Executive control deficit in depression: event-related potentials in a Go/Nogo task

Electrophysiological and behavioral differences of general and food-specific inhibitory control in people with different levels of intuitive eating

Intuitive eating influences health-related behaviors (including calorie and nutritional intake) that are modulated by inhibitory control, producing implications for physical, mental, and emotional health. However, little is known about the relationship between intuitive eating habits and inhibitory control. Therefore, we tested intuitive eating's influence on measures of general and food-related inhibitory control using behavioral and event-related potentials (N2 and P3 components). We included 40 healthy participants: 23 had a higher level of intuitive eating, and 17 had a lower level. They participated in food-specific go/no-go and general go/no-go tasks for which we recorded electroencephalogram data. As expected, in the food-specific go/no-go task, the P3 component amplitude in the lower intuitive eating group was significantly larger than in the higher intuitive eating group; there were no significant between-group differences in the N2 amplitudes or behavioral measures. Moreover, there were no ERP or behavioral difference between groups in the general go/no-go task. Further research is needed to understand the role of positive eating behaviors in food-specific inhibitory control.

Transdiagnostic Mood, Anxiety, and Trauma Symptom Factors in Alcohol Use Disorder: Neural Correlates Across 3 Brain Networks

BACKGROUND

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is associated with high rates of trauma, mood, and anxiety disorders. Across these diagnoses, individual symptoms substantially overlap, highlighting the need for a transdiagnostic approach. Furthermore, there is limited research on how transdiagnostic psychopathology impacts the neural correlates of AUD. Thus, we aimed to identify symptom factors spanning diagnoses and examine how they relate to the neurocircuitry of addiction.

METHODS

Eighty-six veterans with AUD completed self-report measures and reward, incentive salience, and cognitive control functional magnetic resonance imaging tasks. Factor analysis was performed on self-reported trauma, depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms to obtain transdiagnostic symptom compositions. Neural correlates of a priori-defined regions of interest in the 3 networks were assessed. Independent sample t tests were used to compare the same nodes by DSM-5 diagnosis.

RESULTS

Four symptom factors were identified: Trauma distress, Negative affect, Hyperarousal, and Somatic anxiety. Trauma distress score was associated with increased cognitive control activity during response inhibition (dorsal anterior cingulate cortex). Negative affect was related to lower activation in reward regions (right caudate) but higher activation in cognitive control regions during response inhibition (left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex). Hyperarousal was related to lower reward activity during monetary reward anticipation (left caudate, right caudate). Somatic anxiety was not significantly associated with brain activation. No difference in neural activity was found by posttraumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, or generalized anxiety disorder diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

These hypothesis-generating findings offer transdiagnostic symptom factors that are differentially associated with neural function and could guide us toward a brain-based classification of psychiatric dysfunction in AUD. Results warrant further investigation of transdiagnostic approaches in addiction.

Subsyndromal depression leads to early under-activation and late over-activation during inhibitory control: an ERP study

Individuals with depressive disorders have deficits in inhibitory control and exhibit symptoms of impaired cognitive and emotional functioning. Individuals with subsyndromal depression are intermediate between the healthy group and clinically diagnosed patients with depressive disorders, and studying the characteristics of their inhibitory control functioning can help to investigate the mechanisms underlying the development of depressive disorders. Using two classical paradigms of inhibitory control, Flanker and Go/NoGo, the present study explored the differences in inhibitory control between individuals with subsyndromal depression and healthy individuals from the perspectives of both response inhibition and interference control. Behavioral results showed that both groups did not differ in response time and accuracy; in terms of event-related potentials, individuals with subsyndromal depression presented smaller N2 amplitudes as well as larger P3 amplitudes in the NoGo condition of the Go/NoGo paradigm; and smaller N2 amplitudes in the incongruent condition of the Flanker paradigm. Moreover, the depression-prone group showed lower theta power compared to the healthy group in the NoGo condition of the NoGo paradigm and the incongruent condition of the Flanker paradigm. The present study reveals that the depression-prone group may have a compensatory mechanism in the response inhibition, which is mainly manifested as early under-activation as well as late over-activation.

