:cells11061036. [PMID: 35326487 PMCID: PMC8947002 DOI: 10.3390/cells11061036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The interaction between brain serotonin (5-HT) deficiency and environmental adversity may predispose females to excessive aggression. Specifically, complete inactivation of the gene encoding tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (Tph2) results in the absence of neuronal 5-HT synthesis and excessive aggressiveness in both male and female null mutant (Tph2−/−) mice. In heterozygous male mice (Tph2+/−), there is a moderate reduction in brain 5-HT levels, and when they are exposed to stress, they exhibit increased aggression. Here, we exposed female Tph2+/− mice to a five-day rat predation stress paradigm and assessed their emotionality and social interaction/aggression-like behaviors. Tph2+/− females exhibited excessive aggression and increased dominant behavior. Stressed mutants displayed altered gene expression of the 5-HT receptors Htr1a and Htr2a, glycogen synthase kinase-3 β (GSK-3β), and c-fos as well as myelination-related transcripts in the prefrontal cortex: myelin basic protein (Mbp), proteolipid protein 1 (Plp1), myelin-associated glycoprotein (Mag), and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (Mog). The expression of the plasticity markers synaptophysin (Syp) and cAMP response element binding protein (Creb), but not AMPA receptor subunit A2 (GluA2), were affected by genotype. Moreover, in a separate experiment, naïve female Tph2+/− mice showed signs of enhanced stress resilience in the modified swim test with repeated swimming sessions. Taken together, the combination of a moderate reduction in brain 5-HT with environmental challenges results in behavioral changes in female mice that resemble the aggression-related behavior and resilience seen in stressed male mutants; additionally, the combination is comparable to the phenotype of null mutants lacking neuronal 5-HT. Changes in myelination-associated processes are suspected to underpin the molecular mechanisms leading to aggressive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evgeniy Svirin
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands; (E.S.); (K.-P.L.)
- Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg, Germany
- Institute of General Pathology and Pathophysiology, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, 125315 Moscow, Russia
| | - Ekaterina Veniaminova
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Department of Normal Physiology, Sechenov University, 119991 Moscow, Russia; (E.V.); (J.P.C.-N.); (A.G.); (A.U.); (D.C.A.)
| | - João Pedro Costa-Nunes
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Department of Normal Physiology, Sechenov University, 119991 Moscow, Russia; (E.V.); (J.P.C.-N.); (A.G.); (A.U.); (D.C.A.)
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, New University of Lisbon, 1649-028 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Anna Gorlova
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Department of Normal Physiology, Sechenov University, 119991 Moscow, Russia; (E.V.); (J.P.C.-N.); (A.G.); (A.U.); (D.C.A.)
| | - Aleksei Umriukhin
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Department of Normal Physiology, Sechenov University, 119991 Moscow, Russia; (E.V.); (J.P.C.-N.); (A.G.); (A.U.); (D.C.A.)
| | - Allan V. Kalueff
- Neuroscience Program, Sirius University, 354340 Sochi, Russia;
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, School of Biological and Medical Physics, 141701 Dolgoprudny, Russia
- Institute of Natural Sciences, Ural Federal University, 620002 Yekaterinburg, Russia
| | - Andrey Proshin
- P.K. Anokhin Research Institute of Normal Physiology, 125315 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Daniel C. Anthony
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Department of Normal Physiology, Sechenov University, 119991 Moscow, Russia; (E.V.); (J.P.C.-N.); (A.G.); (A.U.); (D.C.A.)
- Department of Pharmacology, Oxford University, Oxford OX1 3QT, UK
| | - Andrey Nedorubov
- Institute of Translational Medicine and Biotechnology, Sechenov University, 119991 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Anna Chung Kwan Tse
- Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China;
| | - Susanne Walitza
- Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland;
| | - Lee Wei Lim
- Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China;
- Correspondence: or (L.W.L.); (T.S.); Tel.: +852-3917-6830 (L.W.L.); +31-43-38-84-108 (T.S.)
| | - Klaus-Peter Lesch
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands; (E.S.); (K.-P.L.)
- Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg, Germany
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Department of Normal Physiology, Sechenov University, 119991 Moscow, Russia; (E.V.); (J.P.C.-N.); (A.G.); (A.U.); (D.C.A.)
| | - Tatyana Strekalova
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands; (E.S.); (K.-P.L.)
- Institute of General Pathology and Pathophysiology, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, 125315 Moscow, Russia
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Department of Normal Physiology, Sechenov University, 119991 Moscow, Russia; (E.V.); (J.P.C.-N.); (A.G.); (A.U.); (D.C.A.)
- Correspondence: or (L.W.L.); (T.S.); Tel.: +852-3917-6830 (L.W.L.); +31-43-38-84-108 (T.S.)
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21
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Konrad K, Kohls G, Baumann S, Bernhard A, Martinelli A, Ackermann K, Smaragdi A, Gonzalez-Madruga K, Wells A, Rogers JC, Pauli R, Clanton R, Baker R, Kersten L, Prätzlich M, Oldenhof H, Jansen L, Kleeven A, Bigorra A, Hervas A, Kerexeta-Lizeaga I, Sesma-Pardo E, Angel Gonzalez-Torres M, Siklósi R, Dochnal R, Kalogerakis Z, Pirlympou M, Papadakos L, Cornwell H, Scharke W, Dikeos D, Fernández-Rivas A, Popma A, Stadler C, Herpertz-Dahlmann B, De Brito SA, Fairchild G, Freitag CM. Sex differences in psychiatric comorbidity and clinical presentation in youths with conduct disorder. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2022; 63:218-228. [PMID: 34008879 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Conduct disorder (CD) rarely occurs alone but is typically accompanied by comorbid psychiatric disorders, which complicates the clinical presentation and treatment of affected youths. The aim of this study was to investigate sex differences in comorbidity pattern in CD and to systematically explore the 'gender paradox' and 'delayed-onset pathway' hypotheses of female CD. METHODS As part of the FemNAT-CD multisite study, semistructured clinical interviews and rating scales were used to perform a comprehensive phenotypic characterization of 454 girls and 295 boys with CD (9-18 years), compared to 864 sex- and age-matched typically developing controls. RESULTS Girls with CD exhibited higher rates of current major depression, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder, whereas boys with CD had higher rates of current attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In line with the 'gender paradox' hypothesis, relative to boys, girls with CD showed significantly more lifetime psychiatric comorbidities (incl. Alcohol Use Disorder), which were accompanied by more severe CD symptoms. Female and male youths with CD also differed significantly in their CD symptom profiles and distribution of age-of-onset subtypes of CD (i.e. fewer girls with childhood-onset CD). In line with the 'delayed-onset pathway' hypothesis, girls with adolescent-onset CD showed similar levels of dimensional psychopathology like boys with childhood-onset CD, while boys with adolescent-onset CD had the lowest levels of internalizing psychopathology. CONCLUSIONS Within the largest study of CD in girls performed to date, we found compelling evidence for sex differences in comorbidity patterns and clinical presentation of CD. Our findings further support aspects of the 'gender paradox' and 'delayed-onset pathway' hypotheses by showing that girls with CD had higher rates of comorbid lifetime mental disorders and functional impairments, and they usually developed CD during adolescence. These novel data on sex-specific clinical profiles of CD will be critical in informing intervention and prevention programmes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerstin Konrad
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.,JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, RWTH Aachen & Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany
| | - Gregor Kohls
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Sarah Baumann
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Anka Bernhard
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Anne Martinelli
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Katharina Ackermann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Areti Smaragdi
- Centre of Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Amy Wells
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - Jack C Rogers
- Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Ruth Pauli
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Roberta Clanton
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Rosalind Baker
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Linda Kersten
- Psychiatric University Clinics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Martin Prätzlich
- Psychiatric University Clinics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Helena Oldenhof
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Lucres Jansen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Anneke Kleeven
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Aitana Bigorra
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, University Hospital Mutua Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Amaia Hervas
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, University Hospital Mutua Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Eva Sesma-Pardo
- Psychiatric Service, Basurto University Hospital, Bilbao, Spain
| | | | - Réka Siklósi
- Pediatrics and Child Health Center, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Roberta Dochnal
- Pediatrics and Child Health Center, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Zacharias Kalogerakis
- Child and Adolescent Unit of the 1st Department of Psychiatry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Mara Pirlympou
