Linking heart rate variability to psychological health and brain structure in adolescents with and without conduct disorder

AimsHeart rate variability (HRV) measures have been suggested in healthy individuals as a potential index of self-regulation skills, which include both cognitive and emotion regulation aspects. Studies in patients with a range of psychiatric disorders have however mostly focused on the potential association between abnormally low HRV at rest and specifically emotion regulation difficulties. Emotion regulation deficits have been reported in patients with Conduct Disorder (CD) however, the association between these emotion regulation deficits and HRV measures has yet to be fully understood. This study investigates (i) the specificity of the association between HRV and emotion regulation skills in adolescents with and without CD and (ii) the association between HRV and grey matter brain volumes in key areas of the central autonomic network which are involved in self-regulation processes, such as insula, lateral/medial prefrontal cortices or amygdala.MethodsRespiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) measures of HRV were collected from adolescents aged between 9–18 years (693 CD (427F)/753 typically developing youth (TD) (500F)), as part of a European multi-site project (FemNAT-CD). The Inverse Efficiency Score, a speed-accuracy trade-off measure, was calculated to assess emotion and cognitive regulation abilities during an Emotional Go/NoGo task. The association between RSA and task performance was tested using multilevel regression models. T1-weighted structural MRI data were included for a subset of 577 participants (257 CD (125F); 320 TD (186F)). The CerebroMatic toolbox was used to create customised Tissue Probability Maps and DARTEL templates, and CAT12 to segment brain images, followed by a 2 × 2 (sex × group) full factorial ANOVA with RSA as regressor of interest.ResultsThere were no significant associations between RSA and task performance, neither during emotion regulation nor during cognitive regulation trials. RSA was however positively correlated with regional grey matter volume in the left insula (pFWE = 0.011) across all subjects.ConclusionRSA was related to increased grey matter volume in the left insula across all subjects. Our results thus suggest that low RSA at rest might be a contributing or predisposing factor for potential self-regulation difficulties. Given the insula’s role in both emotional and cognitive regulation processes, these brain structural differences might impact either of those

Linking heart rate variability to psychological health and brain structure in adolescents with and without conduct disorder

AimsHeart rate variability (HRV) measures have been suggested in healthy individuals as a potential index of self-regulation skills, which include both cognitive and emotion regulation aspects. Studies in patients with a range of psychiatric disorders have however mostly focused on the potential association between abnormally low HRV at rest and specifically emotion regulation difficulties. Emotion regulation deficits have been reported in patients with Conduct Disorder (CD) however, the association between these emotion regulation deficits and HRV measures has yet to be fully understood. This study investigates (i) the specificity of the association between HRV and emotion regulation skills in adolescents with and without CD and (ii) the association between HRV and grey matter brain volumes in key areas of the central autonomic network which are involved in self-regulation processes, such as insula, lateral/medial prefrontal cortices or amygdala.MethodsRespiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) measures of HRV were collected from adolescents aged between 9–18 years (693 CD (427F)/753 typically developing youth (TD) (500F)), as part of a European multi-site project (FemNAT-CD). The Inverse Efficiency Score, a speed-accuracy trade-off measure, was calculated to assess emotion and cognitive regulation abilities during an Emotional Go/NoGo task. The association between RSA and task performance was tested using multilevel regression models. T1-weighted structural MRI data were included for a subset of 577 participants (257 CD (125F); 320 TD (186F)). The CerebroMatic toolbox was used to create customised Tissue Probability Maps and DARTEL templates, and CAT12 to segment brain images, followed by a 2 × 2 (sex × group) full factorial ANOVA with RSA as regressor of interest.ResultsThere were no significant associations between RSA and task performance, neither during emotion regulation nor during cognitive regulation trials. RSA was however positively correlated with regional grey matter volume in the left insula (pFWE = 0.011) across all subjects.ConclusionRSA was related to increased grey matter volume in the left insula across all subjects. Our results thus suggest that low RSA at rest might be a contributing or predisposing factor for potential self-regulation difficulties. Given the insula’s role in both emotional and cognitive regulation processes, these brain structural differences might impact either of those

