Executive Functioning, Reward/Punishment Sensitivity, and Conduct Problems in Boys With Callous-Unemotional Traits

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (13) ◽  
pp. 4008-4023 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelien Platje ◽  
Stephan C. J. Huijbregts ◽  
Stephanie H. M. van Goozen ◽  
Arne Popma ◽  
Maaike Cima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Conduct Problems ◽  
Cu Traits ◽  
Callous Unemotional ◽  
Callous Unemotional Traits ◽  
Punishment Sensitivity ◽  
Reward Responsivity ◽  
General Community ◽  
Reward And Punishment

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits are thought to characterize children exhibiting persistent and severe conduct problems (CPs). Reward and punishment sensitivity have often been investigated, yet executive function problems have mostly been studied in adults. Moreover, the level of co-occurring CPs is important to take into account. Therefore, the current study investigated differences in reward responsivity, punishment sensitivity, and executive functioning (EF) between four subgroups of general community boys ( N = 346, Mage = 14.01 years, SD = 1.19): high CU/high CP, low CU/high CP, high CU/low CP, and low CU/low CP. Boys with high CU/high CP showed significantly more EF problems, but similar reward and punishment sensitivity as low CU/high CP boys. Boys with high CU/low CP did not differ from low CU/low CP boys. Severity of executive function problems appears to distinguish boys who show a combination of CU-traits and CPs from boys with CPs alone.

scholarly journals Callous-Unemotional Traits Moderate Genetic and Environmental Influences on Rule-Breaking and Aggression: Evidence for Gene × Trait Interaction

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank D. Mann ◽  
Jennifer L. Tackett ◽  
Elliot M. Tucker-Drob ◽  
K. Paige Harden
Keyword(s):  
Aggressive Behavior ◽  
Conduct Problems ◽  
Genetic Research ◽  
Genetic Influences ◽  
Cu Traits ◽  
Callous Unemotional ◽  
Callous Unemotional Traits ◽  
Rule Breaking ◽  
Adolescent Twins ◽  
The Continuum

Previous behavioral genetic research in children has found that conduct problems in the presence of high CU traits are more heritable than conduct problems in the presence of low CU traits—a gene × trait interaction. The current study replicates and extends this finding using a sample of adolescent twins from the Texas Twin Project, who were assessed for rule-breaking and aggression. We find evidence that genetic influences on CU traits contribute to genetic liability for both rule-breaking and aggressive behavior. CU traits moderate genetic influences on aggressive behavior, such that the heritability of aggression is higher among youth with high levels of CU traits. However, we do not find evidence that CU traits moderate genetic influences on rule-breaking behavior. The continuum of callous-unemotionality and the aggression versus rule-breaking distinction continues to be meaningful and intersecting methods for characterizing heterogeneity in the etiology of antisocial behavior.

scholarly journals Neural responses to fearful eyes in children with conduct problems and varying levels of callous–unemotional traits

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Sebastian ◽  
E. J. McCrory ◽  
M. R. Dadds ◽  
C. A. M. Cecil ◽  
P. L. Lockwood ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conduct Problems ◽  
Emotional Reactivity ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Cu Traits ◽  
Callous Unemotional ◽  
Callous Unemotional Traits ◽  
Unemotional Traits ◽  
Amygdala Response ◽  
Eye Region

BackgroundChildren 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.MethodFunctional 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.ResultsReaction 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.ConclusionsThese 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.

scholarly journals Emotion Processing in Children with Conduct Problems and Callous-Unemotional Traits: An Investigation of Speed, Accuracy, and Attention

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 721-733
Author(s):  
Daniela Hartmann ◽  
Christina Schwenck
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Conduct Problems ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Externalizing Behavior ◽  
Emotion Processing ◽  
Cu Traits ◽  
Callous Unemotional ◽  
Callous Unemotional Traits ◽  
Unemotional Traits ◽  
Speed Accuracy

Abstract This study aimed to assess whether callous-unemotional traits (CU) are associated with deficits in emotion recognition independent of externalizing behavior and whether such deficits can be explained by aberrant attention. As previous studies have produced inconsistent results, the current study included two different emotion recognition paradigms and assessed the potential influence of factors such as processing speed and attention. The study included N = 94 children (eight to 14 years) with an oversampling of children with conduct problems (CP) and varying levels of CU-traits. Independent of externalizing behavior, CU-traits were associated with slower recognition of angry, sad and fearful facial expressions but not with higher error rates. There was no evidence that the association between CU-traits and emotion processing could be explained by misguided attention. Our results implicate that in children with high levels of CU-traits emotion recognition deficits depend on deficits in processing speed.

