Top-down and bottom-up attentional biases for smoking-related stimuli: Comparing dependent and non-dependent smokers

Altered intrinsic neural timescales and neurotransmitter activity in males with tobacco use disorder

Previous researches of tobacco use disorder (TUD) has overlooked the hierarchy of cortical functions and single modality design separated the relationship between macroscopic neuroimaging aberrance and microscopic molecular basis. At present, intrinsic timescale gradient of TUD and its molecular features are not fully understood. Our study recruited 146 male subjects, including 44 heavy smokers, 50 light smokers and 52 non-smokers, then obtained their rs-fMRI data and clinical scales related to smoking. Intrinsic neural timescale (INT) method was performed to describe how long neural information was stored in a brain region by calculating the autocorrelation function (ACF) of each voxel to examine the difference in the ability of information integration among the three groups. Then, correlation analyses were conducted to explore the relationship between INT abnormalities and clinical scales of smokers. Finally, cross-modal JuSpace toolbox was used to investigate the association between INT aberrance and the expression of specific receptor/transporters. Compared to healthy controls, TUD subjects displayed decreased INT in control network (CN), default mode network (DMN), sensorimotor areas and visual cortex, and such trend of decreasing INT was more pronounced in heavy smokers. Moreover, various neurotransmitters (including dopaminergic, acetylcholine and μ-opioid receptors) were involved in the molecular mechanism of timescale decreasing and differed in heavy and light smokers. These findings supplied novel insights into the brain functional aberrance in TUD from an intrinsic neural dynamic perspective and confirm INT was a potential neurobiological marker. And also established the connection between macroscopic imaging aberrance and microscopic molecular changes in TUD.

Mobile phone short video use negatively impacts attention functions: an EEG study

The pervasive nature of short-form video platforms has seamlessly integrated into daily routines, yet it is important to recognize their potential adverse effects on both physical and mental health. Prior research has identified a detrimental impact of excessive short-form video consumption on attentional behavior, but the underlying neural mechanisms remain unexplored. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the effect of short-form video use on attentional functions, measured through the attention network test (ANT). A total of 48 participants, consisting of 35 females and 13 males, with a mean age of 21.8 years, were recruited. The mobile phone short video addiction tendency questionnaire (MPSVATQ) and self-control scale (SCS) were conducted to assess the short video usage behavior and self-control ability. Electroencephalogram (EEG) data were recorded during the completion of the ANT task. The correlation analysis showed a significant negative relationship between MPSVATQ and theta power index reflecting the executive control in the prefrontal region (r = -0.395, p = 0.007), this result was not observed by using theta power index of the resting-state EEG data. Furthermore, a significant negative correlation was identified between MPSVATQ and SCS outcomes (r = -0.320, p = 0.026). These results suggest that an increased tendency toward mobile phone short video addiction could negatively impact self-control and diminish executive control within the realm of attentional functions. This study sheds light on the adverse consequences stemming from short video consumption and underscores the importance of developing interventions to mitigate short video addiction.

Is impulsivity related to attentional bias in cigarette smokers? An exploration across levels of nicotine dependency and deprivation

Research has largely focused on how attentional bias to smoking-related cues and impulsivity independently influence the development and maintenance of cigarette smoking, with limited exploration of the relationship between these mechanisms. The current experiments systematically assessed relationships between multiple dimensions of impulsivity and attentional bias, at different stages of attention, in smokers varying in nicotine dependency and deprivation. Nonsmokers (NS; n  = 26), light-satiated smokers (LS; n  = 25), heavy-satiated smokers (HS; n  = 23) and heavy 12-hour nicotine-deprived smokers (HD; n  = 30) completed the Barratt Impulsivity Scale, delayed discounting task, stop-signal task, information sampling task and a visual dot-probe assessing initial orientation (200 ms) and sustained attention (2000 ms) toward smoking-related cues. Sustained attention to smoking-related cues was present in both HS and LS, while initial orientation bias was only evident in HS. HS and LS also had greater levels of trait motor and nonplanning impulsivity and heightened impulsive choice on the delay discounting task compared with NS, while heightened trait attentional impulsivity was only found in HS. In contrast, in HD, nicotine withdrawal was associated with no attentional bias but heightened reflection impulsivity, poorer inhibitory control and significantly lower levels of impulsive choice relative to satiated smokers. Trait and behavioral impulsivity were not related to the extent of attentional bias to smoking-related cues at any stage of attention, level of nicotine dependency or state of deprivation. Findings have both clinical and theoretical implications, highlighting the unique and independent roles impulsivity and attentional bias may play at different stages of the nicotine addiction cycle.