- Child and Adolescent Unit of the 1st Department of Psychiatry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Leonidas Papadakos
- Child and Adolescent Unit of the 1st Department of Psychiatry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Wolfgang Scharke
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.,Cognitive and Experimental Psychology, Institute of Psychology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Dimitris Dikeos
- Child and Adolescent Unit of the 1st Department of Psychiatry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Arne Popma
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Christina Stadler
- Psychiatric University Clinics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Beate Herpertz-Dahlmann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Stephane A De Brito
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | | | - Christine M Freitag
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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22
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Oliveira VEDM, Bakker J. Neuroendocrine regulation of female aggression. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:957114. [PMID: 36034455 PMCID: PMC9399833 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.957114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Classically the neurobiology of aggression has been studied exclusively in males. Thus, females have been considered mildly aggressive except during lactation. Interestingly, recent studies in rodents and humans have revealed that non-lactating females can show exacerbated and pathological aggression similarly to males. This review provides an overview of recent findings on the neuroendocrine mechanisms regulating aggressive behavior in females. In particular, the focus will be on novel rodent models of exaggerated aggression established in non-lactating females. Among the neuromodulatory systems influencing female aggression, special attention has been given to sex-steroids and sex-steroid-sensitive neuronal populations (i.e., the core nuclei of the neural pathway of aggression) as well as to the neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin which are major players in the regulation of social behaviors.
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23
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Hodgins S. Female Forensic Patients May Be an Atypical Sub-type of Females Presenting Aggressive and Antisocial Behavior. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:809901. [PMID: 35222118 PMCID: PMC8869424 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.809901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The percentage of forensic psychiatric patients who are female varies from 5 to 13% in Europe, rises to 18% in England and Wales, and sits at 15% in Canada. Similarly, many fewer women than men are incarcerated in correctional facilities. While these statistics supposedly reflect less antisocial and aggressive behavior (AAB) among females than males, not all findings support this supposition. Data from prospective longitudinal studies show that aggressive and antisocial behavior onsets in childhood, and in a small group of females it remains stable across the life-span. Unlike similar males, few of these females are convicted of crimes. This article begins with a review of descriptive studies of females sentenced by criminal courts to treatment in forensic psychiatric hospitals and moves on to present evidence showing that most female AAB does not lead to criminal prosecution. Next, studies of female AAB are reviewed, noting that it onsets in early childhood and, that in a small group remains stable across the life-span. Subsequent sections of the article focus on the two most common mental disorders presented by female forensic patients, schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder, highlighting what is known about the sub-groups of women with these disorders who present AAB. The article concludes with recommendations for earlier identification by psychiatric services of women presenting mental disorders and AAB, treatments to reduce both the symptoms of their mental disorders and their life-long AAB, and the research that is needed in order to improve the effectiveness of these treatments. The real possibilities of prevention of the development of AAB, and even perhaps aspects of the mental disorders that plague female forensic patients, are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheilagh Hodgins
- Département de Psychiatrie et Addictologie, Université de Montréal, et Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Haina Forensic Psychiatric Institute, Haina, Germany
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24
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Rosa-Justicia M, Saam MC, Flamarique I, Borràs R, Naaijen J, Dietrich A, Hoekstra PJ, Banaschewski T, Aggensteiner P, Craig MC, Sethi A, Santosh P, Sagar-Ouriaghli I, Arango C, Penzol MJ, Brandeis D, Werhahn JE, Glennon JC, Franke B, Zwiers MP, Buitelaar JK, Schulze UME, Castro-Fornieles J. Subgrouping children and adolescents with disruptive behaviors: symptom profiles and the role of callous-unemotional traits. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2022; 31:51-66. [PMID: 33147348 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-020-01662-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Disruptive behavior during childhood and adolescence is heterogeneous and associated with several psychiatric disorders. The identification of more homogeneous subgroups might help identify different underlying pathways and tailor treatment strategies. Children and adolescents (aged 8-18) with disruptive behaviors (N = 121) and healthy controls (N = 100) were included in a European multi-center cognition and brain imaging study. They were assessed via a battery of standardized semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. K-means cluster-model analysis was carried out to identify subgroups within the group with disruptive behaviors, based on clinical symptom profiles, callous-unemotional (CU) traits, and proactive and reactive aggression. The resulting subgroups were then compared to healthy controls with regard to these clinical variables. Three distinct subgroups were found within the group with disruptive behaviors. The High CU Traits subgroup presented elevated scores for CU traits, proactive aggression and conduct disorder (CD) symptoms, as well as a higher proportion of comorbidities (CD + oppositional defiant disorder + attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The ADHD and Affective Dysregulation subgroup showed elevated scores for internalizing and ADHD symptoms, as well as a higher proportion of females. The Low Severity subgroup had relatively low levels of psychopathology and aggressive behavior compared to the other two subgroups. The High CU Traits subgroup displayed more antisocial behaviors than the Low Severity subgroup, but did not differ when compared to the ADHD and Affective Dysregulation subgroup. All three subgroups differed significantly from the healthy controls in all the variables analyzed. The present study extends previous findings on subgrouping children and adolescents with disruptive behaviors using a multidimensional approach and describes levels of anxiety, affective problems, ADHD, proactive aggression and CU traits as key factors that differentiate conclusively between subgroups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mireia Rosa-Justicia
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Clinic Institute of Neurosciences, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Melanie C Saam
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy, University Hospital, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Itziar Flamarique
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Clinic Institute of Neurosciences, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, 2017SGR881, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roger Borràs
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Clinic Institute of Neurosciences, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jilly Naaijen
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Andrea Dietrich
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Groningen Medical Center, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Pieter J Hoekstra
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Groningen Medical Center, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Tobias Banaschewski
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Pascal Aggensteiner
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Michael C Craig
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London, UK
| | - Arjun Sethi
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London, UK
| | - Paramala Santosh
- Department of Child Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London, UK
| | - Ilyas Sagar-Ouriaghli
- Department of Child Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London, UK
| | - Celso Arango
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, IiSGM, CIBERSAM, Madrid, Spain
| | - María José Penzol
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, IiSGM, CIBERSAM, Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel Brandeis
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Groningen Medical Center, Groningen, The Netherlands.,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Julia E Werhahn
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jeffrey C Glennon
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Barbara Franke
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Department of Psychiatry, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel P Zwiers
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jan K Buitelaar
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Karakter Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Ulrike M E Schulze
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy, University Hospital, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Josefina Castro-Fornieles
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Clinic Institute of Neurosciences, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, 2017SGR881, University of Barcelona, CIBERSAM, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain.
