Latent Profiles of Impulsivity and Emotion Regulation in Children with Externalizing Disorders are Associated with Alterations in Striatocortical Connectivity.

Introduction: Children with externalizing disorders (EDs) often have difficulties with impulsivity and emotion regulation. These constructs have been associated with dysfunction in the recruitment of reward processing circuits and striatal connectivity with cortical networks. However, it is unclear to what extent co-presentations of impulsivity and emotion regulation are associated with differences in striatocortical connectivity.

Methods: In Study 1, a latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted in a sample of 198 youths with EDs (Oppositional Defiant Disorder and/or Conduct Disorder) to investigate co-presentation of impulsivity and emotion regulation symptoms. Participants completed the UPPS Impulsivity Scale (UPPS) and the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC). LPA was applied to the subscales of the UPPS and ERC. In Study 2, we examined 169 participants who completed a resting state fMRI scan to examine differences in striatocortical connectivity between profiles.

Results: The LPA identified three profiles: Moderate Impulsivity (IMP)/Moderate Emotion Regulation, High IMP/Low Emotion Regulation (ER), and High IMP/Moderate Emotion Regulation. The two High IMP profiles were associated with greater connectivity between the posterior caudate nucleus and parietal cortex. The High IMP/Low ER profile was associated with increased connectivity between the anterior caudate and anterior insula.

Discussion: The current data indicate that the profiles associated with high impulsivity are associated with greater caudate-parietal cortex connectivity while the profile associated with high impulsivity and impaired emotion regulation showed increased anterior caudate-AIC connectivity. The current work contributes to the literature by examining the relationship between heterogeneity of externalizing symptoms and functional connectivity.