Frontal electroencephalogram activation asymmetry, emotional intelligence, and externalizing behaviors in 10-year-old children

Frontal EEG alpha asymmetry in youth with autism: Sex differences and social-emotional correlates

In youth broadly, EEG frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) associates with affective style and vulnerability to psychopathology, with relatively stronger right activity predicting risk for internalizing and externalizing behaviors. In autistic youth, FAA has been related to ASD diagnostic features and to internalizing symptoms. Among our large, rigorously characterized, sex-balanced participant group, we attempted to replicate findings suggestive of altered FAA in youth with an ASD diagnosis, examining group differences and impact of sex assigned at birth. Second, we examined relations between FAA and behavioral variables (ASD features, internalizing, and externalizing) within autistic youth, examining effects by sex. Third, we explored whether the relation between FAA, autism features, and mental health was informed by maternal depression history. In our sample, FAA did not differ by diagnosis, age, or sex. However, youth with ASD had lower total frontal alpha power than youth without ASD. For autistic females, FAA and bilateral frontal alpha power correlated with social communication features, but not with internalizing or externalizing symptoms. For autistic males, EEG markers correlated with social communication features, and with externalizing behaviors. Exploratory analyses by sex revealed further associations between youth FAA, behavioral indices, and maternal depression history. In summary, findings suggest that individual differences in FAA may correspond to social-emotional and mental health behaviors, with different patterns of association for females and males with ASD. Longitudinal consideration of individual differences across levels of analysis (e.g., biomarkers, family factors, and environmental influences) will be essential to parsing out models of risk and resilience among autistic youth.

Emotional Intelligence and Aggressive Behaviors in Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Adolescent aggression is a global public health with long-lasting and costly emotional, social, and economic consequences, and it is of vital importance to identify those variables that can reduce these behaviors in this population. Therefore, there is a need to establish the protective factors of aggressive behavior in adolescence. While some research has demonstrated the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and various aggressive responses in adolescence, indicating that EI-or the ability to perceive, use, understand, and regulate emotions-could be considered a protective factor for the development of aggressive behavior in adolescence, the strength of this effect is not clear. The aim of the present study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature concerning the relationship between aggressive behavior and EI in adolescents and provide a reliable estimate of the relationship between both constructs through a meta-analysis. For this purpose, we searched for relevant articles in English and Spanish in Medline, PsycINFO, and Scopus, obtaining 17 selectable articles based on the search terms used in research in the adolescent population. These studies provide scientific evidence of the relationship between the level of EI assessed from the three theoretical models of EI (performance-based ability model, self-report ability model, and self-report mixed model) and various aggressive responses, showing that adolescents with higher levels of EI show less aggressive behavior. Implications for interventions and guidelines for future research are discussed.

Association between EEG asymmetry and the error-related negativity across middle childhood

Resting frontal EEG alpha asymmetry has been extensively examined as a marker of motivational disposition. Recent research has examined how this trait-level marker of motivation influences an individual's internal error monitoring (indexed by the error-related negativity; ERN), with mixed findings as to whether more negative ERNs are associated with greater left or right alpha power. Data from 339 children who completed an incentivized Go/No-Go task annually from Kindergarten through 2nd grade were examined for an association between ERN amplitude and EEG asymmetry, and for whether the association was developmentally stable. Results indicate an association between left-dominant activation and a more negative amplitude in Kindergarten, with an inversion of this association emerging by 2nd grade, such that a more negative ERNs were associated with right-dominant activation. We suggest that the association between EEG asymmetry and ERN amplitude is likely modulated by task condition (e.g., incentivization) and experience over time (e.g., habituation).

Positive Shyness in the Brain: Frontal Electroencephalogram Alpha Asymmetry and Delta-Beta Correlation in Children

Positive shyness is thought to be an approach-dominant form of shyness, whereas non-positive shyness is thought to be an avoidance-dominant form of shyness. This study examined electrocortical and behavioral correlates of motivation and emotion in relation to these shy subtypes in 67 children (M_age  = 10.41 years, SD = 3.23). Using resting state electroencephalography, findings revealed that positive shy and low shy children had greater relative left frontal alpha asymmetry compared to non-positive shy children, and positive shy children had a higher frontal delta-beta correlation compared to other groups. Non-positive shy children scored highest on parent-reported school avoidance. These findings converge with previous work reporting distinct correlates in positive and non-positive shyness, extending this to two brain measures of motivation and emotion.