EEG biomarkers of behavioral inhibition in patients with depression who committed violent offenses: a Go/NoGo ERP study

Understanding the neurobiological correlates of behavioral inhibition in patients with depression who committed violent offenses could contribute to the prediction and prevention of violence. The present study recruited 29 depressed patients with violent offenses (VD group), 27 depressed patients without violent behavior (NVD group), and 28 healthy controls (HC group) to complete a visual Go/NoGo task, during which their responses and electroencephalography were simultaneously recorded using an event-related potentiometer. The results showed that the VD group made more commission errors and responded more slowly relative to the NVD and HC groups. The P3 amplitude of the VD group was reduced in the frontal and central brain regions compared to the HC group and increased in the parietal regions compared to the NVD group. In comparison to Go stimuli, NoGo stimuli induced longer P3 latencies in frontal regions in both the VD and NVD groups; however, this difference was not statistically significant in the HC group. These results provide electrophysical evidence of behavioral inhibition deficits in patients with depression, especially in those with violent behaviors. The reduced P3 amplitude in the frontal-central regions, increased P3 amplitude in the parietal regions, and increased NoGo P3 latency may be potential electrophysiological features that can predict violent behavior in patients with depression.

Effects of binge drinking and depression on cognitive-control processes during an emotional Go/No-Go task in emerging adults

INTRODUCTION

The goal of the current study was to examine differences in neurocognitive processes across groups marked by binge drinking and depression to identify patterns of cognitive and affective processing impairments.

METHODS

Undergraduate students (N = 104; 64% female) were recruited based on self-reported symptoms of depression and alcohol use. They completed an emotional Go/No-Go task while undergoing EEG. Mean amplitudes for N2 and P3 components were examined with 2 (Depressed/Non-depressed) X 2 (Binge/Non-binge drinkers) X 4 (Happy/Sad/Angry/Calm) X 3 (Left/Middle/Right) X 2 (Go/No-Go) repeated measures ANOVAs.

RESULTS

There were significant Trial Type X Valence X Depression X Binge Drinking interactions for N2 (F(3, 80) = 6.62, p < .01) and P3 (F(3, 80) = 4.65, p < .01) components. There was a significant Valence X Depression X Binge Drinking interaction for response bias (F(3, 65) = 3.11, p < .05).

LIMITATIONS

The source of our sample may be a limitation, as all participants were university students, potentially making the results less generalizable. Further, we cannot be certain that social desirability did not interfere with honest reporting of alcohol use in this population.

CONCLUSIONS

Differences in early inhibitory control were observed across emotions based on trial type among depressed non-binge drinkers, and these differences were attenuated in the presence of binge drinking. Further, the effects of depression on later inhibitory control were specific to non-binge drinkers. Results help to clarify the nature of underlying patterns of neurocognitive and affective risk processes that could be targeted by prevention and intervention programs.

Negative inhibition is poor in sub-threshold depression individuals: Evidence from ERP and a Go/No-go task

In this study, Go/No-go task combined with ERP technology were used to explore the characteristics of negative emotion inhibition in SD and healthy individuals and whether there are differences between negative emotion inhibition and neutral emotion inhibition in SD. The results showed that SD showed the same poor negative inhibition as depressive patients in behavior, but there was no significant difference between SD and CG in ERPs. Overall, compared with neutral emotional information, negative emotional information would reduce attention control in conflict processing, lead to faster conflict processing, attract attention, occupy more cognitive resources, and be more difficult to inhibit. It is concluded that the negative attention bias of SD individuals is only reflected in the bottom-up stimulation processing, but has not developed into the top-down cognitive control, which also suggests that the corresponding intervention measures at the early stage of depression may have better effects.

High-frequency rTMS over the left DLPFC improves the response inhibition control of young healthy participants: an ERP combined 1H-MRS study

Introduction

Unlike the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in treating neuropsychiatric diseases, little is known about how personal factors might account for the disparity of results from studies of cognition and rTMS. In this study, we investigated the effects of high-frequency rTMS on response inhibition control and explored the time course changes in cognitive processing and brain metabolic mechanisms after rTMS using event-related potentials (ERPs) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-MRS).

