Physiological Markers of Emotional and Behavioral Dysregulation in Externalizing Psychopathology.

Abstract

Much of the research conducted in our lab over the past decade has focused on identifying peripheral and central nervous system markers of trait impulsivity and emotion dysregulation in preschoolers (e.g., Crowell et al., 2006), middle schoolers (e.g., Shannon, Beauchaine, Brenner, Neuhaus, & Gatzke-Kopp, 2007), and adolescents (e.g., Crowell et al., 2005). This body of work includes studies of boys with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), boys with conduct disorder (CD; e.g., Beauchaine, Katkin, Strassberg, & Snarr, 2001), and girls with borderline personality traits (e.g., Crowell , Beauchaine, et al., 2008). One key assumption of our work, which is now supported by a number of empirical findings (for a review see Beauchaine, Klein, Crowell, Derbidge, & Gatzke-Kopp, in press), is that heritable trait impulsivity interacts with socialized deficiencies in emotion regulation to potentiate conduct problems among boys and borderline traits among girls. Although space constraints preclude us from describing the theoretical bases of this assumption in full detail (for reviews see Beauchaine, Gatzke-Kopp, & Mead, 2007; Beauchaine et al., in press; Crowell, Beauchaine, & Linehen, in press), in writing this chapter we summarize how the use of genetic data, autonomic nervous system (ANS) markers, and neuroimaging have led us to our current thinking about the development of externalizing behavior disorders. We note at the outset that our discussion of environmental risk factors is limited given the objectives of this monograph. However, we consider such risk factors to be as important in the development of psychopathology as the biological vulnerabilities discussed below.