scholarly journals Reflexive Gaze Shifts and Fear Recognition Deficits in Children with Callous-Unemotional Traits and Impulsivity/Conduct Problems

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1342
Author(s):  
Luna C. Muñoz Centifanti ◽  
Timothy R. Stickle ◽  
Jamila Thomas ◽  
Amanda Falcón ◽  
Nicholas D. Thomson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Conduct Problems ◽  
Causal Chain ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Cu Traits ◽  
Fearful Faces ◽  
Callous Unemotional ◽  
Callous Unemotional Traits ◽  
Pilot Intervention

The ability to efficiently recognize the emotions on others’ faces is something that most of us take for granted. Children with callous-unemotional (CU) traits and impulsivity/conduct problems (ICP), such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, have been previously described as being “fear blind”. This is also associated with looking less at the eye regions of fearful faces, which are highly diagnostic. Previous attempts to intervene into emotion recognition strategies have not had lasting effects on participants’ fear recognition abilities. Here we present both (a) additional evidence that there is a two-part causal chain, from personality traits to face recognition strategies using the eyes, then from strategies to rates of recognizing fear in others; and (b) a pilot intervention that had persistent effects for weeks after the end of instruction. Further, the intervention led to more change in those with the highest CU traits. This both clarifies the specific mechanisms linking personality to emotion recognition and shows that the process is fundamentally malleable. It is possible that such training could promote empathy and reduce the rates of antisocial behavior in specific populations in the future.

scholarly journals Reflexive Gaze Shifts and Fear Recognition Deficits in Children With Callous-unemotional Traits and Impulsivity/Conduct Problems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
*Luna C. Muñoz Centifanti ◽  
*Timothy R. Stickle ◽  
Jamila Thomas ◽  
Amanda Falcón ◽  
Nicholas D. Thomson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Conduct Problems ◽  
Causal Chain ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Cu Traits ◽  
Fearful Faces ◽  
Callous Unemotional ◽  
Callous Unemotional Traits ◽  
Pilot Intervention

The ability to efficiently recognize the emotions on others’ faces is something that most of us take for granted. Children with callous-unemotional (CU) traits and impulsivity/conduct problems (ICP), such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, have been previously described as being “fear blind”. This is also associated with looking less at the eye regions of fearful faces, which are highly diagnostic. Previous attempts to intervene into emotion recognition strategies have not had lasting effects on participants’ fear recognition abilities. Here we present both (a) additional evidence that there is a two-part causal chain, from personality traits to face recognition strategies using the eyes, then from strategies to rates of recognizing fear in others; and (b) a pilot intervention that had persistent effects for weeks after the end of instruction. Further, the intervention led to more change in those with the highest CU traits. This both clarifies the specific mechanisms linking personality to emotion recognition and shows that the process is fundamentally malleable. It is possible that such training could promote empathy and reduce the rates of antisocial behavior in specific populations in the future.

scholarly journals The better of two evils? Evidence that children exhibiting continuous conduct problems high or low on callous–unemotional traits score on opposite directions on physiological and behavioral measures of fear

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 185-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kostas A. Fanti ◽  
Georgia Panayiotou ◽  
Chrysostomos Lazarou ◽  
Raphaelia Michael ◽  
Giorgos Georgiou
Keyword(s):  
Conduct Problems ◽  
Behavioral Inhibition ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Behavioral Measures ◽  
Dsm 5 ◽  
Cu Traits ◽  
Callous Unemotional ◽  
Callous Unemotional Traits ◽  
High Responsiveness ◽  
Sensitivity To Punishment

AbstractThe present study examines whether heterogeneous groups of children identified based on their longitudinal scores on conduct problems (CP) and callous–unemotional (CU) traits differ on physiological and behavioral measures of fear. Specifically, it aims to test the hypothesis that children with high/stable CP differentiated on CU traits score on opposite directions on a fear–fearless continuum. Seventy-three participants (M age = 11.21; 45.2% female) were selected from a sample of 1,200 children. Children and their parents completed a battery of questionnaires assessing fearfulness, sensitivity to punishment, and behavioral inhibition. Children also participated in an experiment assessing their startle reactivity to fearful mental imagery, a well-established index of defensive motivation. The pattern of results verifies the hypothesis that fearlessness, assessed with physiological and behavioral measures, is a core characteristic of children high on both CP and CU traits (i.e., receiving the DSM-5 specifier of limited prosocial emotions). To the contrary, children with high/stable CP and low CU traits demonstrated high responsiveness to fear, high behavioral inhibition, and high sensitivity to punishment. The study is in accord with the principle of equifinality, in that different developmental mechanisms (i.e., extremes of high and low fear) may have the same behavioral outcome manifested as phenotypic antisocial behavior.

