Diminished Neural Responses to Emotionally Valenced Facial Stimuli: A Potential Biomarker for Unemotional Traits in Early Childhood

Caroline P Hoyniak; John E Bates; Isaac T Petersen; Chung-Lin Yang; Isabelle Darcy; Nathalie M G Fontaine

doi:10.1007/s10578-018-0821-9

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Diminished Neural Responses to Emotionally Valenced Facial Stimuli: A Potential Biomarker for Unemotional Traits in Early Childhood

Journal article

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Diminished Neural Responses to Emotionally Valenced Facial Stimuli: A Potential Biomarker for Unemotional Traits in Early Childhood

Caroline P Hoyniak, John E Bates, Isaac T Petersen, Chung-Lin Yang, Isabelle Darcy and Nathalie M G Fontaine

Child psychiatry and human development, Vol.50(1), pp.72-82

02/2019

DOI: 10.1007/s10578-018-0821-9

PMCID: PMC6559724

PMID: 29934771

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Abstract

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits are characterized by deficits in guilt/empathy, shallow affect, and the callous and manipulative use of others. Individuals showing CU traits have increased risk for behavior problems and reduced responses to displays of distress in others. To explore how deficits in emotion-processing are associated with CU traits, the current study examined the association between callous-unemotionality and a neural index of facial emotion processing, using the event-related potential technique in a group of 3-5 year olds. Children viewed a series of static emotional faces, depicting either fear or happiness, while electroencephalography data were collected. The N170 component, thought to index the neural processes associated with face perception, was examined along with CU traits. Findings suggest that the unemotional dimension of CU traits is associated with diminished emotion-processing responses to fearful faces. Reduced neural responses to facial depictions of fear could be a biomarker for unemotional traits in early childhood.

Emotions - physiology

Happiness

Correlation of Data

Humans

Evoked Potentials

Child, Preschool

Facial Expression

Male

Child Behavior - psychology

Electroencephalography - methods

Fear

Problem Behavior

Female

Interpersonal Relations

Emotional Intelligence

Child Behavior - physiology

Details

Title: Subtitle: Diminished Neural Responses to Emotionally Valenced Facial Stimuli: A Potential Biomarker for Unemotional Traits in Early Childhood
Creators: Caroline P Hoyniak - Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
John E Bates - Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
Isaac T Petersen - Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
Chung-Lin Yang - Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
Isabelle Darcy - Department of Second Language Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
Nathalie M G Fontaine - School of Criminology, University of Montreal, Pavillon Lionel-Groulx, C. P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada. nathalie.fontaine@umontreal.ca
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Child psychiatry and human development, Vol.50(1), pp.72-82
DOI: 10.1007/s10578-018-0821-9
PMID: 29934771
PMCID: PMC6559724
NLM abbreviation: Child Psychiatry Hum Dev
ISSN: 0009-398X
eISSN: 1573-3327
Publisher: United States
Grant note: UL1 TR000006 / NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001108 / NCATS NIH HHS TL1 TR001107 / NCATS NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 02/2019
Academic Unit: Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Center for Social Science Innovation
Record Identifier: 9984065393002771

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