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25
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Tully J, Frey A, Fotiadou M, Kolla NJ, Eisenbarth H. Psychopathy in women: insights from neuroscience and ways forward for research. CNS Spectr 2021; 28:1-13. [PMID: 34906266 DOI: 10.1017/s1092852921001085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Psychopathy is a severe form of personality disturbance, resulting in a detrimental impact on individuals, healthcare systems, and society as a whole. Until relatively recently, most research in psychopathy has focused on male samples, not least because of its link with criminal behavior and the large proportion of violent crime committed by men. However, psychopathy in women also leads to considerable problems at an individual and societal level, including substance misuse, poor treatment outcomes, and contribution to ever-increasing numbers of female prisoners. Despite this, due to relative neglect, most research into adult female psychopathy is underpowered and outdated. We argue that the field needs revitalizing, with a focus on the developmental nature of the condition and neurocognitive research. Recent work international consortia into conduct disorder in female youth-a precursor of psychopathy in female adults-gives cause for optimism. Here, we outline key strategies for enriching research in this important field with contemporary approaches to other psychiatric conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Tully
- Institute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Annalena Frey
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Nathan J Kolla
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada and Research and Academics, Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care, Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada
| | - Hedwig Eisenbarth
- School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
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26
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Pauli R, Kohls G, Tino P, Rogers JC, Baumann S, Ackermann K, Bernhard A, Martinelli A, Jansen L, Oldenhof H, Gonzalez-Madruga K, Smaragdi A, Gonzalez-Torres MA, Kerexeta-Lizeaga I, Boonmann C, Kersten L, Bigorra A, Hervas A, Stadler C, Fernandez-Rivas A, Popma A, Konrad K, Herpertz-Dahlmann B, Fairchild G, Freitag CM, Rotshtein P, De Brito SA. Machine learning classification of conduct disorder with high versus low levels of callous-unemotional traits based on facial emotion recognition abilities. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2021; 32:589-600. [PMID: 34661765 PMCID: PMC10115711 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-021-01893-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Conduct disorder (CD) with high levels of callous-unemotional traits (CD/HCU) has been theoretically linked to specific difficulties with fear and sadness recognition, in contrast to CD with low levels of callous-unemotional traits (CD/LCU). However, experimental evidence for this distinction is mixed, and it is unclear whether these difficulties are a reliable marker of CD/HCU compared to CD/LCU. In a large sample (N = 1263, 9-18 years), we combined univariate analyses and machine learning classifiers to investigate whether CD/HCU is associated with disproportionate difficulties with fear and sadness recognition over other emotions, and whether such difficulties are a reliable individual-level marker of CD/HCU. We observed similar emotion recognition abilities in CD/HCU and CD/LCU. The CD/HCU group underperformed relative to typically developing (TD) youths, but difficulties were not specific to fear or sadness. Classifiers did not distinguish between youths with CD/HCU versus CD/LCU (52% accuracy), although youths with CD/HCU and CD/LCU were reliably distinguished from TD youths (64% and 60%, respectively). In the subset of classifiers that performed well for youths with CD/HCU, fear and sadness were the most relevant emotions for distinguishing them from youths with CD/LCU and TD youths, respectively. We conclude that non-specific emotion recognition difficulties are common in CD/HCU, but are not reliable individual-level markers of CD/HCU versus CD/LCU. These findings highlight that a reduced ability to recognise facial expressions of distress should not be assumed to be a core feature of CD/HCU.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Pauli
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
| | - Gregor Kohls
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU, Dresden, Germany
| | - Peter Tino
- School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Jack C Rogers
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.,Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Sarah Baumann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Katharina Ackermann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Goethe University, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Faculty of Education, Hamburg University, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anka Bernhard
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Goethe University, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Anne Martinelli
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Goethe University, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Lucres Jansen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Helena Oldenhof
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Karen Gonzalez-Madruga
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, UK
| | | | | | | | - Cyril Boonmann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Psychiatric Hospitals, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Linda Kersten
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Psychiatric Hospitals, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Amaia Hervas
- University Hospital Mutua Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Christina Stadler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Psychiatric Hospitals, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Arne Popma
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Kerstin Konrad
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.,JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, RWTH Aachen and Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany
| | - Beate Herpertz-Dahlmann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | | | - Christine M Freitag
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Goethe University, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Pia Rotshtein
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Stephane A De Brito
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
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27
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Farrow E, Chiocchetti AG, Rogers JC, Pauli R, Raschle NM, Gonzalez-Madruga K, Smaragdi A, Martinelli A, Kohls G, Stadler C, Konrad K, Fairchild G, Freitag CM, Chechlacz M, De Brito SA. SLC25A24 gene methylation and gray matter volume in females with and without conduct disorder: an exploratory epigenetic neuroimaging study. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:492. [PMID: 34561420 PMCID: PMC8463588 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01609-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Conduct disorder (CD), a psychiatric disorder characterized by a repetitive pattern of antisocial behaviors, results from a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. The clinical presentation of CD varies both according to the individual's sex and level of callous-unemotional (CU) traits, but it remains unclear how genetic and environmental factors interact at the molecular level to produce these differences. Emerging evidence in males implicates methylation of genes associated with socio-affective processes. Here, we combined an epigenome-wide association study with structural neuroimaging in 51 females with CD and 59 typically developing (TD) females to examine DNA methylation in relation to CD, CU traits, and gray matter volume (GMV). We demonstrate an inverse pattern of correlation between CU traits and methylation of a chromosome 1 region in CD females (positive) as compared to TD females (negative). The identified region spans exon 1 of the SLC25A24 gene, central to energy metabolism due to its role in mitochondrial function. Increased SLC25A24 methylation was also related to lower GMV in multiple brain regions in the overall cohort. These included the superior frontal gyrus, prefrontal cortex, and supramarginal gyrus, secondary visual cortex and ventral posterior cingulate cortex, which are regions that have previously been implicated in CD and CU traits. While our findings are preliminary and need to be replicated in larger samples, they provide novel evidence that CU traits in females are associated with methylation levels in a fundamentally different way in CD and TD, which in turn may relate to observable variations in GMV across the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Farrow
- School of Psychology and Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
| | - Andreas G. Chiocchetti
- grid.7839.50000 0004 1936 9721Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Jack C. Rogers
- grid.6572.60000 0004 1936 7486School of Psychology and Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Ruth Pauli
- grid.6572.60000 0004 1936 7486School of Psychology and Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Nora M. Raschle
- grid.7400.30000 0004 1937 0650Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Anne Martinelli
- grid.7839.50000 0004 1936 9721Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Gregor Kohls
- grid.1957.a0000 0001 0728 696XRWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | | | - Kerstin Konrad
- grid.1957.a0000 0001 0728 696XRWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Graeme Fairchild
- grid.7340.00000 0001 2162 1699Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Christine M. Freitag
- grid.7839.50000 0004 1936 9721Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Magdalena Chechlacz
- grid.6572.60000 0004 1936 7486School of Psychology and Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Stephane A. De Brito
- grid.6572.60000 0004 1936 7486School of Psychology and Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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28
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Positive and negative parenting in conduct disorder with high versus low levels of callous-unemotional traits. Dev Psychopathol 2021; 33:980-991. [PMID: 32571444 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579420000279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Less is known about the relationship between conduct disorder (CD), callous-unemotional (CU) traits, and positive and negative parenting in youth compared to early childhood. We combined traditional univariate analyses with a novel machine learning classifier (Angle-based Generalized Matrix Learning Vector Quantization) to classify youth (N = 756; 9-18 years) into typically developing (TD) or CD groups with or without elevated CU traits (CD/HCU, CD/LCU, respectively) using youth- and parent-reports of parenting behavior. At the group level, both CD/HCU and CD/LCU were associated with high negative and low positive parenting relative to TD. However, only positive parenting differed between the CD/HCU and CD/LCU groups. In classification analyses, performance was best when distinguishing CD/HCU from TD groups and poorest when distinguishing CD/HCU from CD/LCU groups. Positive and negative parenting were both relevant when distinguishing CD/HCU from TD, negative parenting was most relevant when distinguishing between CD/LCU and TD, and positive parenting was most relevant when distinguishing CD/HCU from CD/LCU groups. These findings suggest that while positive parenting distinguishes between CD/HCU and CD/LCU, negative parenting is associated with both CD subtypes. These results highlight the importance of considering multiple parenting behaviors in CD with varying levels of CU traits in late childhood/adolescence.