Methods

Participants were all right-handed and were naive to rTMS and the Go/NoGo task. Twenty-five healthy young participants underwent one 10 Hz rTMS session per day in which stimulation was applied over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and a homogeneous participant group of 25 individuals received a sham rTMS treatment for 1  week. A Go/NoGo task was performed, an electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded, and ¹H-MRS was performed.

Results

The results revealed that there was a strong trend of decreasing commission errors of NoGo stimuli by high frequency rTMS over the left DLPFC, whereas there was no significant difference between before and after rTMS treatment with respect to these parameters in the sham rTMS group. High-frequency rTMS significantly increased the amplitude of NoGo-N2 but not Go-N2, Go-P3, or NoGo-P3. The myo-inositol /creatine complex (MI/Cr) ratio, indexing cerebral metabolism, in the left DLPFC was decreased in the rTMS treated group.

Discussion

This observation supports the view that high-frequency rTMS over the left DLPFC has the strong tendency of reducing commission errors behaviorally, increase the amplitude of NoGo-N2 and improve the response inhibition control of healthy young participants. The results are consistent with the excitatory properties of high frequency rTMS. We suggest that the increase in the NoGo-N2 amplitude may be related to the increased excitability of the DLPFC-anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) neural loop. Metabolic changes in the DLPFC may be a possible mechanism for the improvement of the response inhibition control of rTMS.

Age-related differences in food-specific inhibitory control: Electrophysiological and behavioral evidence in healthy aging

The number of older adults in the United States is estimated to nearly double from 52 million to 95 million by 2060. Approximately 80-85% of older adults are diagnosed with a chronic health condition. Many of these chronic health conditions are influenced by diet and physical activity, suggesting improved diet and eating behaviors could improve health-related outcomes. One factor that might improve dietary habits in older adults is food-related inhibitory control. We tested whether food-related inhibitory control, as measured via behavioral data (response time, accuracy) and scalp-recorded event-related potentials (ERP; N2 and P3 components), differed between younger and older adults over age 55. Fifty-nine older adults (31 females [52.5%], M_age = 64, SD_age = 7.5) and 114 younger adults (82 females [71.9%], M_age = 20.8) completed two go/no-go tasks, one inhibiting to high-calorie stimuli and one inhibiting to low-calorie stimuli, while electroencephalogram (EEG) data were recorded. Older adults had slower overall response times than younger adults, but this was not specific to either food task. There was not a significant difference in accuracy between younger and older adults, but both groups' accuracy and response times were significantly better during the high-calorie task than the low-calorie task. For both the N2 and P3 ERP components, younger adults had larger no-go ERP amplitudes than older adults, but this effect was not food-specific, reflecting overall generalized lower inhibitory control processing in older adults. P3 amplitude for the younger adults demonstrated a specific food-related effect (greater P3 amplitude for high-calorie no-go than low-calorie no-go) that was not present for older adults. Findings support previous research demonstrating age-related differences in inhibitory control though those differences may not be specific to inhibiting towards food.

An exploratory study of functional brain activation underlying response inhibition in major depressive disorder and borderline personality disorder

Cognitive control is associated with impulsive and harmful behaviours, such as substance abuse and suicidal behaviours, as well as major depressive disorder (MDD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD). The association between MDD and BPD is partially explained by shared pathological personality traits, which may be underpinned by aspects of cognitive control, such as response inhibition. The neural basis of response inhibition in MDD and BPD is not fully understood and could illuminate factors that differentiate between the disorders and that underlie individual differences in cross-cutting pathological traits. In this study, we sought to explore the neural correlates of response inhibition in MDD and BPD, as well as the pathological personality trait domains contained in the ICD-11 personality disorder model. We measured functional brain activity underlying response inhibition on a Go/No-Go task using functional magnetic resonance imaging in 55 female participants recruited into three groups: MDD without comorbid BPD (n = 16), MDD and comorbid BPD (n = 18), and controls with neither disorder (n = 21). Whereas response-inhibition-related activation was observed bilaterally in frontoparietal cognitive control regions across groups, there were no group differences in activation or significant associations between activation in regions-of-interest and pathological personality traits. The findings highlight potential shared neurobiological substrates across diagnoses and suggest that the associations between individual differences in neural activation and pathological personality traits may be small in magnitude. Sufficiently powered studies are needed to elucidate the associations between the functional neural correlates of response inhibition and pathological personality trait domains.

