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Dissociation of behavioral and neural responses to provocation during reactive aggression in healthy adults with high versus low externalization

Julian Konzok, Gina-Isabelle Henze, Ludwig Kreuzpointner, Hannah L. Peter, Marina Giglberger, Christoph Bärtl, Claudia Massau, Christian Kärgel, Kathrin Weidacker Orcid Logo, Boris Schiffer, Hedwig Eisenbarth, Stefan Wüst, Brigitte M. Kudielka

Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience, Volume: 22, Issue: 5, Pages: 1130 - 1144

Swansea University Author: Kathrin Weidacker Orcid Logo

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Abstract

The externalizing spectrum describes a range of heterogeneous personality traits and behavioral patterns, primarily characterized by antisocial behavior, disinhibition, and substance (mis)use. In psychopathology, abnormalities in neural threat, reward responses and the impulse-control system may be...

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Published in: Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience
ISSN: 1530-7026 1531-135X
Published: Springer Science and Business Media LLC 2022
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa59287
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Abstract: The externalizing spectrum describes a range of heterogeneous personality traits and behavioral patterns, primarily characterized by antisocial behavior, disinhibition, and substance (mis)use. In psychopathology, abnormalities in neural threat, reward responses and the impulse-control system may be responsible for these externalizing symptoms. Within the non-clinical range, mechanisms remain still unclear. In this fMRI-study, 61 healthy participants (31 men) from the higher versus lower range of the non-clinical variation in externalization (31 participants with high externalization) as assessed by the subscales disinhibition and meanness of the Triarchic-Psychopathy-Measure (TriPM) performed a monetary modified Taylor-Aggression-Paradigm (mTAP). This paradigm consisted of a mock competitive-reaction-time-task played against a fictional opponent with preprogrammed win- and lose-trials. In lose-trials, participants were provoked by subtraction of an amount of money between 0 and 90 cents. As a manipulation check, provocation induced a significant rise in behavioral aggression levels linked with an increased activation in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). High externalization predicted reduced ACC responses to provocation. However, high externalizing participants did not behave more aggressively than the low externalization group. Additionally, the high externalizing group showed a significantly lower positive affect while no group differences emerged for negative affect. In conclusion, high externalization in the non-clinical range was related to neural alterations in regions involved in affective decision-making as well as to changes in affect but did not lead to higher behavioral aggression levels in response to the mTAP. This is in line with previous findings suggesting that aberrations at multiple levels are essential for developing externalizing disorders.
Keywords: Taylor Aggression Paradigm; Externalizing spectrum; fMRI; Anterior cingulate cortex
College: Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
Funders: This work was supported by grant number KU 1401/6-1 assigned to Brigitte M. 591 Kudielka, Stefan Wüst, Hedwig Eisenbarth and Boris Schiffer funded by the German Research 592 Foundation (DFG). Gina-Isabelle Henze acknowledges support by the Hanns Seidel 593 Foundation. Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.
Issue: 5
Start Page: 1130
End Page: 1144