The trial-by-trial fluctuations in primary motor cortex excitability during attentional bias among smokers: A transcranial magnetic stimulation study

Background

A relatively new computational approach called trial-level bias score (TL-BS) has shown that attentional bias to smoking-related stimuli in smokers fluctuates temporally, trial by trial, during attention tasks. Here, we investigated the reliability of using TL-BS values to assess attentional bias and the electrophysiology mechanisms undergirding fluctuations in attentional bias among smokers.

Method

In total, 26 male smokers and 26 male non-smokers performed a dot-probe task in Experiment 1. In Experiment 2, an additional 23 male smokers and 23 male non-smokers performed the same task while undergoing single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation, which was used to investigate corticospinal excitability.

Results

It showed that assessing TL-BS parameters for reaction time (RT) was more reliable than calculating the traditional mean attentional bias score; however, this superior reliability was no longer apparent after controlling for general RT variability. There was a significant difference between smokers and non-smokers in TL-BS parameters calculated for both RT and motor-evoked potential (MEP) amplitude. However, TL-BS parameters for RT and MEP amplitude were strongly correlated with general RT variability and general MEP variability, respectively.

Conclusions

Our findings indicated that TL-BS parameters may not be ideal for measuring attentional bias at either the behavioral or electrophysiology level; however, larger general RT and MEP amplitude variabilities in non-smokers may indicate dysregulation of cognitive processing in smokers.

Effects of Smoking Social Cues on Inhibitory Control in Smokers: An Event-Related Potential Study

Objective

Reduced inhibitory control is a general characteristic of smokers and becomes increasingly pronounced in smoking-related contexts. However, research has rarely considered differences in the effects of various smoking-related cues. To fill this research gap, this study compared the effects of smoking object-related and smoking social-related cues on inhibitory control in smokers.

Methods

We used a visual Go/NoGo paradigm with three types of long-lasting backgrounds (neutral, smoking object, and smoking social background) to record the error rates, reaction times, and amplitudes of the N2 and P3 event-related potentials (ERPs) by 25 smokers and 25 non-smokers.

Results

(1) Smokers displayed smaller NoGo-N2 amplitudes than controls under the neutral background; (2) smokers displayed smaller NoGo-N2 amplitudes under the smoking social background and smoking object background than they did under the neutral background; (3) relative to neutral and smoking object backgrounds, smokers displayed higher commission error rates, shorter reaction times, and larger NoGo-P3 amplitudes under smoking social background.

Conclusion

Smoking-related stimuli impair inhibitory control in smokers, especially when these stimuli are socially related.

Increased spontaneous activity of the superior frontal gyrus with reduced functional connectivity to visual attention areas and cerebellum in male smokers

Background

Chronic smokers have abnormal spontaneous regional activity and disrupted functional connectivity as revealed by previous neuroimaging studies. Combining different dimensions of resting-state functional indicators may help us learn more about the neuropathological mechanisms of smoking.

Methods

The amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) of 86 male smokers and 56 male non-smokers were first calculated. Brain regions that displayed significant differences in ALFF between two groups were selected as seeds for further functional connectivity analysis. Besides, we examined correlations between brain areas with abnormal activity and smoking measurements.

Results

Increased ALFF in left superior frontal gyrus (SFG), left medial superior frontal gyrus (mSFG) and middle frontal gyrus (MFG) as well as decreased ALFF in right calcarine sulcus were observed in smokers compared with non-smokers. In the seed-based functional connectivity analysis, smokers showed attenuated functional connectivity with left SFG in left precuneus, left fusiform gyrus, left lingual gyrus, left cerebellum 4 5 and cerebellum 6 as well as lower functional connectivity with left mSGF in left fusiform gyrus, left lingual gyrus, left parahippocampal gyrus (PHG), left calcarine sulcus, left cerebellum 4 5, cerebellum 6 and cerebellum 8 (GRF corrected, Pvoxel < 0.005, Pcluster<0.05). Furthermore, attenuated functional connectivity with left mSGF in left lingual gyrus and PHG displayed a negative correlation with FTND scores (r = −0.308, p = 0.004; r = −0.326, p = 0.002 Bonferroni corrected).

Conclusion

Our findings of increased ALFF in SFG with reduced functional connectivity to visual attention areas and cerebellum subregions may shed new light on the pathophysiology of smoking.