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29
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Bernhard A, Kirchner M, Martinelli A, Ackermann K, Kohls G, Gonzalez-Madruga K, Wells A, Fernández-Rivas A, De Artaza-Lavesa MG, Raschle NM, Konsta A, Siklósi R, Hervás A, Herpertz-Dahlmann B, De Brito SA, Popma A, Stadler C, Konrad K, Fairchild G, Freitag CM. Sex-specific associations of basal steroid hormones and neuropeptides with Conduct Disorder and neuroendocrine mediation of environmental risk. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2021; 49:40-53. [PMID: 33813055 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2021.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Conduct Disorder (CD) is characterized by severe aggressive and antisocial behavior. The stress hormone system has frequently been investigated as a neurobiological correlate of CD, while other interacting neuroendocrine biomarkers of sex hormone or neuropeptide systems have rarely been studied, especially in females. We examined multiple basal neuroendocrine biomarkers in female and male adolescents with CD compared to healthy controls (HCs), and explored whether they mediate effects of environmental risk factors on CD. Within the FemNAT-CD study, salivary cortisol, alpha-amylase, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S), estradiol, progesterone, oxytocin, and arginine-vasopressin were measured under basal conditions in 166 pubertal adolescents with CD, and 194 sex-, age-, and puberty-matched HCs (60% females, 9-18 years). Further, environmental risk factors were assessed. Single hormone analyses showed higher DHEA-S, and lower estradiol and progesterone levels in both females and males with CD relative to HCs. When accounting for interactions between neuroendocrine systems, a male-specific sex hormone factor (testosterone/DHEA-S) predicted male CD, while estradiol and a stress-system factor (cortisol/alpha-amylase) interacting with oxytocin predicted female CD. Estradiol, progesterone, and oxytocin partly explained associations between early environmental risk and CD. Findings provide evidence for sex-specific associations between basal neuroendocrine measures and CD. Especially altered sex hormones (androgen increases in males, estrogen reductions in females) robustly related to CD, while basal stress-system measures did not. Early environmental risk factors for CD may act partly through their effects on the neuroendocrine system, especially in females. Limitations (e.g., basal neuroendocrine assessment, different sample sizes per sex, pubertal participants, exploratory mediation analyses) are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anka Bernhard
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt am Main, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Marietta Kirchner
- Institute of Medical Biometry and Informatics, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Anne Martinelli
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt am Main, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Katharina Ackermann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt am Main, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Gregor Kohls
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | | | - Amy Wells
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Nora Maria Raschle
- Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development at the University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; University of Basel Psychiatric Hospital, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Angeliki Konsta
- Child and Adolescent Unit of the 1st Department of Psychiatry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Réka Siklósi
- Faculty of Medicine, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of the Child Health Center, Szeged University, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Amaia Hervás
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit, University Hospital Mutua Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain; AGAUR Clinical and Genetic Research Group, Global Institute of Neurodevelopment Integrated Care (IGAIN), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Beate Herpertz-Dahlmann
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Stephane A De Brito
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Arne Popma
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Christina Stadler
- University of Basel Psychiatric Hospital, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Kerstin Konrad
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Graeme Fairchild
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Christine M Freitag
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt am Main, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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30
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Cortisol response to acute psychosocial stress in ADHD compared to conduct disorder and major depressive disorder: A systematic review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 127:899-916. [PMID: 34089765 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
BERNHARD, A., J. S. Mayer, N. Fann, and C. M. Freitag. Cortisol response to acute psychosocial stress in ADHD compared to Conduct Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder: A systematic review. NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV REV XX(X) XXX-XXX, 2020. - Heterogeneous alterations of the cortisol stress response in Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) were recently reported by a systematic literature review. To investigate the moderating effect of frequent psychiatric comorbidities, we systematically searched for studies on cortisol stress response to psychosocial stress in ADHD compared to Conduct Disorder (CD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) following PRISMA guidelines. EBSCOhost and PubMed databases were searched in July 2020, employing relevant keywords. Nineteen studies met inclusion criteria. While blunted cortisol stress response was consistently reported in individuals with CD and/or Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), alterations of cortisol stress response were less pronounced in ADHD. Consistently blunted cortisol stress response in ADHD was only found in children with comorbid CD/ODD. Results on cortisol stress response in children and adolescents with MDD were mixed, and no indication for influence of comorbid MDD on cortisol stress response in ADHD was found. Taken together, altered cortisol stress response in ADHD is driven by comorbidity with disruptive behavior disorders. Limitations of previous research and suggestions for future studies are discussed.