Students' Trait Emotional Intelligence and Perceived Teacher Emotional Support in Preventing Burnout: The Moderating Role of Academic Anxiety

The current study sought to investigate the role of trait emotional intelligence and perceived teacher emotional support in school burnout. Furthermore, the moderating role of academic anxiety in these relationships was examined. A sample of 493 Italian high school students (81.9% female) aged 14–19 years (M = 16.27, SD = 1.48) was involved in the study. A latent moderated structural equation approach was performed to test the hypothesized model. The results showed that both trait emotional intelligence and perceived teacher emotional support were negatively associated with school burnout. Moreover, academic anxiety moderated the relation between perceived teacher emotional support and school burnout. Specifically, when the level of anxiety was high, the protective role of perceived teacher emotional support toward burnout was weakened. Findings are discussed in light of the protective role of resources on burnout and considering the detrimental impact of academic anxiety in school settings.

Impact of maternal childhood trauma on child behavioral problems: The role of child frontal alpha asymmetry

Childhood trauma is associated with many long-term negative outcomes, and is not limited to the individual experiencing the trauma, but extends to subsequent generations. However, mechanisms underlying the association between maternal childhood trauma and child psychopathology are not well understood. Here, we targeted frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) as a potential underlying factor of the relationship between maternal childhood trauma and child behavioral problems. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded from (N = 45) children (Mean age = 57.9 months, SD = 3.13) during an eyes-closed paradigm in order to evaluate FAA. Mothers reported on their childhood trauma experiences using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and on their child's behavior using the child behavior checklist (CBCL). We found that maternal childhood trauma significantly predicted child total, internalizing, and externalizing behavior at age 5 years. We also observed a role for FAA such that it acted as a moderator, but not mediator, for behavioral problems. We found that children with relative more right/less left frontal activity were more at risk to develop behavioral problems when their mother had been exposed to trauma in her childhood. These results indicate that child frontal asymmetry may serve as a susceptibility marker for child behavioral problems.

The relationship between alpha asymmetry and ADHD depends on negative affect level and parenting practices

Atypical frontal alpha asymmetry is associated with the approach/withdrawal and affective processes implicated in many psychiatric disorders. Rightward alpha asymmetry, associated with high approach, is a putative endophenotype for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, findings are inconsistent, likely because of a failure to consider emotional heterogeneity within the ADHD population. In addition, how this putative risk marker interacts with environmental factors known to increase symptom severity, such as parenting practices, has not been examined. The current study examined patterns of alpha asymmetry in a large sample of adolescents with and without ADHD, including the moderating role of negative affect and inconsistent discipline. Resting-state EEG was recorded from 169 well-characterized adolescents (nADHD = 79). Semi-structured clinical interviews and well-validated rating scales were used to create composites for negative affect and inconsistent discipline. The relationship between alpha asymmetry and ADHD diagnosis was moderated by negative affect. Right asymmetry was present only for those with ADHD and low levels of negative affect. In addition, greater right alpha asymmetry predicted severity of ADHD symptoms for those with the disorder, but only in the context of inconsistent parenting practices. Results confirm right alpha asymmetry is a possible endophenotype in ADHD but highlight the need to consider emotional heterogeneity and how biological risk interacts with child environment in order to fully characterize its relationship to disorder liability and severity.

From Creative Potential to Creative Achievements

Abstract. Creative potential realized in creative achievement changes the world and defines progress. Accordingly, the investigation of factors that contribute to the process of achieving creative accomplishments seems essential. The relationship between creativity and personality was a thoroughly studied subject almost from the very beginning of creativity research, yet even today it is still unclear whether emotion-related personality traits – specifically, trait emotional intelligence and emotional creativity – are the driving factors that help individuals with creative potential to gain creative achievements. In this study, 342 participants ( Mage = 21.87, SD = 5.84) took the Alternative Uses and Instances tasks (creative potential); the Inventory of Creative Activities and Achievements (ICAA); the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue); and the Emotional Creativity Inventory (ECI). Results show that trait emotional intelligence (specifically, the sociability factor) and emotional creativity (namely, the novelty aspect) moderate the relationship between creative potential and creative achievements, while this relationship is mediated by creative activities. The study provides insight into which emotional personality traits can facilitate the path from creative potential to real-life creative achievements.

A review of neurophysiological and genetic correlates of emotional intelligence

The article is an overview of modern studies of brain organization and genetic correlates of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is becoming the subject of more and more attentive study of psychologists due to the fact that it influences the mental development of humans, plays an important role in many professions, and its impairment is a marker of some disorders. Nevertheless, the brain organization and genetic correlates of emotional intelligence have not been studied enough – first studies appeared only in the early 2000s. A review of the literature on the enceph-alographic showed that in rest, people with higher emotional intelligence show greater excitation of the left anterior regions of the brain. When per-ceiving affective stimuli, participants with high emotional intelligence show stronger synchronization of some EEG rhythms. Brain mapping technique made it possible to identify the areas of the brain involved in activities related to emotional intelligence. In regard to genetic correlates of emotional intelligence, some genes of neurotransmitter systems have been associated to this trait: the catechol-O-methyltransferase gene COMT, the dopamine DRD2 receptor gene, the serotonin receptor gene HTR2A, and the BDNF brain neurotrophic factor gene.

Frontal EEG asymmetry in extremely low birth weight adult survivors: Links to antenatal corticosteroid exposure and psychopathology

OBJECTIVE

Extremely low birth weight (ELBW; <1000 g) survivors are exposed to significant perinatal adversity. In many cases, mothers of these infants receive antenatal corticosteroids (ACS), which reduce offspring neonatal mortality but may have lasting neuropsychiatric effects. However, the long-term neurophysiological effects of being born at ELBW and exposed to ACS are unknown.

METHODS

We compared resting frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha asymmetry in ELBW survivors (n = 51), some of whom were exposed to antenatal corticosteroids (ELBW-S; n = 23) versus non-exposed (ELBW-NS; n = 28), and normal birth weight controls (NBW; n = 66) in adulthood (m_age = 32.3 years).

RESULTS

ELBW survivors exhibited greater relative right frontal EEG alpha (11.5 to 13.5 Hz) asymmetry at rest relative to NBW controls. A linear relation was observed between increased exposure to perinatal adversity (NBW vs. ELBW-NS vs. ELBW-S) and greater relative right frontal asymmetry. Relative right frontal asymmetry was also linked to contemporaneous psychopathology in all individuals.

CONCLUSION

In the fourth decade of life, exposure to perinatal adversity was associated with patterns of frontal brain activity that reflect risk for psychopathology. Exposure to additional physiological stresses such as antenatal corticosteroids may amplify these effects.

SIGNIFICANCE

The mental health of ELBW survivors, particularly those exposed to antenatal corticosteroids, should be monitored into adulthood.

Is It Enough to Be an Extrovert to Be Liked? Emotional Competence Moderates the Relationship Between Extraversion and Peer-Rated Likeability

Likeability represents one of the aspects of social status in a peer group and refers to the extent to which one is accepted, preferred by others, and perceived as a likeable companion. Previous research has demonstrated that likeability is partly determined by dispositional factors. One body of research shows that variance in likeability across individuals can be traced to personality traits, mainly extraversion and agreeableness. Another expanding body of research demonstrates that success in achieving peer acceptance is determined, in some part, by the emotional competencies (ECs) of an individual. In an attempt to combine these two approaches and to clarify some inconsistencies in the results concerning the personality–likeability relationships, this study was designed to examine the interactive effect of adolescents’ personality traits (i.e., extraversion and agreeableness) and ECs on peer-rated likeability in adolescence. A sample of 230 adolescents (47% female) from two comprehensive secondary schools in Poland completed measures of personality traits and ECs, as well as a sociometric assessment of likeability in their classrooms. The results demonstrated that interpersonal EC acts as a moderator in the relationship between extraversion and peer-rated likeability. Specifically, extraversion predicted greater likeability among adolescents with high interpersonal EC but not among adolescents with low interpersonal EC. The study yielded new insights into the determinants of likeability, as it demonstrates that adolescents need to be both extrovert and possess high interpersonal EC in order to be judged highly likeable by their peers. It also bears practical implications for the improvement of adolescents’ position and acceptance within their peer group. The results suggest that encouraging “rejected” adolescents to reach out to others in an extrovert fashion is necessary but insufficient to increase their likeability. Improving their interpersonal EC is also necessary. The observation that higher levels of interpersonal EC helps adolescents to achieve higher acceptance in their peer group suggests the need to implement school training programs aimed at improving the core ECs (identification, understanding, expression, regulation and use of emotions).