Attentional vigilance of food information in disordered eating behaviors

INTRODUCTION

Disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) are very common among female college students, which seriously endanger their health and well-being. Therefore, the study of the mechanism of DEBs can provide effective evidence for early detection and intervention.

METHODS

In total of 54 female college students were recruited and assigned to DEB group (n = 29) and healthy control (HC) group (n = 25) according to their scores in the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26). Then, the Exogenous Cueing Task (ECT) was used to evaluate their reaction time (RT) to the location of a target dot preceded by a food or neutral cue.

RESULTS

The study found that compared with HC group, DEB group showed more attentional engagement to food stimuli, indicating that attentional vigilance to food information could be considered as a specific attentional bias of DEBs.

DISCUSSION

Our findings not only provide evidence of the potential mechanism of DEBs from the perspective of attentional bias, but also can be considered as an effective and objective indicator for early screening of subclinical eating disorders (EDs).

Attentional Bias Is Associated with Negative Emotions in Problematic Users of Social Media as Measured by a Dot-Probe Task

OBJECTIVE

Social media (SM) have flourished and are affecting human lives on an unprecedented scale. Problematic social media use (PSMU) is a recently emerging problematic behavior that affects both physical and mental health. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether problematic users of SM display attentional bias (AB) toward SM-related cues, as well as the relationships between AB, the severity of PSMU, and negative emotions.

METHOD

1000 college students were recruited through classes and online forums and then tested using the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS). Eventually, 60 participants, identified by the cut-off point for BSMAS, consented to participate in the study and were divided into two groups (i.e., a problematic use group and a typical use group). The severity of PSMU and negative emotions (i.e., anxiety, depression, social fear, and loneliness) were evaluated by self-report questionnaires. AB was assessed by an addiction Stroop task and a dot-probe task (DPT).

RESULTS

PSMU was found to be positively associated with anxiety (r = 0.28, p < 0.05), depression (r = 0.35, p < 0.01), and social fear (r = 0.38, p < 0.01), but not with loneliness (r = 0.19, p = 0.15). Participants with a tendency toward PSMU displayed AB toward SM-related cues in the DPT [F (1, 58) = 26.77, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.32], but not in the Stroop task [F (1, 58) = 0.61, p = 0.44, ηp2 = 0.01]. Moreover, AB toward SM-related stimuli was found to be positively correlated with the severity of PSMU (r = -0.51, p < 0.001), anxiety (r = -0.37, p < 0.01), depression (r = -0.51, p < 0.001), and social fear (r = -0.30, p < 0.05) in the DPT.

CONCLUSIONS

Problematic users of SM show AB towards SM-related cues in the DPT, which is more reliable for assessing AB than the Stroop task. Moreover, it is suggested that in clinical interventions we should work to change the AB towards SM-related stimuli and improve negative emotions to decrease risks of PSMU.

Differences in attentional bias to smoking-related, affective, and sensation-seeking cues between smokers and non-smokers: an eye-tracking study

RATIONALE

One of the behavioural features of tobacco use disorder is the presence of attentional bias (AB) to smoking-related stimuli. However, much of the research investigating these associations have been limited to the use of reaction-based indices.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to investigate differences in AB to smoking, affective, and sensation-seeking cues in smokers and non-smokers using novel, free-viewing, eye-tracking technology. Secondary aims included investigating impulsivity-by-group interaction effects on AB to sensation-seeking cues.

METHODS

Participants were either otherwise-healthy smokers of at least 8 cigarettes per day or otherwise-healthy non-smokers (< 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and no smoking in the past year). AB was measured using a free-viewing, eye-tracking system. Participants were presented a series of slides divided into 3 themes: smoking, affective, and sensation-seeking. Each slide contained 4 images (1 theme-related, 1 neutral, 2 competitive). Primary outcome measure was the difference in the proportion of time spent viewing the theme-related cue to neutral cue. Impulsivity was measured using a monetary delayed discounting task.

RESULTS

The sample consisted of 50 smokers (41 ± 12 years old) and 50 age- and sex-matched non-smokers (40 ± 14 years old). Smokers spent over 2 times longer looking at smoking-related images than non-smokers (F = 25.50, p < 0.001). As well, greater impulsivity was significantly associated with increased AB to sensation-seeking cues (R² = 0.059, F = 2.98, p = 0.04) in smokers but not non-smokers. No differences were found on AB to affective cues.