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31
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van Dongen J, Hagenbeek FA, Suderman M, Roetman PJ, Sugden K, Chiocchetti AG, Ismail K, Mulder RH, Hafferty JD, Adams MJ, Walker RM, Morris SW, Lahti J, Küpers LK, Escaramis G, Alemany S, Jan Bonder M, Meijer M, Ip HF, Jansen R, Baselmans BML, Parmar P, Lowry E, Streit F, Sirignano L, Send TS, Frank J, Jylhävä J, Wang Y, Mishra PP, Colins OF, Corcoran DL, Poulton R, Mill J, Hannon E, Arseneault L, Korhonen T, Vuoksimaa E, Felix JF, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, Campbell A, Czamara D, Binder E, Corpeleijn E, Gonzalez JR, Grazuleviciene R, Gutzkow KB, Evandt J, Vafeiadi M, Klein M, van der Meer D, Ligthart L, Kluft C, Davies GE, Hakulinen C, Keltikangas-Järvinen L, Franke B, Freitag CM, Konrad K, Hervas A, Fernández-Rivas A, Vetro A, Raitakari O, Lehtimäki T, Vermeiren R, Strandberg T, Räikkönen K, Snieder H, Witt SH, Deuschle M, Pedersen NL, Hägg S, Sunyer J, Franke L, Kaprio J, Ollikainen M, Moffitt TE, Tiemeier H, van IJzendoorn MH, Relton C, Vrijheid M, Sebert S, Jarvelin MR, Caspi A, Evans KL, McIntosh AM, Bartels M, Boomsma DI. DNA methylation signatures of aggression and closely related constructs: A meta-analysis of epigenome-wide studies across the lifespan. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:2148-2162. [PMID: 33420481 PMCID: PMC8263810 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-00987-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
DNA methylation profiles of aggressive behavior may capture lifetime cumulative effects of genetic, stochastic, and environmental influences associated with aggression. Here, we report the first large meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) of aggressive behavior (N = 15,324 participants). In peripheral blood samples of 14,434 participants from 18 cohorts with mean ages ranging from 7 to 68 years, 13 methylation sites were significantly associated with aggression (alpha = 1.2 × 10-7; Bonferroni correction). In cord blood samples of 2425 children from five cohorts with aggression assessed at mean ages ranging from 4 to 7 years, 83% of these sites showed the same direction of association with childhood aggression (r = 0.74, p = 0.006) but no epigenome-wide significant sites were found. Top-sites (48 at a false discovery rate of 5% in the peripheral blood meta-analysis or in a combined meta-analysis of peripheral blood and cord blood) have been associated with chemical exposures, smoking, cognition, metabolic traits, and genetic variation (mQTLs). Three genes whose expression levels were associated with top-sites were previously linked to schizophrenia and general risk tolerance. At six CpGs, DNA methylation variation in blood mirrors variation in the brain. On average 44% (range = 3-82%) of the aggression-methylation association was explained by current and former smoking and BMI. These findings point at loci that are sensitive to chemical exposures with potential implications for neuronal functions. We hope these results to be a starting point for studies leading to applications as peripheral biomarkers and to reveal causal relationships with aggression and related traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny van Dongen
- Department of Biological Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Fiona A Hagenbeek
- Department of Biological Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Matthew Suderman
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- MRC Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Peter J Roetman
- Curium-LUMC, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Oegstgeest, The Netherlands
| | - Karen Sugden
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Andreas G Chiocchetti
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Khadeeja Ismail
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Rosa H Mulder
- Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Mark J Adams
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Rosie M Walker
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Stewart W Morris
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jari Lahti
- Turku Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychology and logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Leanne K Küpers
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Epidemiology, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Georgia Escaramis
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Research Group on Statistics, Econometrics and Health (GRECS), UdG, Girona, Spain
| | - Silvia Alemany
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marc Jan Bonder
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Mandy Meijer
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Hill F Ip
- Department of Biological Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rick Jansen
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Bart M L Baselmans
- Department of Biological Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Priyanka Parmar
- Center for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, 90014, Oulu, Finland
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, 90014, Oulu, Finland
| | - Estelle Lowry
- Center for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, 90014, Oulu, Finland
- Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Fabian Streit
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Lea Sirignano
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Tabea S Send
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Josef Frank
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Juulia Jylhävä
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yunzhang Wang
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Pashupati Prasad Mishra
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Fimlab Laboratories, and Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center-Tampere, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, 33520, Finland
| | - Olivier F Colins
- Curium-LUMC, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Oegstgeest, The Netherlands
- Department of Special Needs Education, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - David L Corcoran
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Richie Poulton
- Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Jonathan Mill
- University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Eilis Hannon
- University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Louise Arseneault
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Tellervo Korhonen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Eero Vuoksimaa
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Janine F Felix
- Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Archie Campbell
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Darina Czamara
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804, Munich, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Binder
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804, Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 12 Executive Park Dr, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Eva Corpeleijn
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Epidemiology, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Juan R Gonzalez
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Regina Grazuleviciene
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, K. Donelaicio str. 58, 44248, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Kristine B Gutzkow
- Department of Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jorunn Evandt
- Department of Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Marina Vafeiadi
- Department of Social Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Marieke Klein
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- University Medical Center Utrecht, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, Department of Psychiatry, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Dennis van der Meer
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Lannie Ligthart
- Department of Biological Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Gareth E Davies
- Avera Institute for Human Genetics, 3720 W. 69th Street, Sioux Falls, SD, 57108, USA
| | - Christian Hakulinen
- Department of Psychology and logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Barbara Franke
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Christine M Freitag
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Kerstin Konrad
- University Hospital, RWTH Aachen, Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Aachen, Germany
- JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging (INM-11), RWTH Aachen & Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany
| | - Amaia Hervas
- Hospital Universitario Mutua de Terrassa, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Agnes Vetro
- Szeged University, Department of Pediatrics and Pediatrics health center, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Olli Raitakari
- Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
- Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Terho Lehtimäki
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Fimlab Laboratories, and Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center-Tampere, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, 33520, Finland
| | - Robert Vermeiren
- Curium-LUMC, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Oegstgeest, The Netherlands
- Youz, Parnassia Group, The Hague, The Netherlands
| | - Timo Strandberg
- Helsinki University Central Hospital, Geriatrics, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Katri Räikkönen
- Department of Psychology and logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Harold Snieder
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Epidemiology, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Stephanie H Witt
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Michael Deuschle
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Nancy L Pedersen
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sara Hägg
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jordi Sunyer
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain
- IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lude Franke
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jaakko Kaprio
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Miina Ollikainen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Terrie E Moffitt
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Henning Tiemeier
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Social and Behavioral Science, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA
| | - Marinus H van IJzendoorn
- Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, UCL, University of London, London, UK
| | - Caroline Relton
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- MRC Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Martine Vrijheid
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sylvain Sebert
- Center for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, 90014, Oulu, Finland
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, 90014, Oulu, Finland