Exploring the relationship between frontal asymmetry and emotional dampening

Cardiovascular emotional dampening is the term used to describe the inverse relationship between resting blood pressure and emotional responsivity which extends from normotensive to hypertensive ranges. Little is known about its underlying physiological mechanisms, but it is thought to involve some disruption in emotion processing. One area that has yet to be explored in the literature is the relationship between emotional dampening and frontal asymmetry, a psychophysiological indicator for motivational direction and emotional valence bias. The present study explored that relationship using data from a sample of 48 healthy college students. Measures of baseline resting blood pressure and frontal cortical activity were recorded, after which participants completed a series of emotion-related tasks. Results revealed a significant relationship between resting systolic blood pressure and left frontal activity. Likewise, left frontal activity was associated with neutral appraisal of emotionally valenced stimuli within the tasks. The findings from the present study yield support for a link between emotional dampening and left frontal activity. Implications are discussed.

Emotional Intelligence in Colombian Primary School Children. Location and Gender Analysis

This paper analyses Emotional Intelligence (EI) in Colombian Primary School Children depending on their location (rural or urban) and gender. The final sample consisted of 1451 students in fourth and fifth grade of three provinces in Boyacá department. Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth Version (EQ-i: YV; Bar-On & Parker, 2000) was used for data collection. Both the reliability and validity of EQ-i: YV have been determined for this sample. The main results revealed differences in EI according to location. Overall, EI was higher in the urban than rural settings. Also, scores on the dimensions interpersonal and adaptability differed by gender. Additionally, the need for future research and development of Social and Emotional Learning programs in schools is discussed.

Emotional intelligence predicts peer-rated social competence above and beyond personality traits

<b>Background</b><br /> This study investigated the relationship between trait emotional intelligence (EI) and social competences (SC), which determine effective functioning in three types of social situations: intimate situations, situations of social exposure and situations requiring self-assertion. Social competences were assessed using a peer nomination method. It was hypothesized that trait EI predicts SC above and beyond personality traits.<br /> <br /> <b>Participants and procedure</b><br /> Data were collected from among 111 adolescents (46.95% girls). The study was conducted among five classes from three public high schools. Participants first completed the Personality Inventory NEO-FFI and the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form (TEIQue-SF). Subsequently, the descriptions of three different persons were presented to the participants. Each description concerned one of the SC: intimate competence, social exposure competence and assertive competence. Participants were asked to nominate three classmates who suited each description best.<br /> <br /> <b>Results</b><br /> A series of hierarchical regression analyses was performed. Personality traits and trait EI were regressed on each competence. Analyses involved two-step hierarchical regressions, entering personality traits at step 1 and adding trait EI at step 2. The results demonstrated that personality traits explained a substantial portion of the variance in each SC. Beyond these variables, trait EI was significant as a predictor of nominations for each SC, explaining an additional amount of the unique variance.<br /> <br /> <b>Conclusions</b><br /> The results complement existing evidence that trait EI contributes to successful social functioning. The relationships between trait EI and SC remained statistically significant even after controlling for Big Five variance. The results demonstrate incremental validity of trait EI over and above personality traits.

Developments in Trait Emotional Intelligence Research

Trait emotional intelligence (“trait EI”) concerns our perceptions of our emotional abilities, that is, how good we believe we are in terms of understanding, regulating, and expressing emotions in order to adapt to our environment and maintain well-being. In this article, we present succinct summaries of selected findings from research on (a) the location of trait EI in personality factor space, (b) the biological underpinnings of the construct, (c) indicative applications in the areas of clinical, health, social, educational, organizational, and developmental psychology, and (d) trait EI training. Findings to date suggest that individual differences in trait EI are a consistent predictor of human behavior across the life span.