Working memory function in patients with major depression disorder: A narrative review

Working memory (WM) deficits are recognized as serious cognitive impairment in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). This review aims to clarify the effects of impaired WM function in patients with MDD and explore non-invasive and effective treatments that can be adopted in clinical practice. This review (1) synthesizes extant literature examining brain function and brain areas in terms of WM in individuals with depression, (2) utilizes the outcomes of the studies presented in this review to discuss the effects of impaired WM function on cognitive processing in individuals with depression, (3) integrates the treatments explored in current studies and (4) provides some suggestions for future research. We found that (1) central executive (CE) components affect the processing of WM, and this might be one of the factors influencing cognitive biases, as it is implicated in repetitive negative thinking and rumination; (2) the left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the regions of the default mode network (DMN) play a vital role in CE functioning; and (3) psychotherapy, cognitive training, exercise and physical therapy can be used as complementary treatments for MDD.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation promotes response inhibition in patients with major depression during the stop-signal task

BACKGROUND

Response inhibition (RI) deficit is an aspect of cognitive impairment in depressed individuals, but currently no effective treatment has been established. This study aimed to explore the effect of individualized repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC)-nucleus accumbens (NAcc) network on RI in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).

METHODS

Fourty-four patients diagnosed with MDD were randomized to receive 15 once-daily sessions of active (10 Hz, 100% of resting motor threshold) or sham rTMS within a double-blind, sham-controlled trial. We measured the efficacy of rTMS by the improvements in behavioral and neurological manifestations during the stop-signal task. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 items (HAMD-17) was used to assess depressive symptoms. We analyzed the differences in RI performance between MDD patients and 30 healthy controls (HCs) at baseline and assessed whether MDD patients who completed rTMS treatment had comparable RI ability to HCs.

RESULTS

At baseline, the depressed patients showed longer stop-signal response time (SSRT), smaller P3 amplitudes, and weaker theta-band power in successful stop trials (SSTs) than HCs. The active group exhibited RI ability comparable to that of HCs after rTMS treatment, but the improvements were not significant in the sham group. The active group showed significant remission in depression symptoms post-treatment compared to the sham group, and the changes in P3 amplitudes and theta-band power during SSTs were negatively correlated with the decrease of HAMD-17 scores.

CONCLUSION

The depressed patients have impaired RI and treatment with the individualized rTMS protocol may be an effective approach.

Extended High Frequency Hearing, but Not Tinnitus, Is Associated With Every-Day Cognitive Performance

Research into the potential associations between tinnitus and cognition has investigated specific cognitive domains in laboratory settings despite adults with tinnitus reporting broad cognitive difficulties in every-day life. To address this limitation, the present study compared performance and perceived exertion on a visual office-like task in 38 adults with tinnitus (19 with normal hearing and 19 with hearing loss) and 38 adults without tinnitus (19 with normal hearing and 19 with hearing loss) matched for age, sex and educational background. All participants were also assessed for hearing, anxiety and depression, and participants with tinnitus were also assessed for tinnitus handicap. No associations were found between presence of tinnitus and cognitive performance (mean total rate correct score on the visual office-like task being 2.9 for the tinnitus group, 2.8 for the control group, p = 0.612) and perceived exertion (mean ratings of perceived exertion on the Borg CR10-scale being 5.8 for the tinnitus group, 6.5 for the control group, p = 0.063) on the visual office-like task when corrected for standard (0.125 to 8 kHz) and extended high frequency (10 to 16 kHz) hearing thresholds, anxiety, and depression. The correction for extended high frequency average (10, 12.5, 14, and 16 kHz) hearing threshold was significant for performance (p = 0.009) but not perceived exertion on the visual office-like task. Overall, the results showed extended high frequency hearing, but not tinnitus, was associated with every-day cognitive performance. This indicates clinical testing of hearing thresholds above 8 kHz could support clinicians’ identification and management of cognitive difficulties. One management method suggested by the current findings would include provision of auditory stimulation at frequencies exceeding the frequency response of many current hearing aids.