scholarly journals The Relation of Callous–Unemotional Traits and Bullying in Early Adolescence Is Independent from Sex and Age and Moderated by Conduct Problems

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1059
Author(s):  
Gennaro Catone ◽  
Luisa Almerico ◽  
Anna Pezzella ◽  
Maria Pia Riccio ◽  
Carmela Bravaccio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conduct Problems ◽  
Early Adolescence ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Traditional Bullying ◽  
Bullying Perpetration ◽  
Cu Traits ◽  
Callous Unemotional ◽  
Callous Unemotional Traits ◽  
Specific Association ◽  
The Relationship

In youths, callous–unemotional (CU) traits and conduct problems (CP) are independently associated with bullying perpetration and these effects are also observed when controlling for sex. Moreover, research indicates that the co-existence of high levels of both CU and CP further increase the risk. Although several studies have examined the relationship between CU traits and traditional bullying, few have also included a measure of cyberbullying and very few of them have focused the early adolescence. The aim of this study was to replicate and extend these findings in a large sample of Italian early adolescents considering both traditional and cyberbullying behaviors. Data were extracted from the Bullying and Youth Mental Health Naples study (BYMHNS) which included 2959 students of 10–15 years of age. CP, CU traits, traditional bullying behaviors, and cyberbullying behaviors were assessed by multi-item self-report scales. As expected, we replicated the significant and specific association between CU traits and traditional bullying, extending the findings to cyberbullying. In addition, in the latter case the effect was moderated by CP. The theoretical and clinical implications of these results were discussed.

Callous-unemotional Traits: Verhaltensprobleme und prosoziales Verhalten bei Kindergartenkindern

2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 141-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ute Koglin ◽  
Franz Petermann
Keyword(s):  
Cu Traits ◽  
Callous Unemotional ◽  
Antisocial Process Screening Device ◽  
Callous Unemotional Traits ◽  
Prosoziales Verhalten ◽  
Unemotional Traits ◽  
Screening Device

Callous-unemotional Traits (CU-Traits) stellen in der emotionalen Entwicklung Abweichungen dar, wie mangelnde Empathie oder ein oberflächlicher Affekt und gehören zu den Kernmerkmalen der Psychopathy. Aus einer entwicklungspsychopathologischen Sichtweise wird in der vorliegenden Studie untersucht, ob diese affektiven Merkmale bereits bei Kindern im Kindergartenalter zu identifizieren sind und sie mit Verhaltensproblemen, besonders mit externalisierenden Verhaltensproblemen, im Zusammenhang stehen. Anhand einer Stichprobe mit 311 Kindern (durchschnittlich 5;0 Jahre) wird die Anzahl der Kinder mit Callous-unemotional-Traits (CU-Traits), erfasst mit dem „Antisocial Process Screening Device“ (APSD), identifiziert. Es werden quer- und längsschnittliche Zusammenhange zwischen CU-Traits und Erlebens- und Verhaltensprobleme (SDQ) dargestellt. 23,3 % der Kinder weisen erhöhte Werte auf der Skala CU-Traits auf. Jüngere Kinder erreichen höhere Werte, so dass normative Entwicklungseinflüsse nahe gelegt werden. Es zeigen sich eindeutige Beziehungen zwischen CU-Traits und Verhaltensproblemen sowie negative Korrelationen zu prosozialem Verhalten. In der längsschnittlichen Analyse über ein Jahr erweisen sich CU-Traits als Prädiktor für Verhaltensprobleme. Ein spezifischer Zusammenhang zwischen aggressivem Verhalten und CU-Traits kann nicht aufgezeigt werden. CU-Traits stehen besonders mit einem Defizit prosozialen Verhaltens in Verbindung. Es wird diskutiert, ob CU-Traits bei jungen Kindern dazu geeignet sind, aggressive Kinder frühzeitig zu identifizieren.

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