Neural Activation During Emotion Processing Predicts Callous-Unemotional Traits in Youth: The Moderating Role of Parental Acceptance

• In Event: Poster Session 09
  In Poster Session: PS 09 Topic - Biological Processes: Neuroscience and Genetics

Abstract

Introduction: Youth who show elevated callous-unemotional (CU) traits are at increased risk for severe, chronic, and violent forms of antisocial behaviors (Waller et al., 2013). Several patterns of neural function during emotion processing show distinct correlation with CU traits (Gao et al., 2019; Johanson et al., 2020; Ahmed et al., 2015). Although behavioral research has consistently shown that positive and accepting parenting behaviors mitigate the development of CU traits (Waller et al., 2013), less is known whether these parenting processes buffer risk linked to neural patterns. Similarly, gaps in neuroimaging studies of CU traits prevail due to limited sample sizes, use of adult samples, and cross-sectional methodologies. As CU traits are most often apparent by middle to late childhood (Waller et al., 2013), identifying the ways in which their psychosocial and neurobiological correlates converge in early life is key to informing targeted intervention programs among youth. Therefore, the present study aims to (1) determine the longitudinal associations between neural activation in key ROIs during emotion processing and CU traits, and (2) determine the moderating role of parental acceptance in these associations in a nationwide, longitudinal sample of pre-adolescents.
Hypotheses: We hypothesized (1) that activation in a priori ROIs would significantly predict elevations in CU traits at T2, and (2) that these associations will buffered by increased parental acceptance.
Methods: A two-wave subset of the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study (n = 7,618; Mage at T1 = 9.9) was used. A latent factor for CU traits, developed by Hawes et al. (2019), was used for T1 and T2. Parental acceptance was measured by the CRPBI. Neural activation was elicited via the EN-back emotion vs. neutral condition. Eight bilateral ROIs were chosen a priori based on extant neuroimaging literature using emotion-eliciting tasks among individuals with psychopathic and/or CU traits. Structural equation modeling was used to test direct and multiplicative effects of ROI activation and parental acceptance on youth CU traits at T2 while controlling for demographic covariates and CU traits at T1.
Results: Bilateral ventral striatum (VS) activation positively predicted CU traits at T2. Parental acceptance negatively predicted CU traits at T2. Parental acceptance significantly attenuated the link between bilateral rostral ACC (rACC), left caudal ACC (cACC), and right amygdala activation and CU traits at T2, such that as parental acceptance increased, the effect of blunted ROI activation on CU traits at T2 decreased. Post-hoc moderation analyses using Dawson plots indicated that, in the context of high parental acceptance, blunted ROI activation increased risk for CU traits, while in the context of low parental acceptance, elevated ROI activation increased risk for CU traits.
Conclusions: Consistent with prior literature among adult samples, the VS may be a direct contributor to development of CU traits during adolescence. Moreover, divergent associations found between ACC/amygdala activation and development of CU traits based on levels of parental acceptance bolster present theories on adolescent neurobiological sensitivity to context.

Authors

• Landry Goodgame Huffman, University of Georgia
  Presenting Author

• Linhao Zhang, University of Georgia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Cory Carvalho, University of Georgia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Assaf Oshri, University of Georgia
  Non-Presenting Author