Disruptive Behavior Problems, Callous-Unemotional Traits, and Regional Gray Matter Volume in the ABCD Study

Abstract Background Neurobiological differences linked to socioemotional and cognitive processing are well-documented in youth with disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs), especially youth with callous-unemotional (CU) traits. The current study expanded this literature by examining gray matter volume (GMV) differences among DBD youth with CU traits (DBDCU+), without CU traits (DBD-only), and typically developing (TD) youth. Methods Data were from the first full sample release of the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study (M, age=9.49; 49% female). We tested whether GMVs of 11 regions of interest selected a priori (differentiated between our three groups: DBDCU+ (n=288), DBD-only (n=362), and TD (n=915). Models accounted for demographic confounders, ADHD, and intracranial volume. We examined two potential moderators of the relationship between GMVs and group membership: sex and clinically-significant anxiety (i.e., primary vs. secondary CU traits subtype) Results DBDCU+ youth had lower right amygdala GMV and DBD-only youth had lower bilateral amygdala GMV relative to TD youth. DBDCU+ youth had lower bilateral hippocampal GMV and DBD-only youth had lower left hippocampal GMV relative to TD youth. DBDCU+ youth evidenced lower left insula GMV relative to TD youth. Finally, DBD-only youth had lower left superior frontal gyrus and lower right caudal anterior cingulate cortex GMV relative to TD youth. There was no moderation of associations between GMV and group membership by sex Conclusions Our findings implicate structural aberrations in both the amygdala and hippocampus in the etiology of DBDs, with minimal evidence for differences based on the presence or absence of CU traits.