- Section of Genomics of Common Disease, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Burlington Danes Building, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Marjo-Riitta Jarvelin
- Center for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, 90014, Oulu, Finland
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, 90014, Oulu, Finland
- MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Burlington Danes Building, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Avshalom Caspi
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Kathryn L Evans
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Meike Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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32
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Harteveld LM, Nederend I, Ten Harkel ADJ, Schutte NM, de Rooij SR, Vrijkotte TGM, Oldenhof H, Popma A, Jansen LMC, Suurland J, Swaab H, de Geus EJC. Maturation of the Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System Activity in Children and Adolescents. J Am Heart Assoc 2021; 10:e017405. [PMID: 33525889 PMCID: PMC7955328 DOI: 10.1161/jaha.120.017405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Background Despite the increasing interest in cardiac autonomic nervous activity, the normal development is not fully understood. The main aim was to determine the maturation of different cardiac sympathetic‐(SNS) and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity parameters in healthy patients aged 0.5 to 20 years. A second aim was to determine potential sex differences. Methods and Results Five studies covering the 0.5‐ to 20‐year age range provided impedance‐ and electrocardiography recordings from which heart rate, different PNS‐parameters (eg, respiratory sinus arrhythmia) and an SNS‐parameter (pre‐ejection period) were collected. Age trends were computed in the mean values across 12 age‐bins and in the age‐specific variances. Age was associated with changes in mean and variance of all parameters. PNS‐activity followed a cubic trend, with an exponential increase from infancy, a plateau phase during middle childhood, followed by a decrease to adolescence. SNS‐activity showed a more linear trend, with a gradual decrease from infancy to adolescence. Boys had higher SNS‐activity at ages 11 to 15 years, while PNS‐activity was higher at 5 and 11 to 12 years with the plateau level reached earlier in girls. Interindividual variation was high at all ages. Variance was reasonably stable for SNS‐ and the log‐transformed PNS‐parameters. Conclusions Cardiac PNS‐ and SNS‐activity in childhood follows different maturational trajectories. Whereas PNS‐activity shows a cubic trend with a plateau phase during middle childhood, SNS‐activity shows a linear decrease from 0.5 to 20 years. Despite the large samples used, clinical use of the sex‐specific centile and percentile normative values is modest in view of the large individual differences, even within narrow age bands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisette M Harteveld
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology Leiden University Medical Center Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Ineke Nederend
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology Leiden University Medical Center Leiden The Netherlands.,Department of Biological Psychology Faculty of Human Behavioral and Movement Sciences Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdam Public Health Research Institute Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Arend D J Ten Harkel
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology Leiden University Medical Center Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Nienke M Schutte
- Department of Biological Psychology Faculty of Human Behavioral and Movement Sciences Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdam Public Health Research Institute Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Susanne R de Rooij
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Amsterdam University Medical CenterAcademic Medical Center Amsterdam The Netherlands.,Department of Public Health Amsterdam Public Health Research InstituteAmsterdam University Medical CenterUniversity of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Tanja G M Vrijkotte
- Department of Public Health Amsterdam Public Health Research InstituteAmsterdam University Medical CenterUniversity of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Helena Oldenhof
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Amsterdam University Medical CenterVU University Medical Centre Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Arne Popma
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Amsterdam University Medical CenterVU University Medical Centre Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Lucres M C Jansen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Amsterdam University Medical CenterVU University Medical Centre Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Jill Suurland
- Department of Clinical Child and Adolescent Studies and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition Leiden University Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Hanna Swaab
- Department of Clinical Child and Adolescent Studies and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition Leiden University Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Eco J C de Geus
- Department of Biological Psychology Faculty of Human Behavioral and Movement Sciences Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdam Public Health Research Institute Amsterdam The Netherlands
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33
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High Correspondence Between Child Behavior Checklist Rule Breaking Behavior Scale with Conduct Disorder in Males and Females. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 2020; 51:978-985. [PMID: 32172405 PMCID: PMC7492452 DOI: 10.1007/s10578-020-00978-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated the diagnostic utility of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) Rule-Breaking Behavior scale to identify children of both sexes with conduct disorder (CD). Participants were derived from four independent datasets of children with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and bipolar-I disorder of both sexes. Participants had structured diagnostic interviews with raters blinded to subject ascertainment status. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to examine the scale's ability to identify children with and without CD. The sample consisted of 674 participants (mean age of 11.7 ± 3.3 years, 57% male, 94% Caucasian). The interaction to test if CBCL Rule-Breaking Behavior scores identified males and females with CD differently was not significant, thus we performed ROC analysis in the combined group. The ROC analysis of the scale yielded an area under the curve of 0.9. A score of ≥ 60 on the scale correctly classified 82% of participants with CD with 85% sensitivity, 81% specificity, 48% positive predictive value, 96% negative predictive value. The CBCL Rule-Breaking Behavior scale was an efficient tool to identify children with CD.
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34
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Relational Aggression in Adolescents with Conduct Disorder: Sex Differences and Behavioral Correlates. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL CHILD PSYCHOLOGY 2020; 47:1625-1637. [PMID: 30949882 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-019-00541-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
As most research on conduct disorder (CD) has been conducted on male participants, it has been suggested that female-specific symptoms may be underestimated based on current DSM-5 criteria. In particular, relational aggression, i.e. the hurtful, often indirect, manipulation of relationships with the intention of damaging the other's social position, has been proposed as a characteristic of CD that is more common in females. In addition, sex-specific studies on correlates of relational aggressive behavior are lacking. Relational aggression may be strongly related to the correlates of proactive aggression, namely low affective empathy, and high levels of callous-unemotional (CU) traits and relational victimization. Thus, the present study investigated sex differences in relational aggression, and associations between relational aggression and correlates of proactive aggression in 662 adolescents with CD (403 females) and 849 typically-developing controls (568 females) aged 9-18 years (M = 14.74, SD = 2.34) from the European multi-site FemNAT-CD study. Females with CD showed significantly higher levels of relational aggression compared to males with CD, whereas no sex differences were seen in controls. Relational aggression was only partly related to correlates of proactive aggression in CD: Independent of sex, CU traits showed a positive association with relational aggression. In females only, cognitive, but not affective empathy, was negatively associated with relational aggression. Relational victimization was more strongly associated with relational aggression in males compared to females. Despite interesting sex specific correlates of relational aggression, effects are small and the potential clinical implications should be investigated in future studies.
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35
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Cortical thickness of the insula and prefrontal cortex relates to externalizing behavior: Cross-sectional and prospective findings. Dev Psychopathol 2020; 33:1437-1447. [PMID: 32638690 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579420000619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Externalizing behaviors (EBs) pertain to a diverse set of aggressive, antisocial, and potentially destructive behaviors directed toward the external environment. They range from nonclinical to clinical in severity, associated with opposition, aggression, hyperactivity, or impulsivity, and are considered a risk factor for the emergence of psychopathology later in adulthood. Focusing on community adolescents (N = 102; 49 female and 53 male adolescents; age range 12-19 years), this study aimed to explore the relations between EBs and the cortical thickness of regions of interest as well as to identify possible risk markers that could improve understanding of the EB construct. Using a mixed cross-sectional and prospective design (1-year follow-up), we report specific associations with cortical thickness of the left insular, right orbitofrontal, and left anterior cingulate cortex. Specifically, thinner left insular and right orbitofrontal cortex was associated with higher EBs, and thinner left anterior cingulate cortex predicted less reduction in EBs 1 year later. In addition, further examination of the aggression and rule-breaking subscales of the Youth/Adult Self-Report, used to assess EBs, revealed specific associations with insular subregions. Findings suggest that cortical structure morphology may significantly relate to the expression and maintenance of EBs within the general population of adolescents.
