Latent Profiles of Impulsivity and Emotion Regulation in Children With Externalizing Disorders Are Associated With...

Children with externalizing disorders often have difficulties with impulsivity (IMP) and emotion regulation (ER). 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 IMP and ER are associated with differences in striatocortical connectivity.

In study 1, a latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted in a sample of 198 youths with externalizing disorders (oppositional defiant disorder and/or conduct disorder) to investigate co-presentation of IMP and ER 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 functional magnetic resonance imaging scan to examine differences in striatocortical connectivity between profiles.

The LPA identified 3 profiles: moderate IMP/moderate ER, high IMP/low ER, and high IMP/moderate ER. The 2 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.

The current data indicate that the profiles associated with high IMP are associated with greater caudate-parietal cortex connectivity, while the profile associated with high IMP and impaired ER showed increased anterior caudate-anterior insular cortex connectivity. The current work contributes to the literature by examining the relationship between heterogeneity of externalizing symptoms and functional connectivity.