title: Neural responses to fearful eyes in children with conduct problems and varying levels of callous-unemotional traits.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Children with conduct problems (CP) are a heterogeneous group. Those with high levels of callous-unemotional traits (CP/HCU) appear emotionally under-reactive at behavioural and neural levels whereas those with low levels of CU traits (CP/LCU) appear emotionally over-reactive, compared with typically developing (TD) controls. Investigating the degree to which these patterns of emotional reactivity are malleable may have important translational implications. Instructing participants with CP/HCU to focus on the eyes of fearful faces (i.e. the most salient feature) can ameliorate their fear-recognition deficits, but it is unknown whether this is mediated by amygdala response. It is also unknown whether focusing on fearful eyes is associated with increased amygdala reactivity in CP/LCU.
  
  
  METHODS
  Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure neural responses to fearful and calm faces in children with CP/HCU, CP/LCU and TD controls (n = 17 per group). On half of trials participants looked for a blue dot anywhere within target faces; on the other half, participants were directed to focus on the eye region.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Reaction time (RT) data showed that CP/LCU were selectively slowed in the fear/eyes condition. For the same condition, CP/LCU also showed increased amygdala and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC)/orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) responses compared with TD controls. RT and amygdala response to fear/eyes were correlated in CP/LCU only. No effects of focusing on the eye region were observed in CP/HCU.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data extend the evidence base suggesting that CU traits index meaningful heterogeneity in conduct problems. Focusing on regulating reactive emotional responses may be a fruitful strategy for children with CP/LCU.
authors.affiliation: Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, UK.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Sebastian
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: McCrory
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Dadds
authors.forename: C A M
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Cecil
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Lockwood
authors.forename: Z H
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Hyde
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: De Brito
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Viding
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000679:Amygdala / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004644:Emotions; D005123:Eye; D005149:Facial Expression; D005239:Fear; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time; D021641:Recognition, Psychology