Cognitive Neuroscience of Maladaptive Behaviours in Adolescents with TBI

Cognitive and Neural Substrates of Socially Maladaptive Behaviours in Adolescents with Traumatic Brain Injury

Chief Investigator: Professor Vicki Anderson
Lead Organisation: Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
TAC Neurotrauma Funding: $271,718
Project Start Date: 1 September 2010

Project Summary:

Paediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in cognitive and behavioural problems that persist into adulthood and have serious individual, community and legal implications. In particular, high rates of aggression and criminality have been reported suggesting that individuals with TBI are at risk for developing socially maladaptive behaviours as a consequence of the cognitive and neural disruptions that occur following brain injury. Adolescents are at even greater risk given the particular vulnerability of their developing brains at a time when social skills are at a critical developmental milestone. Despite the potential for adolescents to develop such impairments, the brain circuitry that underlies socially inappropriate behaviours remains elusive. We hypothesize that, due to changes in brain structure and function, adolescents with TBI are at risk for impairments in two cognitive functions, intent attribution and moral reasoning, each of which translates into inappropriate social behaviours, such as aggression and delinquency. No study has investigated the neural substrates of these functions in adolescents post-TBI despite the potential for impairments in these functions to be linked to socially maladaptive behaviours.

Aim: The aim of the proposed study is to identify the behavioural and neural substrates of socially maladaptive behaviours in adolescents with TBI. To do so, we will examine two cognitive functions, intent attribution and sociomoral reasoning, using innovative behavioural tasks and functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigms (fMRI).

Hypotheses: We expect that adolescents with TBI will interpret ambiguous social statements as more hostile (hostile intent attribution) and will show developmental deficits in their reasoning about social norms and conventions (sociomoral reasoning). We hypothesize that these cognitive deficits will be paralleled by differences in brain activity in areas thought to mediate these processes (medial prefrontal, orbitofrontal and cingulate cortices, superior temporal sulcus, insula, amygdala and temporo-parietal junction).

Research plan: A cross-sectional design will be used to compare the performance of 12 adolescents with moderate TBI (14-18 years) to that of 12 age-matched healthy developing controls on two innovative fMRI paradigms. These tasks were designed by our group to maximize the personal and emotional involvement of participants in order to better reflect socially-bound skills within the imaging environment. Intent attribution will be measured using BrainQuest14, which presents participants with short videos of adolescent actors making either hostile, non-hostile or ambiguous statements. Scanning will take place during all three conditions and will be compared to determine differences in neural activity related to the interpretation of ambiguous social comments. Sociomoral reasoning will be measured using the So-Moral and So-Mature tasks45 which present sociomoral dilemmas using visual images of real adolescent actors. Brain images will be acquired while adolescents reflect on these dilemmas and make decisions about what they would do in these situations. To identify differences in the network of brain regions involved in these functions, TBI and control participants' brain activity will be compared to a baseline condition designed to control for the emotional aspects of the task and functional connectivity analyses will be performed.

Significance: Socially maladaptive behaviours are common after TBI and can lead to significant personal, social and legal consequences such as criminality. Despite the frequency of such problems following TBI, the cognitive and neural underpinnings of these behaviours in the developing brain are poorly understood. Our research will help identify the differences in cognitive and brain function that place adolescents with TBI at risk for such maladaptive behaviours. This information will enable health professionals to better direct adolescents with TBI to the appropriate interventions, thereby reducing their potential for future maladaptive behaviours and involvement in the criminal justice system.

Publications: (as at Dec 2012)

None

Presentations: (as at Dec 2012)

COOPER JM, BEUCHAMP M, DOOLEY J, ROSEMA S, KEAN M, ANDERSON VA. Cognitive and Neural Substrates of Socially Moral Reasoning in Adolescents with Traumatic Brain Injury. 18th Annual College of Clinical Neuropsychology Conference; 2012 November 24, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.

DOOLEY JJ. Social cognition after paediatric traumatic brain injury: Mechanisms of aggression. 16th Annual Conference of the Australian Psychological Society, College of Clinical Neuropsychologists; 2010 October 30- October 2, Fremantle, Australia.

DOOLEY JJ. Teenagers, brain development and bullying behaviours. Australian Health Promotion School Association Conference-Health Promoting Schools Workshop; 2010 October 6, Perth, Australia.


