ABSTRACT
Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) or Conduct Disorder (CD) show deficits in a range of abilities that are typically mediated by frontostriatal networks, including verbal ability, inhibitory control, facial emotion recognition, theory of mind, and verbal intelligence. Many of these impairments are evident even after accounting for comorbidities including Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and intellectual disability, although there remains much controversy as to the specific contribution of neuropsychological impairments to the cognitive profile of CD/ODD. Data from neurophysiological and neuroimaging studies provides evidence for impairments in a range of networks of the brain, including prefrontal and limbic structures. Functional neuroimaging studies of CD/ODD have also demonstrated specific evidence for neurobiological impairment. Children with CD/ODD display reduced amygdala activation when viewing fearful faces, and reduced functional connectivity between the ventromedial cortex and amygdala. ODD and CD are described in the 'Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders' section of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Version 5.