Hersenontwikkeling bij jongeren met antisociaal gedrag, ethische aspecten

Binnen NeurolabNL zal in de komende drie jaar onderzoek worden gedaan naar neurobiologische factoren die van invloed zijn op het ontstaan en het beloop van antisociaal gedrag bij kinderen en jongeren. Dit onderzoek roept echter ook ethische vragen op, die in een ethisch subproject van NeurolabNL worden onderzocht. Drie kwesties staan daarbij centraal. Hoe verhouden maatschappelijke veiligheidsbelangen en individuele welzijnsbelangen zich tot elkaar? Wat gebeurt er met jongeren met ernstige gedragsproblemen en/of afwijkingen van hun hersenontwikkeling in tijden dat er (nog) geen werkzame interventies bestaan? Welke positieve en negatieve effecten heeft toegenomen kennis over hun hersenen op kinderen en jongeren zelf? Dit artikel verscheen in het thema-nummer over hersenwetenschap, grensverlegging en ethiek

Through the looking glass: the neural basis of self-concept in young adults with antisocial trajectories

Self-concept is shaped by social experiences, but it is not yet well understood how the neural and behavioral development of self-concept is influenced by a history of antisocial behavior. In this pre-registered study, we examined neural responses to self-evaluations in young adults who engaged with antisocial behavior in childhood and either desisted or persisted in antisocial behavior. A self-concept task was performed by 94 young adults (age range 18–30-yrs). During the task, participants with a persistent or desistent antisocial trajectory (N = 54), and typically developing young adults (N = 40) rated whether positive and negative traits in different domains (prosocial, physical) described themselves. We examined both the effects of a history of antisocial behavior as well as current heterogeneity in psychopathic traits. Participants endorsed more positive than negative trait statements across domains, which did not differ between antisocial-history groups. However, current psychopathic traits were negatively associated with prosocial self-concept and mPFC activity during self-evaluation. Together, these findings suggest that antisocial tendencies might indeed be reflected in self-concept development of young adults, specifically in the prosocial domain

A neurocognitive model of early onset persistent and desistant antisocial behavior in early adulthood

It remains unclear which functional and neurobiological mechanisms in childhood and adolescence 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 adulthoo

RESIST - Research on Individual (Anti-) Social Trajectories

The Resist project is a collaboration between researchers from Erasmus University Rotterdam, Leiden University, VUMC and the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN). Funded by an AMMODO KNAW grant, the primary aim of this project is to gain insight into different developmental trajectories in young adults with a history of antisocial behavior, by studying several underlying psychological and neurobiological mechanisms. For this purpose, data will be used from a unique cohort of Dutch individuals who have been arrested by the police before the age of twelve years. This cohort was followed across adolescence and will be investigated again during their current developmental phase, emerging adulthood. For more information about the RESIST project, see: https://growinguptogetherinsociety.com/projects-2/ammodo

Resisting aggression in social contexts: the influence of life-course persistent antisocial behavior on behavioral and neural responses to social feedback

This is a sub-project of the RESIST (Research on Individual (Anti-) Social Trajectories) study. The current sub-project aims to increase our understanding of different pathways to maladaptive social behavior (in this case, aggression following social rejection). More specifically, the main questions we want to answer within this sub-project are (1) whether (aggressive) behavioral and neural responses to social rejection differ between individuals with persisting or desisting antisocial profiles and typically developing young adults, and (2) how individual differences in psychopathic traits can explain differences in behavioral and neural responses to social rejection

The neural basis of self-concept in persistent and desistant antisocial and typically developing young adults: uncovering the role of valence, domain and psychopathic traits

This is a sub-project of the RESIST (Research on Individual (Anti-) Social Trajectories) study. The current sub-project aims to increase our understanding of positive and negative self-evaluations in individuals with and without a history of antisocial behavior. We will also test the neural basis of (domain-specific) positive and negative self-concept endorsements, as well as individual differences in psychopathic traits to further elucidate the relationship between self-concept and antisocial behavior

Examining the relationship between resting heart rate and callous-unemotional traits in juvenile delinquency

Purpose: Both the resting heart rate (RHR) and the callous-unemotional (CU) traits have been associated with juvenile delinquency, however the effect of their interaction is not yet clear. Methods: Four hundred and twenty-three institutionalized adolescents divided into early adolescents (10–14 years, n = 133), late adolescents (15–17 years, n = 286), and young adults (18–22 years, n = 136) participated in the study. RHR was measured using a wristband, and CU traits and delinquency history were assessed using self-reported questionnaires. Moderation analysis was performed to understand how the combination between RHR and CU is associated to offending. Results: CU traits were associated with offending at all ages. The interactions between RHR and CU traits were significantly related to the likelihood of offending in the early and the late adolescent. The highest likelihood of offending is related to high CU traits combined with low RHR in early adolescents and with high RHR in late adolescents. Conclusions: These findings provide further insight in the relationship between psychopathic traits and biophysiological maturation in explaining juvenile delinquency