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Youth with elevated psychopathic traits exhibit structural integrity deficits in the uncinate fasciculus.

ABSTRACT: Youth with elevated psychopathic traits represent a particularly severe subgroup of adolescents characterized by extreme behavioral problems and exhibit comparable neurocognitive deficits as adult offenders with psychopathic traits. A consistent finding among adults with elevated psychopathic traits is reduced white matter structural integrity of the right uncinate fasciculus (UF). The UF is a major white matter tract that connects regions of the anterior temporal lobe (i.e., the amygdala) to higher-order executive control regions, including the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. However, the relationship between youth psychopathic traits and structural integrity of the UF has been mixed, with some studies identifying a negative relationship between adolescent psychopathy scores and FA in the UF, and others identifying a positive relationship. Here, we investigated structural integrity of the left and right UF using fractional anisotropy (FA) in a large sample of n = 254 male adolescent offenders recruited from maximum-security juvenile correctional facilities. Psychopathic traits were assessed using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV). Consistent with hypotheses, interpersonal and affective traits (i.e., PCL:YV Factor 1 and Facet 1 scores) were associated with reduced FA in the right UF. Additionally, lifestyle traits (i.e., PCL:YV Facet 3 scores) were associated with increased FA in the left UF. Results are consistent with previously published studies reporting reduced FA in the right UF in adult psychopathic offenders and increased left UF FA in youth meeting criteria for certain externalizing disorders.

SUBMITTER: Maurer JM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7076567 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Youth with elevated psychopathic traits exhibit structural integrity deficits in the uncinate fasciculus.

Maurer J Michael JM Paul Subhadip S Anderson Nathaniel E NE Nyalakanti Prashanth K PK Kiehl Kent A KA

NeuroImage. Clinical 20200305

Youth with elevated psychopathic traits represent a particularly severe subgroup of adolescents characterized by extreme behavioral problems and exhibit comparable neurocognitive deficits as adult offenders with psychopathic traits. A consistent finding among adults with elevated psychopathic traits is reduced white matter structural integrity of the right uncinate fasciculus (UF). The UF is a major white matter tract that connects regions of the anterior temporal lobe (i.e., the amygdala) to hi ...[more]

PMID: 32182577

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Project description:BackgroundNeighborhood- or area-level socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with neural alterations across the life span. However, few studies have examined the effects of neighborhood disadvantage on white matter microstructure during adolescence, an important period of development that coincides with increased risk for psychopathology.MethodsIn 200 adolescents (ages 13-20 years; 54.5% female, 4% nonbinary) recruited from 2 studies enriched for early adversity and depression, we examined whether neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage derived from census tract data was related to white matter microstructure in several major white matter tracts. We also examined whether depressive symptoms and sex moderated these associations.ResultsGreater neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage was associated with lower fractional anisotropy (FA) in the left arcuate fasciculus (β = -0.24, false discovery rate [FDR]-corrected p = .035) and right uncinate fasciculus (β = -0.32, FDR-corrected p = .002) above and beyond the effects of family-level socioeconomic status. Depressive symptoms significantly moderated the association between left arcuate fasciculus FA and both neighborhood (β = 0.17, FDR-corrected p = .026) and unemployment (β = 0.22, FDR-corrected p = .004) disadvantage such that these associations were only significant in adolescents who reported less severe depression. Sex did not moderate the association between socioeconomic disadvantage and FA in these tracts.ConclusionsGreater neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage, particularly poverty and educational attainment levels, was associated with lower FA in the arcuate fasciculus and uncinate fasciculus above and beyond the effects of family-level measures of socioeconomic status. These patterns were only observed in adolescents with low levels of depression, suggesting that we must be cautious about generalizing these findings to youths who struggle with mental health difficulties.

Project description:OBJECTIVE:Anxiety disorders are common, can result in lifelong suffering, and frequently begin before adolescence. Evidence from adults suggests that altered prefrontal-limbic connectivity is a pathophysiological feature of anxiety disorders. More specifically, in adults with anxiety disorders, decreased fractional anisotropy (FA), a measure of white matter integrity, has been observed in the uncinate fasciculus, the major tract that connects limbic and prefrontal regions. Because of the early onset of anxiety disorders and the increased incidence in anxiety disorders in females during their reproductive years, it is important to understand whether the reduction in uncinate fasciculus FA exists in children with anxiety disorders and the extent to which this alteration is sex related. To address these issues, the authors assessed FA in the uncinate fasciculus in unmedicated boys and girls with anxiety disorders. METHODS:FA measures were derived from diffusion tensor images that were acquired from 98 unmedicated children (ages 8-12); 52 met criteria for generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, or anxiety disorder not otherwise specified, and 46 were matched control subjects. RESULTS:Tract-based results demonstrated that children with anxiety disorders have significant reductions in uncinate fasciculus FA. A significant sex-by-group interaction and post hoc testing revealed that this effect was evident only in boys. No other main effects or sex-by-group interactions were found for other white matter tracts. CONCLUSIONS:These findings provide evidence of uncinate fasciculus white matter alterations in boys with anxiety disorders. The data demonstrate that anxiety disorder-related alterations in prefrontal-limbic structural connectivity are present early in life, are not related to psychotropic medication exposure, and are sex specific. Building on these findings, future research has the potential to provide insights into the genesis and sexual dimorphism of the pathophysiology that leads to anxiety disorders, as well as to identify sex-specific early-life treatment targets.

Dataset Information

Youth with elevated psychopathic traits exhibit structural integrity deficits in the uncinate fasciculus.

Publications

Youth with elevated psychopathic traits exhibit structural integrity deficits in the uncinate fasciculus.

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