title: Facial mimicry in 6-7 year old children with disruptive behavior disorder and ADHD.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Impairments in facial mimicry are considered a proxy for deficits in affective empathy and have been demonstrated in 10 year old children and in adolescents with disruptive behavior disorder (DBD). However, it is not known whether these impairments are already present at an earlier age. Emotional deficits have also been shown in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine facial mimicry in younger, 6-7 year old children with DBD and with ADHD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Electromyographic (EMG) activity in response to emotional facial expressions was recorded in 47 children with DBD, 18 children with ADHD and 35 healthy developing children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All groups displayed significant facial mimicry to the emotional expressions of other children. No group differences between children with DBD, children with ADHD and healthy developing children were found. In addition, no differences in facial mimicry were found between the clinical group (i.e., all children with a diagnosis) and the typically developing group in an analysis with ADHD symptoms as a covariate, and no differences were found between the clinical children and the typically developing children with DBD symptoms as a covariate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Facial mimicry in children with DBD and ADHD throughout the first primary school years was unimpaired, in line with studies on empathy using other paradigms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Deschamps
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Research Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Nicolette
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Munsters
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Research Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Leon
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kenemans
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Research Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schutter
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands ; Department of Child and Adolescent Studies, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Matthys
mesh_terms: D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D004576:Electromyography; D004645:Empathy / Q000502:physiology*; D005145:Face; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007100:Imitative Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis