Oliveira, Paula S;
Fearon, Pasco;
Belsky, Jay;
Mesquita, Ana R;
Sampaio, Adriana;
Pinal, Diego;
Soares, Isabel;
(2022)
Neural correlates of face familiarity in institutionalised children and links to attachment disordered behaviour.
The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
10.1111/jcpp.13728.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: One of the most well-documented sequelae of early maltreatment and institutionalisation is attachment problems, including behaviours under the labels of reactive attachment disorder (RAD) and disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED). Despite growing evidence of the neurobiological effects of institutionalisation, the neural correlates of these behavioural patterns are largely unknown. METHODS: The current study examined effects of both institutionalisation in general and attachment disordered behaviour, in particular, on brain-based markers of face processing, in 100 Portuguese children (70 currently institutionalised, 30 continuously raised by their families). Children's neural processing of caregiver's and stranger's faces was assessed with Event-Related Potentials (ERPs). RESULTS: Compared to children from the community, institutionalised children showed smaller amplitudes in the N170, to both stranger and caregiver faces. Amongst the institutionalised group, living in a setting with a higher children-to-caregivers' ratio was associated with smaller P400 amplitudes. The display of DSED symptoms was associated with a smaller P1 to both faces, as well as a reduced differentiation between faces in P400 amplitudes and smaller P400 to the stranger's face. In contrast, RAD symptoms were not associated with any ERP measures. CONCLUSIONS: Results replicate previously reported hypoactivation in institutionalised children, in a less-globally deprived setting than past work, indicating that such a pattern is associated with lack of individualised care and increased symptoms of DSED.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Neural correlates of face familiarity in institutionalised children and links to attachment disordered behaviour |
| Location: | England |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1111/jcpp.13728 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13728 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
| Keywords: | Looked-after children, attachment disorders, deprivation, disinhibited social engagement disorder, event-related potentials, face processing, reactive attachment disorder |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Clinical, Edu and Hlth Psychology |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10161476 |
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