Brain-systems underlying response inhibition in aggression of young people
Final Report Abstract
The goal of the current project was to determine the relationship between subtypes of aggression/early-life maltreatment and neurobehavioral functioning in response inhibition as well as sustained attention in young adolescents. The paradigm was adapted from an established go/no-go task. In short, it involves two types of blocks: high frequency go blocks (70% go cues and 30% no-go cues) and high frequency no-go blocks (30% go cues and 70% no-go cues). This design allows segregating systems related to response inhibition from those related to sustained attention. Two large datasets (N=135 and N=63) of young adolescents were analyzed and brain activity was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Three major findings emerged: First, and against predictions, there was no evidence that the two most commonly used subtypes of aggression, reactive and proactive aggression, were associated with neurobehavioral dysfunction in response inhibition or sustained attention. Second, and also against predictions, sexual abuse, and thus a potentially particularly toxic form of abuse, was not associated with neurobehavioral impairment in response inhibition. Third, and in line with predictions, sexual abuse was to shown to disrupt sustained attention by perturbing fronto-parietal network functioning. More specifically, increasing levels of sexual abuse were associated with increased errors on go trials, longer reaction times on low frequency go trials, and compromised recruitment of fronto-parietal regions in response to low frequency stimuli, particularly low frequency go trials. In sum, these findings enhance our knowledge of how early-life maltreatment alters neurobiological systems in ways that lead to mental health problems and may help to develop interventions designed to support those affected by the sequelae of early-life maltreatment.
