Reward processing in children with affective dysregulation

Abstract Background Affective dysregulation (AD) in children is characterized by irritability, anger, and frequent intense temper outbursts. Considerable evidence implies altered processing of frustration about missed rewards, but few studies investigated the preceding and thus potentially predictive reward anticipation and initial delivery processing in children with AD. Methods A total of 103 children aged 8–12 years (50 with AD and 53 without AD) were examined during a monetary reward anticipation task with event‐related potential (ERP) components resolving reward anticipation (cue‐CNV [Contingent Negative Variation]) and reward delivery phases (Reward Positivity and Feedback‐Related Negativity). All components were analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance. Regression analyses also evaluated the associations between those ERP components and dimensional AD symptoms. Results Children with AD showed attenuated anticipatory reward processing compared to No‐ADs. The CNV at fronto‐central site (FCz) showed a significant group effect (No‐AD > AD, p = 0.017). Post‐hoc test showed that this group difference was stronger for the cue monetary condition (monetary cue: p = 0.007, d = 0.56, verbal cue: p = 0.901, d = 0.16), and that only the No‐AD group showed a significant difference between conditions ( p < 0.001). No significant effects were obtained for the delivery phase. Regression analysis showed that a reduced anticipatory CNV at FCz significantly explained AD symptoms, and that anger/irritability and anxiety/depressive symptoms predicted a reduced anticipatory CNV at FCz. Conclusion This neurophysiological characterization of reward anticipation and delivery in children with AD demonstrates altered neural activity in AD during anticipation of reward rather than following the delivery (or omission) of the reward itself. Our results highlight that altered reward anticipation in AD can occur outside frustration‐prone tasks or settings, and underline the important role of both anger/irritability and anxiety/depressive symptoms in the pathophysiology of AD for atypical reward anticipation.