Meta-Analysis of fMRI Studies of Disruptive Behavior Disorders

Objective:Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies in conduct disorder and in oppositional defiant disorder have shown inconsistencies. The aim of this meta-analysis of fMRI studies in disruptive behavior disorders was to establish the most consistent brain dysfunctions and to address task- and subtype-related heterogeneity.Method:Web-based publication databases were searched to conduct a meta-analysis of all whole-brain fMRI studies of youths with disruptive behavior disorder or conduct problems up to August 2015. Sub-meta-analyses were conducted in functional subdomains of emotion processing; in cool and hot executive functions, which refer to goal-directed higher cognitive functions with and without motivational and affective significance; and in a subgroup of youths with additional psychopathic traits. The authors performed a meta-analysis of voxel-based group differences in functional activation using the anisotropic effect-size version of seed-based d mapping.Results:Across 24 studies, 3...