Substance use disorders, externalizing psychopathology, and P300 event-related potential amplitude

Iacono, W.G., Malone, S.M., & McGue, M. (2002). Substance use disorders, externalizing psychopathology, and P300 event-related potential amplitude, International Journal of Psychophsiology, 147-178.

This article hypothesizes the existence of an inherited predisposition for a variety of externalizing disorders characterized by behavioral disinhibition, or behavioral undercontrol. This study names as examples childhood disruptive disorders, antisocial behavior, and substance use disorders. Support for genetically-influenced nervous system dysfunction comes from a reduced P300 amplitude (abbreviated as P3-AR), a positive deflection signal recorded via EEG, witnessed in visual oddball tasks. Several findings support using the P3-AR as an endophenotype, or index of vulnerability for these externalizing disorders, all coming from the Minnesota Twin Family Study. Namely, (i) the P3-AR is shown to be associated with familial risk for substance use and antisocial personality disorders, (ii) the P3-AR is associated with diagnoses of childhood disruptive disorders and substance abuse disorders, (iii) and the P3-AR is associated with early onset of undersocialized behavior, among others.