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36
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Kohls G, Fairchild G, Bernhard A, Martinelli A, Smaragdi A, Gonzalez-Madruga K, Wells A, Rogers JC, Pauli R, Oldenhof H, Jansen L, van Rhijn A, Kersten L, Alfano J, Baumann S, Herpertz-Dahlmann B, Vetro A, Lazaratou H, Hervas A, Fernández-Rivas A, Popma A, Stadler C, De Brito SA, Freitag CM, Konrad K. Neuropsychological Subgroups of Emotion Processing in Youths With Conduct Disorder. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:585052. [PMID: 33414731 PMCID: PMC7783416 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.585052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: At the group level, youths with conduct disorder (CD) show deficient emotion processing across various tasks compared to typically developing controls (TDC). But little is known about neuropsychological subgroups within the CD population, the clinical correlates of emotion processing deficits [for instance, with regard to the presence or absence of the DSM-5 Limited Prosocial Emotions (LPE) specifier], and associated risk factors. Methods: 542 children and adolescents with CD (317 girls) and 710 TDCs (479 girls), aged 9-18 years, were included from the FemNAT-CD multisite study. All participants completed three neuropsychological tasks assessing emotion recognition, emotion learning, and emotion regulation. We used a self-report measure of callous-unemotional traits to create a proxy for the LPE specifier. Results: Relative to TDCs, youths with CD as a group performed worse in all three emotion domains. But using clinically based cut-off scores, we found poor emotion recognition skills in only 23% of the participants with CD, followed by emotion regulation deficits in 18%, and emotion learning deficits in 13% of the CD group. Critically, the majority of youths with CD (~56%) did not demonstrate any meaningful neuropsychological deficit, and only a very small proportion showed pervasive deficits across all three domains (~1%). Further analyses indicate that established DSM-5 subtypes of CD are not tightly linked to neurocognitive deficits in one particular emotion domain over another (i.e., emotion recognition deficits in CD+LPE vs. emotion regulation deficits in CD-LPE). Conclusions: Findings from this large-scale data set suggest substantial neuropsychological diversity in emotion processing in the CD population and, consequently, only a subgroup of youths with CD are likely to benefit from additional behavioral interventions specifically targeting emotion processing mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregor Kohls
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Child Neuropsychology Section, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Graeme Fairchild
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Anka Bernhard
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Anne Martinelli
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Areti Smaragdi
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Amy Wells
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Jack C Rogers
- School of Psychology, Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Ruth Pauli
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Helena Oldenhof
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Amsterdam Public Health - Mental Health, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Lucres Jansen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Amsterdam Public Health - Mental Health, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Arthur van Rhijn
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Amsterdam Public Health - Mental Health, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Linda Kersten
- Psychiatric University Clinics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Janine Alfano
- Psychiatric University Clinics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sarah Baumann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Beate Herpertz-Dahlmann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Agnes Vetro
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Pediatrics and Child Health Center, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Helen Lazaratou
- Child and Adolescent Unit of the 1st Department of Psychiatry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Amaia Hervas
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit, University Hospital Mutua Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Arne Popma
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Amsterdam Public Health - Mental Health, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Christina Stadler
- Psychiatric University Clinics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stephane A De Brito
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Christine M Freitag
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Kerstin Konrad
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Child Neuropsychology Section, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.,JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, RWTH Aachen and Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany
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37
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Waltereit R, Giller F, Ehrlich S, Roessner V. Affective dysregulation: a transdiagnostic research concept between ADHD, aggressive behavior conditions and borderline personality traits. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2019; 28:1551-1553. [PMID: 31712988 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-019-01438-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Robert Waltereit
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Franziska Giller
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Stefan Ehrlich
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Veit Roessner
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
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38
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Gao Y, Rogers JC, Pauli R, Clanton R, Baker R, Birch P, Ferreira L, Brown A, Freitag CM, Fairchild G, Rotshtein P, De Brito SA. Neural correlates of theory of mind in typically-developing youth: Influence of sex, age and callous-unemotional traits. Sci Rep 2019; 9:16216. [PMID: 31700004 PMCID: PMC6838181 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-52261-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Theory of mind (ToM), or the ability to infer and predict the intentions, thoughts and beliefs of others, involves cognitive perspective taking (cognitive ToM/cToM) and understanding emotions (affective ToM/aToM). While behavioral evidence indicates that ToM is influenced by sex and age, no study has examined the influence of these variables on the neural correlates of cToM and aToM in late childhood/adolescence. Using fMRI with 35 typically-developing youths (aged 9-18 years, 12 males), we investigated the influence of sex and age on the neural correlates of cToM and aToM. We also examined how callous-unemotional traits, indexing a lack of empathy, were related to brain responses during aToM. Across both conditions, we found convergent activity in ToM network regions, such as superior temporal sulcus/temporoparietal junction (TPJ) and precuneus across males and females, but males recruited the left TPJ significantly more than females during cToM. During aToM, age was negatively correlated with brain responses in frontal, temporal and posterior midline regions, while callous-unemotional traits were positively correlated with right anterior insula responses. These results provide the first evidence in youth that sex influences the neural correlates of cToM, while age and callous-unemotional traits are specifically related to brain responses during aToM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yidian Gao
- Medical Psychological Institute, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.,Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Jack C Rogers
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.,Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Ruth Pauli
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.,Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Roberta Clanton
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.,Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Rosalind Baker
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.,Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Philippa Birch
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.,Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Lisandra Ferreira
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.,Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Abigail Brown
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.,Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Christine M Freitag
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | - Pia Rotshtein
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.,Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Stephane A De Brito
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. .,Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
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39
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Ackermann K, Martinelli A, Bernhard A, Freitag CM, Büttner G, Schwenck C. Friendship Quality in Youth With and Without Disruptive Behavior Disorders: The Role of Empathy, Aggression, and Callousness. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 2019; 50:776-788. [PMID: 30850913 DOI: 10.1007/s10578-019-00880-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Youth with disruptive behavior disorders (DBD; Oppositional defiant disorder and/or conduct disorder) are known to show impaired social relationships. Little is known about positive (PFQ) and negative best friendship quality (NFQ) in youth with DBD, and their relations with DBD specific symptoms such as aggression subtypes, empathic abilities, and callous unemotional (CU)-traits. The current study includes N = 115 youth with and N = 146 without DBD (Mage = 13.98, SD = 2.2). A diagnostic interview and self-rating questionnaires assessed ODD/CD diagnosis, friendship quality, aggression, empathy, and CU-traits. When examined on a categorical level, youth with and without DBD did not differ in friendship quality. On a dimensional level across groups, perspective taking was positively associated with PFQ. Proactive aggression was positively associated with NFQ. CU-traits in females were positively, while CU-traits in males were negatively, associated with NFQ. Results highlight that behavioral and cognitive symptoms, rather than clinical categories, are important to consider when discussing friendship qualities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Ackermann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Deutschordenstraße 50, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Anne Martinelli
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Deutschordenstraße 50, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Anka Bernhard
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Deutschordenstraße 50, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Christine M Freitag
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Deutschordenstraße 50, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Gerhard Büttner
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Christina Schwenck
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Deutschordenstraße 50, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Department of Special Needs Educational and Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, Justus-Liebig-University, Gießen, Germany
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40
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Fairchild G, Hawes DJ, Frick PJ, Copeland WE, Odgers CL, Franke B, Freitag CM, De Brito SA. Conduct disorder. Nat Rev Dis Primers 2019; 5:43. [PMID: 31249310 DOI: 10.1038/s41572-019-0095-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 158] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Conduct disorder (CD) is a common and highly impairing psychiatric disorder that usually emerges in childhood or adolescence and is characterized by severe antisocial and aggressive behaviour. It frequently co-occurs with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and often leads to antisocial personality disorder in adulthood. CD affects ~3% of school-aged children and is twice as prevalent in males than in females. This disorder can be subtyped according to age at onset (childhood-onset versus adolescent-onset) and the presence or absence of callous-unemotional traits (deficits in empathy and guilt). The aetiology of CD is complex, with contributions of both genetic and environmental risk factors and different forms of interplay among the two (gene-environment interaction and correlation). In addition, CD is associated with neurocognitive impairments; smaller grey matter volume in limbic regions such as the amygdala, insula and orbitofrontal cortex, and functional abnormalities in overlapping brain circuits responsible for emotion processing, emotion regulation and reinforcement-based decision-making have been reported. Lower hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and autonomic reactivity to stress has also been reported. Management of CD primarily involves parent-based or family-based psychosocial interventions, although stimulants and atypical antipsychotics are sometimes used, especially in individuals with comorbid ADHD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David J Hawes
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Paul J Frick
- Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA and Institute for Learning Science and Teacher Education, Australian Catholic University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Candice L Odgers
- Department of Psychological Science, School of Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Barbara Franke
- Departments of Human Genetics and Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Christine M Freitag
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Stephane A De Brito
- School of Psychology and Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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41
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Hebebrand J, Falissard B, Hoekstra PJ, Kaess M, Melchior M, Micali N, Moreno C, Rommelse N, Roessner V, Signorini G. EUREXIT? High time to consider the merits of European collaboration in child and adolescent psychiatry. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2019; 28:731-734. [PMID: 31129733 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-019-01354-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Hebebrand
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.
