Neurobiological Underpinnings of Social-Emotional Impairments in Adolescents with Non-Suicidal Self-Injury

ObjectiveFew studies have investigated the neurological underpinnings of social-emotional processing among individuals with non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), despite the range of interpersonal impairments associated with the behavior. This study aims to identify NSSI-specific patterns of resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) and neural activation during an emotional facial expression task. MethodsParticipants were currently depressed, antidepressant-free adolescents with and without lifetime history of NSSI. Left and right amygdala were specified as seed regions for RSFC analysis (n=43 NSSI, n=9 clinical controls). The emotional faces task presented participants with neutral, happy, and sad faces. Whole-brain analyses examined neural activation during the task, and groups were compared on post-scan ratings of facial emotional intensity (n=39 NSSI, n=9 clinical controls). ResultsGroups did not differ in RSFC analyses. Adolescents with NSSI showed attenuated neural activation to happy (versus neutral) faces in areas of the occipital lobe and cerebellum, and rated neutral and sad faces as more negative than clinical controls. ConclusionsWhile groups did not differ in baseline limbic connectivity, neurological and behavioral findings revealed NSSI-specific alterations in processing of social-emotional stimuli. Depressed adolescents with NSSI interpreted ambiguous or negative social stimuli more negatively than depressed controls, and had an attenuated neural response to positive social stimuli. This negative bias likely contributes to the myriad interpersonal difficulties associated with NSSI. Adolescents with NSSI may benefit from treatments which combat these negative social interpretations and improve control over emotional responses to interpersonal stress.