TY - JOUR

T1 - Selective Amygdala Hypoactivity to Fear in Boys With Persistent Conduct Problems After Parent Training

AU - Sethi, Arjun

AU - O'Brien, Suzanne

AU - Blair, James

AU - Viding, Essi

AU - Mehta, Mitul

AU - Ecker, Christine

AU - Blackwood, Nigel

AU - Doolan, Moira

AU - Catani, Marco

AU - Scott, Stephen

AU - Murphy, Declan G.M.

AU - Craig, Michael C.

N1 - Funding Information: We would like to acknowledge the MRC (MR/M013588) for funding the study. We would also like to acknowledge and thank Raj Seraya Bhatoa, Iruni Wanigasekara, and Laura Lennuyeux-Comnene for their assistance with the study. Funding Information: This study was funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) (Grant No. MR/M013588 [to MCC] ). Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Society of Biological Psychiatry

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Background: Parenting interventions reduce antisocial behavior (ASB) in some children with conduct problems (CPs), but not others. Understanding the neural basis for this disparity is important because persistent ASB is associated with lifelong morbidity and places a huge burden on our health and criminal justice systems. One of the most highly replicated neural correlates of ASB is amygdala hypoactivity to another person's fear. We aimed to assess whether amygdala hypoactivity to fear in children with CPs is remediated following reduction in ASB after successful treatment and/or if it is a marker for persistent ASB. Methods: We conducted a prospective, case-control study of boys with CPs and typically developing (TD) boys. Both groups (ages 5–10 years) completed 2 magnetic resonance imaging sessions (18 ± 5.8 weeks apart) with ASB assessed at each visit. Participants included boys with CPs following referral to a parenting intervention group and TD boys recruited from the same schools and geographical regions. Final functional magnetic resonance imaging data were available for 36 TD boys and 57 boys with CPs. Boys with CPs were divided into those whose ASB improved (n = 27) or persisted (n = 30) following the intervention. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data assessing fear reactivity were then analyzed using a longitudinal group (TD/improving CPs/persistent CPs) × time point (pre/post) design. Results: Amygdala hypoactivity to fear was observed only in boys with CPs who had persistent ASB and was absent in those whose ASB improved following intervention. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that amygdala hypoactivity to fear is a marker for ASB that is resistant to change following a parenting intervention and a putative target for future treatments.

AB - Background: Parenting interventions reduce antisocial behavior (ASB) in some children with conduct problems (CPs), but not others. Understanding the neural basis for this disparity is important because persistent ASB is associated with lifelong morbidity and places a huge burden on our health and criminal justice systems. One of the most highly replicated neural correlates of ASB is amygdala hypoactivity to another person's fear. We aimed to assess whether amygdala hypoactivity to fear in children with CPs is remediated following reduction in ASB after successful treatment and/or if it is a marker for persistent ASB. Methods: We conducted a prospective, case-control study of boys with CPs and typically developing (TD) boys. Both groups (ages 5–10 years) completed 2 magnetic resonance imaging sessions (18 ± 5.8 weeks apart) with ASB assessed at each visit. Participants included boys with CPs following referral to a parenting intervention group and TD boys recruited from the same schools and geographical regions. Final functional magnetic resonance imaging data were available for 36 TD boys and 57 boys with CPs. Boys with CPs were divided into those whose ASB improved (n = 27) or persisted (n = 30) following the intervention. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data assessing fear reactivity were then analyzed using a longitudinal group (TD/improving CPs/persistent CPs) × time point (pre/post) design. Results: Amygdala hypoactivity to fear was observed only in boys with CPs who had persistent ASB and was absent in those whose ASB improved following intervention. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that amygdala hypoactivity to fear is a marker for ASB that is resistant to change following a parenting intervention and a putative target for future treatments.

KW - Amygdala

KW - Antisocial behavior (ASB)

KW - Conduct problems

KW - Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

KW - Hypoactivity

KW - Parent training

U2 - 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.09.031

DO - 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.09.031

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 36642564

AN - SCOPUS:85146460919

VL - 94

SP - 50

EP - 56

JO - Biological Psychiatry

JF - Biological Psychiatry

SN - 0006-3223

IS - 1

ER -