Pre- and Post-Natal Maternal Depressive Symptoms in Relation with Infant Frontal Function, Connectivity, and Behaviors

This study investigated the relationships between pre- and early post-natal maternal depression and their changes with frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) activity and functional connectivity in 6- and 18-month olds, as well as externalizing and internalizing behaviors in 24-month olds (n = 258). Neither prenatal nor postnatal maternal depressive symptoms independently predicted neither the frontal EEG activity nor functional connectivity in 6- and 18-month infants. However, increasing maternal depressive symptoms from the prenatal to postnatal period predicted greater right frontal activity and relative right frontal asymmetry amongst 6-month infants but these finding were not observed amongst 18-month infants after adjusted for post-conceptual age on the EEG visit day. Subsequently increasing maternal depressive symptoms from the prenatal to postnatal period predicted lower right frontal connectivity within 18-month infants but not among 6-month infants after controlling for post-conceptual age on the EEG visit day. These findings were observed in the full sample and the female sample but not in the male sample. Moreover, both prenatal and early postnatal maternal depressive symptoms independently predicted children's externalizing and internalizing behaviors at 24 months of age. This suggests that the altered frontal functional connectivity in infants born to mothers whose depressive symptomatology increases in the early postnatal period compared to that during pregnancy may reflect a neural basis for the familial transmission of phenotypes associated with mood disorders, particularly in girls.

Focusing on the positive: a review of the role of child positive affect in developmental psychopathology

This review proposes a transactional model of child positive affect (PA) to reflect the ways that PA, in various contexts, may confer both risk and protection for psychosocial adjustment. Though research has largely explored the ways that low PA relates to maladjustment in youth, much less research has focused on the ways that PA can facilitate adjustment, particularly under conditions of risk. Yet, theory suggests that a greater emphasis on PA as a protective factor is an important endeavor in developmental psychopathology research; such conceptual issues are explored in this review. This review also seeks to spur a more nuanced approach to the study of child PA through the use of increased multi-method, longitudinal assessments as well as the consideration of contextual factors. Building upon this research base is important for aiding in the development of intervention and prevention efforts that attempt to promote positive psychosocial development and mitigate the course of psychopathology in youth at risk for PA difficulties.

Variation in serotonin transporter linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) short/long genotype modulates resting frontal electroencephalography asymmetries in children

Previous studies have documented the serotonin transporter linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) as a genetic susceptibility variant that contributes to variability in outcomes related to affective psychopathology, with the short allele associated with negative affectivity and the long allele associated with positive affectivity. In a separate but related line of research, extensive evidence suggests that frontal electroencephalography (EEG) hemispheric asymmetry in the alpha band is also associated with risk for affective psychopathologies, with leftward asymmetry associated with approach-related behavior patterns and rightward frontal EEG asymmetry associated with withdrawn behavioral tendencies. We examined frontal EEG hemispheric asymmetries in relation to 5-HTTLPR genotyping in 70 children between 4 and 6 years of age. Analyses revealed that frontal EEG lateralization interacted with genotype such that children homozygous for the short allele exhibited rightward frontal EEG asymmetries, children who were homozygous for the long allele consistently exhibited a positive pattern of leftward asymmetry, and heterozygotes exhibited equivalent left and right frontal activity. These findings suggest that the 5-HTTLPR short allele may provide a degree of susceptibility for later affective psychopathology in adolescence and adulthood, through mediation of frontal brain activity that is associated with cognitive-behavioral withdrawal tendencies and negative affectivity.

Frontal asymmetry index in Williams syndrome: Evidence for altered emotional brain circuitry?

Asymmetrical frontal electroencephalography (EEG) activity is associated with motivational neural systems of approach/withdrawal behaviors. Greater left frontal EEG has been linked to increased appetitive tendencies whereas increased right frontal activity is related to the activation of avoidance mechanisms. Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic condition characterized by a highly sociable personality manifested by a propensity to approach strangers and decreased social fear. Consequently, the current study was designed to investigate the frontal cortical activity during resting state, indexed by relative alpha power, in adults with WS as compared to typically developing (TD) controls, and a subgroup of TD extraverts. Results indicated that participants with WS produced attenuated left frontal activity relative to TD peers, or TD extraverts in particular; yet, no groups differed in their degree of right frontal activity. Finally, while both TD group and the extravert subset showed trends of greater left over right frontal activity, the WS participants demonstrated opposing effect of increased right over left frontal EEG. Importantly, individuals with WS produced deviating frontal activity patterns compared to TD extraverts despite exhibiting common social-affiliative tendencies, underscoring that neural mechanisms that give rise to extraversion in WS may not function similarly to those subserving this personality trait expressed in TD.