CONCLUSION

The eye-tracking procedure is a sensitive tool for assessing AB in smokers compared to non-smokers to both smoking and sensation-seeking cues.

Mini-review: When neurostimulation joins cognitive-behavioral therapy. On the need of combining evidence-based treatments for addiction disorders

Substance and behavioral addiction is a global health problem related to cognitive functioning and emotional responses like top-down control and craving. The present review discusses the role of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) as evidence-based treatments for addiction disorders. The discussion spans between several evidence for both therapies, also considering the difference and heterogeneity among clinical protocols. Nowadays, literature is consistent in indicating the neurostimulation of the prefrontal cortex as effective for different kinds of addiction, corroborating the evidence that they rely on a common network in the brain. Likewise, within the CBT studies it is possible to observe a wide range of interventions that are overall effective in regulating the executive functions associated with addiction disorders. Nevertheless, the integration of NIBS and CBT in addictions has been scarcely considered in literature so far. For this reason, the present article is meant to foster empirical research in this field by highlighting the findings supporting these evidence-based interventions, both as stand-alone and integrated treatments. To this aim, psychological and neurophysiological mechanisms of NIBS and CBT in addictions are reviewed, and the rationale of their integration discussed. In particular, as evidence suggest these treatments affect top-down and bottom-up processes in different ways, with NIBS reducing craving and CBT boosting motivation and coping, we suggest their combination might better target the different components of addiction to promote abstinence.

The Relationship Between Attentional Bias, Anxiety Sensitivity, and Depression and Anxiety Symptoms: Evidence From the COVID-19 Pandemic in China

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to observed increases in reported mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety symptoms. There is evidence attentional bias is associated with depression and anxiety, and it has been further suggested that anxiety sensitivity has a role in both the development and maintenance of depression and anxiety symptoms. Understanding these relationships may help inform preventative interventions for those at risk of mental health concerns. The present study explores the role of anxiety sensitivity, specifically physical and cognitive concerns, as a potential mediator of the relationship between attentional bias with depression and anxiety symptoms.

Method

Participants (n = 460) were recruited from the general population in China, and completed an online survey between February and March, 2020 which included the Attention to Positive and Negative Information Scale (APNI), Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3) and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). After exploring the correlations between the measures, mediation analysis was performed to explore the role of anxiety sensitivity (physical and cognitive subscales) in the relationship between attentional bias and depression and anxiety (as measured by the DASS-21).

Results

The results indicated that negative attention bias was significantly positively correlated with physical and cognitive concerns, physical and cognitive concerns were significantly positively correlated with depression and anxiety, and negative attention bias was significantly positively correlated with depression and anxiety (all ps < 0.001). Physical and cognitive anxiety sensitivity mediated the relationship between negative attention bias and both anxiety and depression symptoms.

Conclusion

Negative bias was associated with levels of anxiety and depression, and physical and cognitive anxiety sensitivity mediated associations between negative bias and anxiety and depression symptoms. The study provides theoretical support for intervention and guidance on individual mental health during the pandemic, and helps individuals increase their concern to negative emotions.

Alternations in Dynamic and Static Functional Connectivity Density in Chronic Smokers

Previous studies have implicated abnormal functional coordination in brain regions of smokers. Neuroimaging studies demonstrated alternations in brain connectivity by using the resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) method which arbitrarily chooses specific networks or seed regions as priori selections and cannot provide a full picture of the FC changes in chronic smokers. The aim of this study was to investigate the whole-brain functional coordination measured by functional connectivity density (FCD). As the variance of brain activity, dynamic FCD (dFCD) was performed to investigate dynamic changes of whole-brain integration in chronic smokers. In total, 120 chronic smokers and 56 nonsmokers were recruited, and static FCD and dFCD were performed to investigate aberrance of whole-brain functional coordination. Shared aberrance in visual areas has been found in both static and dFCD study in chronic smokers. Furthermore, the results exhibited that both heavy and light smokers demonstrated decreased dFCD in the visual cortex and left precuneus, and also increased dFCD in the right orbitofrontal cortex, left caudate, right putamen, and left thalamus compared with nonsmokers. In addition, alternations of dFCD have been found between heavy and light smokers. Furthermore, the dFCD variations showed significant positive correlation with smoking-related behaviors. The results demonstrated that chronic smokers not only have some initial areas, but also have some regions associated with severity of cigarette smoking. Lastly, dFCD could provide more subtle variations in chronic smokers, and the combination of static and dFCD may deepen our understanding of the brain alternations in chronic smokers.