The current study describes the Antisocial High-Risk Cohort (i.e., WP3, a sub-project) of the larger Growing Up Together in Society Project (see appendix A), which has the aim to predict and understand behaviour that negatively affects society:…
ID
Source
Brief title
Condition
- Other condition
- Personality disorders and disturbances in behaviour
Synonym
Health condition
antisociaal gedrag, hersenontwikkeling en gedragsontwikkeling
Research involving
Sponsors and support
Intervention
Outcome measures
Primary outcome
The neural basis of self-regulation, age-related changes in brain function and
structure related to self-regulation, and outcomes for self and others in
adolescence and adulthood (e.g., contributions to society, antisocial
behaviour, academic outcomes, social outcomes).
For self-regulation, we calculate the area under the curve (AUC) for various
task conditions using a 3 (target: self, friend, stranger) by 2 (choice: now
vs. later) design. Subsequently, we employ a repeated measures ANOVA to
investigate differences in AUC depending on task conditions. In terms of brain
activity, the brain contrast [self-regulation vs. control] will be assessed,
and an ANOVA will be conducted with a 3 (target: self, friend, stranger) by 2
(choice: now vs. later) design. This enables us to measure neural activity in
brain areas related to self-regulation for oneself and others.
For empathy, neural activity is examined while watching a film clip (The
Champ). The participants will be given no further instructions other than to
pay attention to the movie. This naturalistic fMRI offers the opportunity to
obtain and identify patterns of brain activity and functional connectivity of
spontaneous (affective) empathy across different brain regions. Behavioural
data and eye-tracking will be used to correlate with the neural responses and
validate participants* responses. Additionally, at the behavioral level,
participants are asked about 'bodily sensation,' where they must indicate on an
image where the emotion is felt in the body.
Trust is operationalized as the percentage of trust choices in a dichotomous
trust game (for example, a trust game in which participants can choose to trust
another person or not) relative to different targets (for example, friends and
strangers). Regarding neural activity, we will explore contrasts assessing
trust > no trust and compare different targets (for example, friend >
stranger), as well as a repeated-measures ANOVA with both the trust vs. no
trust conditions and the target condition. This allows us to measure neural
activation related to trust in different individuals.
To measure aggression on a behavioral level, we will use a modified version of
the SNAT (Achterberg et al., 2016), in which a prosocial condition will be
added. Regarding neural activity (EEG), we will investigate (a)valence effects
on neural activity during responses to social feedback and (b) to test whether
individual differences in neural activity were meaningfully related to
behavioural aggression, (c) how this prosocial addition differentiates
behaviour in individuals. Aggressive responses will be measured by the
intensity of playing a (fictitious) sound towards their (fictitious) opponents.
Participants are instructed beforehand to fill out a personal page in a
friendship book, after which they receive positive and negative feedback from
(fictitious) peers during the study. They can respond by increasing or
decreasing the volume of the sound, this response is seen as a retaliatory
response (measure of aggression).
Secondary outcome
This study includes a wide range of secondary outcomes, which include
structural MRI; self-regulation, empathy, trust, aggression, background
measures, parenting measures, behavioural measures, and outcome measures as
assessed by questionnaires (see Table 2); hormone data collected with saliva
and hair; genetic data collected via saliva (see below); ERPs measured by EEG
related to delay discounting, empathy, trust and aggressive responses. All data
are continuous data, except for background measures which can also be
categorical data (e.g. gender, family situation).
Background measurements include questions requesting sensitive data, such as
age, income, and ethnicity. We request this sensitive information because one
of the objectives of the current study is to obtain a sample that covers a wide
range of different backgrounds, in terms of, for instance, income and
ethnicity. The lack of information scientists have about participants'
backgrounds, and that certain marginalized groups are underrepresented in
scientific studies, poses a problem for the generalizability of findings on
brain-behavior mechanisms, as well as for the validity, reliability, and
reproducibility of results. By asking for sensitive data such as income and
ethnicity, we aim to make the current study representative and to communicate
transparently about the generalizability of the findings in scientific
publications.
For participants, the research burden in waves 1, 2, 3 (years 1, 3, 5) consists
of the following components: Online questionnaires (1 hour), 1 visit to the
Spinoza Center for fMRI and behavioral tasks (2 hours). In waves 1A, 2A (years
2 and 4), the burden consists of: Online questionnaires (1 hour) and a visit to
AmsterdamUMC for EEG (2 hours). - This totals to 5 visits, lasting 3 hours per
year. In total, 15 hours of burden per participant if they complete all waves.
(See Figure 1, 2, 3 in the protocol for an overview).
Background summary
How do young people successfully grow up in an increasingly complex society,
and what are the main causes for differences in contributing to society?
Society becomes more resilient when its members contribute to common goals
(Masten, 2018; Masten & Motti-Stefanidi, 2020). With the Growing Up Together in
Society (GUTS) research program we study the vital question: How do
neurobiological and social-cognitive development interact with social
(relations with family and peers) and societal (families* social-economic
status) opportunities? How can we understand and predict the extent to which
young people develop into socially contributing citizens?
We hypothesize that successfully developing self-regulation will be a key
factor that explains (i.e., mediates) or compensates and exaggerates (i.e.,
moderates) the relation between inequalities in social and societal
opportunities, neurobiological development, and contributions to society
(Hofmann et al., 2012). People with better self-regulation, defined as
effective goal setting, goal motivation, and goal capacity, are better at
balancing immediate and delayed gratification, and balancing their own and
others* needs (Carver & Scheier, 2012; Hofmann et al., 2012). Understanding the
role of self-regulation, its developmental trajectory, and individuals*
adaptation to environmental challenges may therefore also provide solutions to
decrease the effect of social inequalities on young individuals* potential.
Adolescence is a vital period in the development of self-regulation and
societal contributions, given that this is the transition phase from childhood
- characterized by strong dependency on parents and caregivers - to adulthood,
in which one is expected to function as a mature, independent individual (e.g.,
politically, financially, and socially), and commit to social norms of society
(Crone & Dahl, 2012; Crone & Fuligni, 2020; Steinberg & Morris, 2000).
Adolescence is defined as the period between ages 10-24 years, starting with
the biological onset of puberty (Crone & Dahl, 2012). The end of adolescence is
often described as the time when individuals adopt mature social and societal
norms (Crone & Dahl, 2012). Researchers have described a prolonged period of
adolescent development, also referred to as emerging adulthood, during which
individuals, when provided with opportunities, show further advancement in
education and social development, with longer dependency on parents (Arnett,
2000; Willoughby et al., 2014). Despite important insights in the general
developmental patterns in the last two decades, there is an urgent need to
clarify the impact of diverse societal contexts on development. New insights
from the field of social neuroscience hold the promise of providing
fundamentally new insights in the role of diversity in societal contextual
domains on adolescents* transition into adulthood, either in interaction with
or through the effects of self-regulation.
Specifically for our Amsterdam High-risk cohort:
Societal contributions are defined as the capacity to contribute to goals of
self (well-being and mental health) and other individuals or groups
(contribution to others). Contributing to goals for self and others can occur
in various societal domains, including educational achievements, such as
investing in the future and staying committed to school success, as well as
social contributions, such as cooperation, sharing, and helping others, and
refraining from antisocial behaviors, while balancing personal well-being.
Individual traits can have a large impact on how individuals develop into
socially and societally adaptive citizens. A key process that may influence how
individuals with diverse opportunities develop into socially adaptive human
beings is self-regulation. Recent psychological and neuroscience research shows
that the sensitivity to the needs of others is under self-regulatory control in
the general population as well as in individuals with antisocial behaviours.
Based on these previous studies, we hypothesize that:
Antisocial adolescents have problems with setting long-term goals, rather than
short-term goals.
Adolescents showing persistent antisocial behaviour have fundamental problems
with setting societal goals rather than self-centred goals (social-affective
goal regulation) that remain throughout development, and that the lack of
empathy is a determining factor in severe and persistent antisocial outcomes.
Adolescents with better self-regulation are expected to more often desist from
antisocial behaviour in spite of adverse social or societal background.
Study objective
The current study describes the Antisocial High-Risk Cohort (i.e., WP3, a
sub-project) of the larger Growing Up Together in Society Project (see appendix
A), which has the aim to predict and understand behaviour that negatively
affects society: antisocial behaviour. In WP3, we will connect brain science at
the individual level with the societal context to identify why some
high-riskwhether and which self-regulatory mechanisms make some adolescents
deviate from expected societal norms and engage in antisocial behaviour. The
primary objectives of the current Antisocial High-Risk cohort are to examine 1)
delay discounting and the associated neural correlates (using fMRI; dependent
variables) and possible effects of the beneficiary, age, and social economic
status (independent variables), 2) the neural correlates of empathy (using
fMRI; dependent variables) and possible effects of age and social economic
status, sleep, intelligence, stress, genetics and externalizing behaviours
(independent variables), 3) examining aggression, both internalizing and
externalizing (dependent variables) and possible effects of the beneficiary,
age, and social economic status (independent variables),4) trust towards
community members, institutions and close others, and the associated neural
correlates (using fMRI, dependent variables) and possible effects of the
beneficiary, age, and social economic status (independent variables), 5) how
adolescents* behaviour, in terms of affect, empathy and stress (dependent
variables) fluctuates over time.
Study design
This cohort-sequential longitudinal study aims to include 400 children across
ages 10-12 years, with early signs of antisocial behaviour. In addition, we
include a pilot sample of 10-15 adolescents (10-18 y/o) to validate the
paradigms. The pilot measurement will take place in spring 2024. The first
measurement wave of the longitudinal project is scheduled to take place in
early summer 2024, after which participants will be followed up in 2027 (when
they are 13-15 years old) and 2030 (when they are 6-18 years old). This
GUTS-Antisocial High-Risk study will include neuroimaging, behavioural
experiments, questionnaires, and hormone data to study developmental changes
across adolescence and young adulthood. Neural activation will be measured
using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). Resting-state fMRI will be
used to assess functional connectivity. We will use structural MRI to measure
underlying brain anatomical processes. In addition, we will measure social and
cognitive functioning on a battery of questionnaires and experimental tasks
outside of the scanner. Hormone data will be collected through hair and saliva.
All measurements are non-invasive.
Study burden and risks
There are no known risks associated with participating in the proposed
measurements, apart from fatigue or other feelings of burden related to the
number of measurements in the current study. MRI and EEG are non-invasive
techniques involving no catheterizations or introduction of exogenous tracers.
Numerous children and adults have undergone magnetic resonance and EEG studies
without apparent harmful consequences. Some people become claustrophobic while
inside the MRI magnet and in these cases the study will be terminated
immediately at the subject's request. The only absolute contraindications to
MRI studies are the presence of intracranial or intraocular metal, or a
pacemaker. Relative contraindications include pregnancy and claustrophobia.
Subjects who may be pregnant, who may have metallic foreign bodies in the eyes
or head, or who have cardiac pacemakers will be excluded because of potential
contraindications of MRI in such subjects. Contraindications for EEG include
seizure disorders, individuals with recent stroke, cerebrovascular or
respiratory diseases, and sickle cell anaemia. Although there is no direct
benefit to the participants from this proposed research, there are greater
benefits to society from the potential knowledge gained from this study. This
knowledge will aid in our understanding of how self-regulation interacts with
environmental and individual differences in typical development and how this
might contribute to beneficial or detrimental outcomes later in life.
Meibergdreef 5
Amsterdam 1105 AZ
NL
Meibergdreef 5
Amsterdam 1105 AZ
NL
Listed location countries
Age
Inclusion criteria
Dutch speaking: able to communicate in Dutch without mediation by an interpreter
10-13 years of age at start of first measurement
Already had police contact, or there is a rule-breaking, risk behavior present.
Exclusion criteria
Current use of anti-psychotics, steroid hormone medication.
If participants use psychotropic medication for ADHD, they will be asked to not
take their medication in the morning before coming to the scanner-day
Contraindications for MRI and EEGI, including metal implants, heart arrhythmia,
claustrophobia and females who are pregnant.
Participants should be able and willing to provide informed consent (and for
participants under age 16, their legal representatives should also be able and
willing to do so)
Design
Recruitment
Followed up by the following (possibly more current) registration
No registrations found.
Other (possibly less up-to-date) registrations in this register
No registrations found.
In other registers
| Register | ID |
|---|---|
| CCMO | NL86613.018.24 |