Resting frontal EEG asymmetry in children: meta-analyses of the effects of psychosocial risk factors and associations with internalizing and externalizing behavior

Asymmetry of frontal cortical electroencephalogram (EEG) activity in children is influenced by the social environment and considered a marker of vulnerability to emotional and behavioral problems. To determine the reliability of these associations, we used meta-analysis to test whether variation in resting frontal EEG asymmetry is consistently associated with (a) having experienced psychosocial risk (e.g., parental depression or maltreatment) and (b) internalizing and externalizing behavior outcomes in children ranging from newborns to adolescents. Three meta-analyses including 38 studies (N = 2,523) and 50 pertinent effect sizes were carried out. The studies included in the analyses reported associations between frontal EEG asymmetry and psychosocial risk (k = 20; predominantly studies with maternal depression as the risk factor) as well as internalizing (k = 20) and externalizing (k = 10) behavior outcomes. Psychosocial risk was significantly associated with greater relative right frontal asymmetry, with an effect size of d = .36 (p < .01), the effects being stronger in girls. A non-significant relation was observed between right frontal asymmetry and internalizing symptoms (d = .19, p = .08), whereas no association between left frontal asymmetry and externalizing symptoms was observed (d = .04, p = .79). Greater relative right frontal asymmetry appears to be a fairly consistent marker of the presence of familial stressors in children but the power of frontal asymmetry to directly predict emotional and behavioral problems is modest.

The role of resting frontal EEG asymmetry in psychopathology: afferent or efferent filter?

Resting EEG asymmetry evident early in life is thought to bias affective behaviors and contribute to the development of psychopathology. However, it remains unclear at what stage of information processing this bias occurs. Asymmetry may serve as an afferent filter, modulating emotional reactivity to incoming stimuli; or as an efferent filter, modulating behavioral response tendencies under emotional conditions. This study examines 209 kindergarten children (M = 6.03 years old) to test predictions put forth by the two models. Resting asymmetry was examined in conjunction with electrodermal and cardiac measures of physiological reactivity to four emotion-inducing film clips (fear, sad, happy, anger) and teacher ratings of psychopathology. Results confirm an association between increased right side cortical activation and internalizing symptom severity as well as left activation and externalizing symptom severity. Significant interactions between resting asymmetry and physiological reactivity to emotion indicate that physiological reactivity moderates the association between resting asymmetry and symptoms of psychopathology.

Aggression as an equifinal outcome of distinct neurocognitive and neuroaffective processes

Early onset aggression precipitates a cascade of risk factors, increasing the probability of a range of externalizing and internalizing psychopathological outcomes. Unfortunately, decades of research on the etiological contributions to the manifestation of aggression have failed to yield identification of any risk factors determined to be either necessary or sufficient, likely attributable to etiological heterogeneity within the construct of aggression. Differential pathways of etiological risk are not easily discerned at the behavioral or self-report level, particularly in young children, requiring multilevel analysis of risk pathways. This study focuses on three domains of risk to examine the heterogeneity in 207 urban kindergarten children with high levels of aggression: cognitive processing, socioemotional competence and emotion processing, and family context. The results indicate that 90% of children in the high aggression group could be characterized as either low in verbal ability or high in physiological arousal (resting skin conductance). Children characterized as low verbal, high arousal, or both differed in social and emotional competence, physiological reactivity to emotion, and aspects of family-based contextual risk. The implications of this etiologic heterogeneity of aggression are discussed in terms of assessment and treatment.

Neurocriminology

In the past several decades there has been an explosion of research into the biological correlates to antisocial behavior. This chapter reviews the state of current research on the topic, including a review of the genetics, neuroimaging, neuropsychological, and electrophysiological studies in delinquent and antisocial populations. Special attention is paid to the biopsychosocial model and gene-environment interactions in producing antisocial behavior.

EEG alpha asymmetry in schizophrenia, depression, PTSD, panic disorder, ADHD and conduct disorder

Models of laterality infer distinct aspects of EEG alpha asymmetry in clinical disorders, which has been replicated for over three decades. This biomarker now requires a more fine-grained assessment of its clinical utility as a diagnostic and treatment predictive marker. Here, within the same study we assessed resting brain laterality across six clinical disorders, for which deviant laterality has been implicated as core dysfunction. These disorders were evaluated in comparison to a large normative dataset (approximately 1,900) from the Brain Resource International Database. EEG alpha asymmetry was assessed in the frontocentral region, for resting Eyes Closed and Eyes Open conditions. Schizophrenia was characterized by significantly greater left lateralized alpha power than controls, indicating a deficit in left frontal activity at rest, which may relate to "disconnections" across wider fronto-temporal networks. The depression group showed a trend-level tendency towards the opposite pattern of greater right-lateralized activity than controls. The remaining anxiety and behavioral disorders did not show any significant deviance in alpha asymmetry from the normative control group. However, at a non-significant level laterality for these groups was generally consistent with expected directions, suggesting a propensity towards a particular lateralization but still remaining within the normative range. Overall, the results of the current study indicate that EEG alpha asymmetry may show the most clinical utility as a biomarker for schizophrenia and depression in comparison to other clinical disorders.