Frequency of fruit consumption and savoury snacking predict psychological health; selective mediation via cognitive failures

While there is growing interest in the link between diet and psychological health, there is a surprising lack of studies investigating the precise associations between nutrient-rich foods (such as fruit and vegetables) versus nutrient-poor foods (such as energy-dense savoury and sweet snacks), and psychological health. Similarly, the psychological processes underpinning the relationship between dietary intake and psychological health remain unclear. Hence, the present study aimed to explore the relationship between dietary consumption and psychological health, with cognitive processes as a theoretical mediator. This cross-sectional online study included 428 healthy adults (53% female; mean age= 39.7, SD= 13.0), with participants completing a range of validated questionnaires measuring dietary habits and psychological health. Stepwise multiple regression revealed that more frequent consumption of fruit was associated with reduced symptoms of depression (β = -.109, p = 0.025) and greater positive psychological wellbeing (β = .187, p < 0.001). Conversely, more frequent savoury snacking was associated with increased anxiety (β = .127, p = 0.005). Further, mediation analyses revealed that more frequent consumption of savoury snacks was associated with increased symptoms of depression, stress, anxiety, and reduced psychological wellbeing, via an increase in cognitive failures (ps < 0.001). These results provide new insights on the independent associations between certain types of food and psychological health, and the psychological mechanisms that may mediate these. Further work is now required to establish causality and determine whether these may represent modifiable dietary targets that can directly (and indirectly) influence our psychological health.

Testing the relationship between inhibitory control and soda consumption: An event-related potential (ERP) study

The intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) may detrimentally influence health outcomes. Drinking less soda may help manage SSB consumption, as soft drinks are a top contributor to SSB intake. One cognitive factor that may influence soda consumption is inhibitory control, or the ability to withhold a dominant response in order to correctly respond to one's environment. Increased inhibitory control plays a role in decreasing consumption of high-calorie foods, and strengthening inhibitory control may help individuals manage their food intake. However, neural response to soda beverages versus traditional non-sweetened beverages, such as water, and how it relates to soda consumption is unknown. In a sample of 116 healthy individuals (M = 20.56; SD = 2.08; 47.4% female), we measured soda consumption and tested event-related potential (ERP) measures of inhibitory control, including the N2 and P3 components, during soda-specific and neutral comparison go/no-go tasks. Female participants consumed less soda on average than males, and as participants got older, they consumed less soda. Participants showed faster response times and higher accuracy on the soda-specific compared to neutral go/no-go . ERP results indicated inhibitory control was greater when individuals withheld dominant responses to soda stimuli rather than neutral stimuli. Neither N2 no-go amplitude on the soda-specific go/no-go nor P3 no-go amplitude on the soda-specific predicted measures of soda intake. Results suggest greater inhibitory control resources are required when withholding responses to soda beverages compared to neutral stimuli, but inhibitory control ERPs did not predict day-to-day soda intake.

Custom-Built Operant Conditioning Setup for Calcium Imaging and Cognitive Testing in Freely Moving Mice

Operant chambers are widely used in animal research to study cognition, motivation, and learning processes. Paired with the rapidly developing technologies for brain imaging and manipulations of brain activity, operant conditioning chambers are a powerful tool for neuroscience research. The behavioral testing and imaging setups that are commercially available are often quite costly. Here, we present a custom-built operant chamber that can be constructed in a few days by an unexperienced user with relatively inexpensive, widely available materials. The advantages of our operant setup compared with other open-source and closed-source solutions are its relatively low cost, its support of complex behavioral tasks, its user-friendly setup, and its validated functionality with video imaging of behavior and calcium imaging using the UCLA Miniscope. Using this setup, we replicate our previously published findings showing that mice exposed to social defeat stress in adolescence have inhibitory control impairments in the Go/No-Go task when they reach adulthood. We also present calcium imaging data of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) neuronal activity acquired during Go/No-Go testing in freely moving mice and show that neuronal population activity increases from day 1 to day 14 of the task. We propose that our operant chamber is a cheaper alternative to its commercially available counterparts and offers a better balance between versatility and user-friendly setup than other open-source alternatives.

