RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: Task-based fMRI Studies in Youths with Irritability
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2022.01.14.475556
DO 10.1101/2022.01.14.475556
A1 Ka Shu Lee
A1 Cheyanne Hagan
A1 Mina Hughes
A1 Grace Cotter
A1 Eva McAdam Freud
A1 Katharina Kircanski
A1 Ellen Leibenluft
A1 Melissa Brotman
A1 Wan-Ling Tseng
YR 2022
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2022/01/17/2022.01.14.475556.abstract
AB Objective Childhood irritability, operationalized as disproportionate and frequent temper tantrums and low frustration tolerance relative to peers, is a transdiagnostic symptom across many pediatric disorders. Studies using task-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to probe neural dysfunction in irritability have increased. However, an integrated review summarizing the published methods and synthesized fMRI results remains lacking.Method We conducted a systematic search using irritability terms and task functional neuroimaging in key databases in March 2021, and identified 30 studies for our systematic review. Sample characteristics and fMRI methods were summarized. A subset of 28 studies met the criteria for extracting coordinate-based data for quantitative meta-analysis. Ten activation-likelihood estimations were performed to examine neural convergence across irritability measures and fMRI task domains.Results Systematic review revealed small sample sizes (median = 58, mean age range = 8–16 years) with heterogeneous sample characteristics, irritability measures, tasks, and analytical procedures. Meta-analyses found no evidence for neural activation convergence of irritability across neurocognitive functions related to emotional reactivity, cognitive control, and reward processing, nor within each domain. Sensitivity analyses partialing out variances driven by heterogeneous tasks, irritability measures, stimulus types, and developmental ages all yielded null findings.Conclusion The lack of neural convergence suggests a need for common, standardized irritability assessments and more homogeneous fMRI tasks. Thoughtfully designed fMRI studies probing commonly defined neurocognitive functions may be more fruitful to elucidate the neural mechanisms of irritability. Open science practices, data mining in large neuroscience databases, and standardized analytical methods promote meaningful collaboration in irritability research.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.