Genetic and environmental influences on frontal EEG asymmetry and alpha power in 9-10-year-old twins

Modest genetic influences on frontal EEG asymmetry have been found in adults, but little is known about its genetic origins in children. Resting frontal asymmetry and alpha power were examined in 951 9-10-year-old twins. Results showed that in both males and females: (1) a modest but significant amount of variance in frontal asymmetry was accounted for by genetic factors (11-28%) with the remainder accounted for by non-shared environmental influences, and (2) alpha power were highly heritable, with 71-85% of the variance accounted for by genetic factors. Results suggest that the genetic architecture of frontal asymmetry and alpha power in late childhood are similar to that in adulthood and that the high non-shared environmental influences on frontal asymmetry may reflect environmentally influenced individual differences in the maturation of frontal cortex as well as state-dependent influences on specific measurements.

Investigation of the construct of trait emotional intelligence in children

This paper discusses the construct of trait emotional intelligence (trait EI or trait emotional self-efficacy) with emphasis on measurement in children. The Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Child Form (TEIQue-CF) is introduced and its development and theoretical background are briefly explained. It is shown in two independent studies that the TEIQue-CF has satisfactory levels of internal consistency (alpha = 0.76 and alpha = 0.73, respectively) and temporal stability [r = 0.79 and r ((corrected)) = 1.00]. Trait EI scores were generally unrelated to proxies of cognitive ability, as hypothesized in trait EI theory (Petrides et al. in Matthews et al. (eds) Emotional intelligence: knowns and unknowns -- series in affective science. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 151-166). They also differentiated between pupils with unauthorized absences or exclusions from school and controls. Trait EI correlated positively with teacher-rated positive behavior and negatively with negative behavior (emotional symptoms, conduct problems, peer problems, and hyperactivity).

Individual differences and developmental change in the ERN response: implications for models of ACC function

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has been associated with conditions precipitating an increase in effortful processing or increased attention, including the presence of conflicting information and the detection of errors. The error-related negativity (ERN), an electrocortical response, has been used as a marker for these conditions. The ERN amplitude however is subject to developmental change across the lifespan as well as being sensitive to individual differences in personality, affect, and autonomic responsivity. In this review, we examine the implications of such influences for a standard ACC model of conflict processing, and outline the need of any model of ACC function to include mechanisms that allow for the integration of neurovisceral and cognitive domains.

Long-term stability of electroencephalographic asymmetry and power in 3 to 9 year-old children

We investigated the test-retest stability of resting EEG asymmetry and power in the alpha frequency range across a 0.6- to 3-year interval in 125 children (57 girls and 68 boys) for two age groups, 87 preschool children (3 to 5 year-olds) and 38 school-age children (6 to 9 year-olds). Children were from families with a parent's history of unipolar or bipolar depression (36 girls and 43 boys) or control families with no parent history of depression nor any other psychiatric disorder (21 girls and 25 boys). Frontal EEG asymmetry stability was low to moderate; intraclass correlations ranged from zero to 0.48 in the eyes-open condition, and from 0.19 to 0.45 in the eyes-closed condition. Also, parietal EEG asymmetry was low to moderate; intraclass correlations ranged from 0.21 to 0.52 in the eyes-open condition and from 0.27 to 0.72 in the eyes-closed condition. Stability of EEG asymmetry was not related to age, sex of the child, or parent's history of mood disorder. Frontal and parietal EEG power appeared moderately to highly stable. Intraclass correlations were between 0.65 and 0.86 in the eyes-open condition and between 0.52 and 0.90 in the eyes-closed condition. Although stability of EEG power was not statistical significantly different between preschool and school-age children, it consistently showed higher stability values in school-age children than in preschool children. Stability in school-age children approached values as has been reported for adults. The findings provide partial support to the concept of frontal EEG asymmetry as a trait marker in childhood.