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Temporally sensitive neural measures of inhibition in preschool children across a spectrum of irritability
Author(s) -
Deveney Christen M.,
BriggsGowan Margaret J.,
Pagliaccio David,
Estabrook Christopher R.,
Zobel Elvira,
Burns James L.,
Norton Elizabeth S.,
Pine Daniel S.,
Brotman Melissa A.,
Leibenluft Ellen,
Wakschlag Lauren S.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.21792
Subject(s) - irritability , psychology , developmental psychology , neurocognitive , cognition , psychiatry
Irritability is a prominent feature of chronic mental disorders and a developmental marker of their early emergence. The most salient feature of irritability in early childhood is temper tantrums. While temper tantrums are normative in young children, they can be clinically concerning when they are dysregulated, very frequent, and/or occur in unexpected contexts. The present study uses behavioral and event‐related brain potential (ERP) measures to characterize the relationship between irritability and neural markers of response inhibition in very young children. Forty‐six children (ages 4–7 years) completed a go/no‐go task under nonfrustrating and frustrating conditions. ERPs elicited by go and no‐go stimuli were examined as a function of frustration condition and irritability, operationalized via the well‐validated Temper Loss scale of the Multidimensional Assessment Profile of Disruptive Behavior (MAP‐DB). Higher Temper Loss scores were associated with larger N2 no‐go amplitudes and reduced no‐go accuracy during frustration. This suggests that higher levels of irritability corresponded with increased conflict monitoring and poorer task performance during frustration. These findings add to a developing literature identifying the neurocognitive markers of varying levels of irritability in young children.