| | | | - Pieter J Hoekstra
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Michael Kaess
- University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Maria Melchior
- Department of Social Epidemiology, INSERM, Sorbonne Université, Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique IPLESP, 75012, Paris, France
| | - Nadia Micali
- Département Universitaire de Psychiatrie, Université de Genève, 1211, Genève 4, Switzerland
| | - Carmen Moreno
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, IiSGM, CIBERSAM, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nanda Rommelse
- Radboudumc Department of Psychiatry and Karakter Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Veit Roessner
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Giulia Signorini
- IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
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Oliveira VEDM, Neumann ID, de Jong TR. Post-weaning social isolation exacerbates aggression in both sexes and affects the vasopressin and oxytocin system in a sex-specific manner. Neuropharmacology 2019; 156:107504. [PMID: 30664846 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Post-weaning social isolation (PWSI) is known to induce exaggerated and abnormal aggression in male rats. Here we aimed to assess the effects of PWSI on aggressiveness and social behavior in both male and female rats. Furthermore, we evaluated how PWSI affects the central oxytocin (OXT) and vasopressin (AVP) systems in both sexes. Wistar rats were isolated (IS) or group housed (GH) in same-sex groups immediately after weaning. After seven weeks, rats underwent an intruder test to assess aggression. In one group, brains were immediately dissected afterwards for in situ hybridization and receptor autoradiography. The other group underwent additional anxiety-like and social behavior tests. PWSI induced increased (abnormal) aggression and impaired social memory in both sexes. Especially IS females exhibited abnormal aggression towards juveniles. Furthermore, PWSI increased OXT mRNA expression in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) and decreased OXTR binding in the anterior portion of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), independent of the sex. V1a receptor binding was decreased in the lateral hypothalamus (LH) and dentate gyrus (DG) in IS rats, regardless of sex. However, V1a receptor binding in the anterior portion of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNSTa) was decreased in IS females but increased in IS males. Taken together, our data support PWSI as a reliable model to exacerbate aggression not only in male but also in female rats. In addition, OXT receptors in the NAcca and V1a receptors in the LH, DG, and BNSTa may play a role in the link between PWSI and aggression. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Current status of the neurobiology of aggression and impulsivity'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Inga D Neumann
- Department of Behavioral and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, Germany
| | - Trynke R de Jong
- Department of Behavioral and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, Germany; Lifelines Biobank Noord-Nederland B.V. Groningen, Netherlands
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Been LE, Gibbons AB, Meisel RL. Towards a neurobiology of female aggression. Neuropharmacology 2018; 156:107451. [PMID: 30502376 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.11.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2018] [Revised: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Although many people think of aggression as a negative or undesirable emotion, it is a normal part of many species' repertoire of social behaviors. Purposeful and controlled aggression can be adaptive in that it warns other individuals of perceived breaches in social contracts with the goal of dispersing conflict before it escalates into violence. Aggression becomes maladaptive, however, when it escalates inappropriately or impulsively into violence. Despite ample data demonstrating that impulsive aggression and violence occurs in both men and women, aggression has historically been considered a uniquely masculine trait. As a result, the vast majority of studies attempting to model social aggression in animals, particularly those aimed at understanding the neural underpinnings of aggression, have been conducted in male rodents. In this review, we summarize the state of the literature on the neurobiology of social aggression in female rodents, including social context, hormonal regulation and neural sites of aggression regulation. Our goal is to put historical research in the context of new research, emphasizing studies using ecologically valid methods and modern sophisticated techniques. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Current status of the neurobiology of aggression and impulsivity'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura E Been
- Department of Psychology, Haverford College, Haverford, PA, 19041, USA.
| | - Alison B Gibbons
- Department of Psychology, Haverford College, Haverford, PA, 19041, USA
| | - Robert L Meisel
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
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Fehlbaum LV, Raschle NM, Menks WM, Prätzlich M, Flemming E, Wyss L, Euler F, Sheridan M, Sterzer P, Stadler C. Altered Neuronal Responses During an Affective Stroop Task in Adolescents With Conduct Disorder. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1961. [PMID: 30405475 PMCID: PMC6200838 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Accepted: 09/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Conduct disorder (CD) is a psychiatric disorder of childhood and adolescence which has been linked to deficient emotion processing and regulation. The behavioral and neuronal correlates targeting the interaction of emotion processing and response inhibition are still under investigation. Whole-brain event-related fMRI was applied during an affective Stroop task in 39 adolescents with CD and 39 typically developing adolescents (TD). Participants were presented with an emotional stimulus (negative/neutral) followed by a Stroop task with varying cognitive load (congruent/incongruent/blank trials). fMRI analysis included standard preprocessing, region of interest analyses (amygdala, insula, ventromedial prefrontal cortex) and whole-brain analyses based on a 2(group) × 2(emotion) × 3(task) full-factorial ANOVA. Adolescents with CD made significantly more errors, while reaction times did not significantly differ compared to TD. Additionally, we observed a lack of downregulation of left amygdala activity in response to incongruent trials and increased anterior insula activity for CD relative to TD during affective Stroop task processing [cluster-level family-wise error-corrected (p < 0.05)]. Even though no three-way interaction (group × emotion × task) interaction was detected, the findings presented still provide evidence for altered neuronal underpinnings of the interaction of emotion processing and response inhibition in CD. Moreover, our results may corroborate previous evidence of emotion dysregulation as a core dysfunction in CD. Future studies shall focus on investigating the interaction of emotion processing and response inhibition in CD subgroups (e.g., variations in callous-unemotional traits, impulsivity, or anxiety).
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynn V. Fehlbaum
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Clinics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nora M. Raschle
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Clinics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Willeke M. Menks
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Clinics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Martin Prätzlich
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Clinics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Eva Flemming
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité – University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Letizia Wyss
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Clinics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Felix Euler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Clinics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Margaret Sheridan
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Philipp Sterzer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité – University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christina Stadler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Clinics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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46
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Freitag CM. [Conduct disorder in adolescent females]. ZEITSCHRIFT FUR KINDER-UND JUGENDPSYCHIATRIE UND PSYCHOTHERAPIE 2018; 46:191-193. [PMID: 29726755 DOI: 10.1024/1422-4917/a000583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christine M Freitag
- 1 Klinik für Psychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie des Kindes- und Jugendalters, Universitätsklinikum Frankfurt am Main
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