Callous-unemotional traits and brain structure: Sex-specific effects in anterior insula of typically-developing youths

Nora Maria Raschle; Willeke Martine Menks; Lynn Valérie Fehlbaum; Martin Steppan; Areti Smaragdi; Karen Gonzalez-Madruga; Jack Rogers; Roberta Clanton; Gregor Kohls; Anne Martinelli; Anka Bernhard; Kerstin Konrad; Beate Herpertz-Dahlmann; Christine M Freitag; Graeme Fairchild; Stephane A De Brito; Christina Stadler

doi:10.1016/j.nicl.2017.12.015

Callous-unemotional traits and brain structure: Sex-specific effects in anterior insula of typically-developing youths

Neuroimage Clin. 2017 Dec 9:17:856-864. doi: 10.1016/j.nicl.2017.12.015. eCollection 2018.

Authors

Nora Maria Raschle¹, Willeke Martine Menks², Lynn Valérie Fehlbaum², Martin Steppan², Areti Smaragdi³, Karen Gonzalez-Madruga³, Jack Rogers⁴, Roberta Clanton⁴, Gregor Kohls⁵, Anne Martinelli⁶, Anka Bernhard⁶, Kerstin Konrad⁷, Beate Herpertz-Dahlmann⁸, Christine M Freitag⁶, Graeme Fairchild⁹, Stephane A De Brito⁴, Christina Stadler²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Basel, Psychiatric University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland. Electronic address: nora.raschle@upkbs.ch.
² Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Basel, Psychiatric University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland.
³ Academic Unit of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, England, UK.
⁴ School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, England, UK.
⁵ Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Child Neuropsychology Section, University Hospital Aachen, Germany.
⁶ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
⁷ Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Child Neuropsychology Section, University Hospital Aachen, Germany; JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, RWTH Aachen & Research Centre Juelich, Germany.
⁸ Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Child Neuropsychology Section, University Hospital Aachen, Germany; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of the RWTH, Aachen, Germany.
⁹ Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK.

Abstract

Callous-unemotional traits are characterized by a lack of empathy, a disregard for others' feelings and shallow or deficient affect, such as a lack of remorse or guilt. Neuroanatomical correlates of callous-unemotional traits have been demonstrated in clinical samples (i.e., adolescents with disruptive behavior disorders). However, it is unknown whether callous-unemotional traits are associated with neuroanatomical correlates within normative populations without clinical levels of aggression or antisocial behavior. Here we investigated the relationship between callous-unemotional traits and gray matter volume using voxel-based morphometry in a large sample of typically-developing boys and girls (N = 189). Whole-brain multiple regression analyses controlling for site, total intracranial volume, and age were conducted in the whole sample and in boys and girls individually. Results revealed that sex and callous-unemotional traits interacted to predict gray matter volume when considering the whole sample. This interaction was driven by a significant positive correlation between callous-unemotional traits and bilateral anterior insula volume in boys, but not girls. Insula gray matter volume explained 19% of the variance in callous-unemotional traits for boys. Our results demonstrate that callous-unemotional traits are related to variations in brain structure beyond psychiatric samples. This association was observed for boys only, underlining the importance of considering sex as a factor in future research designs. Future longitudinal studies should determine whether these findings hold over childhood and adolescence, and whether the neuroanatomical correlates of callous-unemotional traits are predictive of future psychiatric vulnerability.

General scientific summary: This study suggests that callous-unemotional traits have a neuroanatomical correlate within typically developing boys, but not girls. Bilateral anterior insula volume explains up to 19% of the variance in callous-unemotional traits in boys.

Keywords: Callous-unemotional traits; Insula; Pediatric neuroimaging; Sex differences; Voxel-based morphometry.

Publication types

Multicenter Study
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Antisocial Personality Disorder / diagnostic imaging
Antisocial Personality Disorder / pathology*
Antisocial Personality Disorder / psychology
Brain / diagnostic imaging
Brain / pathology*
Child
Conduct Disorder / diagnostic imaging
Conduct Disorder / pathology*
Conduct Disorder / psychology
Emotions*
Empathy*
Female
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Psychometrics
Regression Analysis
Sex Characteristics*