title: Attention bias to threat in maltreated children: implications for vulnerability to stress-related psychopathology.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Previous research in adults implicates attention bias in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To study attention bias in children, the authors used picture-based versions of the visual-probe attention bias task previously used with adults. They tested the hypothesis that attention bias to threatening facial photographs is associated with maltreatment and PTSD.
  
  
  METHODS
  A visual-probe task that manipulated threat levels was used to test 34 children who had been maltreated and 21 children who had not been maltreated. The visual-probe task involved showing photographs of actors with faces depicting neutral, angry/threatening, or happy expressions for 500 msec each.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Attention bias away from threat was associated with severity of physical abuse and diagnosis of PTSD. This association reflected the tendency for high levels of abuse or PTSD to predict attention avoidance of threatening faces.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Previous studies examined the engagement of specific brain regions associated with attention orientation to angry/threatening faces. The current study used similar methods to document associations between attention bias and maltreatment in children. This sets the stage for studies examining relationships in children among perturbed brain function, psychopathology, attention bias, and maltreatment.
authors.affiliation: Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health Intramurral Research Program, Bethesda, MD 20817-2670, USA. daniel.pine@nih.gov
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Pine
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mogg
authors.forename: Brendan P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Bradley
authors.forename: LeeAnne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Montgomery
authors.forename: Christopher S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Monk
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: McClure
authors.forename: Amanda E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Guyer
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ernst
authors.forename: Dennis S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Charney
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaufman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015897:Comorbidity; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D006801:Humans; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*