title: Neural responses to affective and cognitive theory of mind in children with conduct problems and varying levels of callous-unemotional traits.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Reduced neural responses to others' distress is hypothesized to play a critical role in conduct problems coupled with callous-unemotional traits, whereas increased neural responses to affective stimuli may accompany conduct problems without callous-unemotional traits. Heterogeneity of affective profiles in conduct problems may account for inconsistent neuroimaging findings in this population.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To broaden understanding of neural processing in conduct problems using an affective processing task including an empathy component as well as to explore dimensional contributions of conduct problems symptoms and callous-unemotional traits to variance in affective neural responses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case-control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  On-campus neuroimaging facility.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-one boys with conduct problems (mean age, 14.34 years) and 16 typically developing control subjects (mean age, 13.51 years) matched for age (range, 10-16 years), IQ, socioeconomic status, handedness, and race/ethnicity. Participants were recruited using screening questionnaires in a community-based volunteer sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  Functional magnetic resonance imaging of a task contrasting affective and cognitive theory of mind judgments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Relative to typically developing children, children with conduct problems showed reduced activation in right amygdala and anterior insula for affective vs cognitive theory of mind judgments. Furthermore, in the right amygdala, regression analysis within the conduct-problems group showed suppressor effects between ratings of conduct problems and callous-unemotional traits. Specifically, unique variance associated with conduct problems was positively correlated with amygdala reactivity, whereas unique variance associated with callous-unemotional traits was negatively correlated with amygdala reactivity. These associations were not explained by hyperactivity, depression/anxiety symptoms, or alcohol use ratings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Childhood conduct problems are associated with amygdala and anterior insula hypoactivity during a complex affective processing task including an empathy component. Suppressor effects between conduct problems and callous-unemotional traits in the amygdala suggest a potential neural substrate for heterogeneity in affective profiles associated with conduct problems.
authors.affiliation: Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, England, UK.
authors.forename: Catherine L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Sebastian
authors.forename: Eamon J P
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: McCrory
authors.forename: Charlotte A M
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Cecil
authors.forename: Patricia L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Lockwood
authors.forename: Stéphane A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: De Brito
authors.forename: Nathalie M G
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Fontaine
authors.forename: Essi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Viding
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D000679:Amygdala / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D004645:Empathy / Q000502:physiology*; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D056345:Theory of Mind / Q000502:physiology; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000502:physiology*