Cognitive Neuroscience of Maladaptive Behaviours in Adolescents with TBI Cognitive and Neural Substrates of Socially Maladaptive Behaviours in Adolescents with Traumatic Brain Injury Chief Investigator: Professor Vicki Anderson Lead Organisation: Murdoch Childrens Research Institute TAC Neurotrauma Funding: $271,718 Project Start Date: 1 September 2010 Project Summary: Paediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in cognitive and behavioural problems that persist into adulthood and have serious individual, community and legal implications. In particular, high rates of aggression and criminality have been reported suggesting that individuals with TBI are at risk for developing socially maladaptive behaviours as a consequence of the cognitive and neural disruptions that occur following brain injury. Adolescents are at even greater risk given the particular vulnerability of their developing brains at a time when social skills are at a critical developmental milestone. Despite the potential for adolescents to develop such impairments, the brain circuitry that underlies socially inappropriate behaviours remains elusive. We hypothesize that, due to changes in brain structure and function, adolescents with TBI are at risk for impairments in two cognitive functions, intent attribution and moral reasoning, each of which translates into inappropriate social behaviours, such as aggression and delinquency. No study has investigated the neural substrates of these functions in adolescents post-TBI despite the potential for impairments in these functions to be linked to socially maladaptive behaviours. Aim: The aim of the proposed study is to identify the behavioural and neural substrates of socially maladaptive behaviours in adolescents with TBI. To do so, we will examine two cognitive functions, intent attribution and sociomoral reasoning, using innovative behavioural tasks and functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigms (fMRI). Hypotheses: We expect that adolescents with TBI will interpret ambiguous social statements as more hostile (hostile intent attribution) and will show developmental deficits in their reasoning about social norms and conventions (sociomoral reasoning). We hypothesize that these cognitive deficits will be paralleled by differences in brain activity in areas thought to mediate these processes (medial prefrontal, orbitofrontal and cingulate cortices, superior temporal sulcus, insula, amygdala and temporo-parietal junction). Research plan: A cross-sectional design will be used to compare the performance of 12 adolescents with moderate TBI (14-18 years) to that of 12 age-matched healthy developing controls on two innovative fMRI paradigms. These tasks were designed by our group to maximize the personal and emotional involvement of participants in order to better reflect socially-bound skills within the imaging environment. Intent attribution will be measured using BrainQuest14, which presents participants with short videos of adolescent actors making either hostile, non-hostile or ambiguous statements. Scanning will take place during all three conditions and will be compared to determine differences in neural activity related to the interpretation of ambiguous social comments. Sociomoral reasoning will be measured using the So-Moral and So-Mature tasks45 which present sociomoral dilemmas using visual images of real adolescent actors. Brain images will be acquired while adolescents reflect on these dilemmas and make decisions about what they would do in these situations. To identify differences in the network of brain regions involved in these functions, TBI and control participants' brain activity will be compared to a baseline condition designed to control for the emotional aspects of the task and functional connectivity analyses will be performed. Significance: Socially maladaptive behaviours are common after TBI and can lead to significant personal, social and legal consequences such as criminality. Despite the frequency of such problems following TBI, the cognitive and neural underpinnings of these behaviours in the developing brain are poorly understood. Our research will help identify the differences in cognitive and brain function that place adolescents with TBI at risk for such maladaptive behaviours. This information will enable health professionals to better direct adolescents with TBI to the appropriate interventions, thereby reducing their potential for future maladaptive behaviours and involvement in the criminal justice system. Publications: (as at Dec 2012) None Presentations: (as at Dec 2012) COOPER JM, BEUCHAMP M, DOOLEY J, ROSEMA S, KEAN M, ANDERSON VA. Cognitive and Neural Substrates of Socially Moral Reasoning in Adolescents with Traumatic Brain Injury. 18th Annual College of Clinical Neuropsychology Conference; 2012 November 24, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. DOOLEY JJ. Social cognition after paediatric traumatic brain injury: Mechanisms of aggression. 16th Annual Conference of the Australian Psychological Society, College of Clinical Neuropsychologists; 2010 October 30- October 2, Fremantle, Australia. DOOLEY JJ. Teenagers, brain development and bullying behaviours. Australian Health Promotion School Association Conference-Health Promoting Schools Workshop; 2010 October 6, Perth, Australia.