Relationship between depression, prefrontal creatine and grey matter volume

BACKGROUND

Depression and low mood are leading contributors to disability worldwide. Research indicates that clinical depression may be associated with low creatine concentrations in the brain and low prefrontal grey matter volume. Because subclinical depression also contributes to difficulties in day-to-day life, understanding the neural mechanisms of depressive symptoms in all individuals, even at a subclinical level, may aid public health.

METHODS

Eighty-four young adult participants completed the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) to quantify severity of depression, anxiety and stress, and underwent 1H-Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of the medial prefrontal cortex and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine whole-brain grey matter volume.

RESULTS/OUTCOMES

DASS depression scores were negatively associated (a) with concentrations of creatine (but not other metabolites) in the prefrontal cortex and (b) with grey matter volume in the right superior medial frontal gyrus. Medial prefrontal creatine concentrations and right superior medial frontal grey matter volume were positively correlated. DASS anxiety and DASS stress scores were not related to prefrontal metabolite concentrations or whole-brain grey matter volume.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATIONS

This study provides preliminary evidence from a representative group of individuals who exhibit a range of depression levels that prefrontal creatine and grey matter volume are negatively associated with depression. While future research is needed to fully understand this relationship, these results provide support for previous findings, which indicate that increasing creatine concentrations in the prefrontal cortex may improve mood and well-being.

A Longitudinal, Prospective Study to Evaluate the Effects of Treatment on the Inhibitory Control Function After Transsphenoidal Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas

OBJECTIVES

Injured cognitive abilities have been reported in patients with pituitary adenoma. However, to date, few researchers have directly investigated the electrophysiological study of inhibitory control function of pituitary patients both pre- and postsurgery. Thus, this study aimed to identify the factors affecting the inhibitory control function of pituitary patients.

METHODS

Thirty presurgery pituitary patients were recruited and 26 patients of them completed the postsurgery follow-up. Thirty healthy people were recruited for control group. Visual Go/Nogo tasks were carried out by the patients and controls to assess the inhibitory control function before surgery and 6 months after the surgery, respectively. The function of inhibitory control was analyzed with the components of N2 and P3.

RESULTS

Across 3 groups, Nogo stimuli evoked larger frontal-central N2nogo and P3nogo than Go stimuli did. Furthermore, N2d of presurgery patients (-1.14 μV) and postsurgery patients(-0.61 μV) were significantly decreased compared with that of control group (-3.09 μV), F(2, 83) = 13.92, P < .01, whereas no difference was detected between pre- and postsurgery groups. There was no remarkable difference in the amplitude of P3d among the 3 groups, F(2, 83) = 0.19, P > .05. With regard to the amplitude of P3 for Go condition, The P3 amplitude of healthy group (4.38 μV) was larger than both pre- and postsurgery (1.00 μV and 3.01 μV). With regard to the amplitude of P3 for Nogo condition, The P3 amplitude of healthy group (5.25 μV) was larger than both pre- and postsurgery groups (2.35 μV and 4.18 μV).

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicated that presurgery patients showed the dysfunction of inhibition, due to the nerve tissue damage or brain structure alteration caused by the presurgery physical pressure from tumor and abnormal hormone levels. Postsurgery patients showed a tendency toward recovery, but there was no obvious improvement in the inhibitory control function after successful treatments.

Repetitive negative thinking and depressive symptoms are differentially related to response inhibition: The influence of non-emotional, socio-emotional, and self-referential stimuli

Identifying transdiagnostic correlates of response inhibition deficits is important for understanding risk for internalizing disorders. Little work has compared the relationships between internalizing symptoms and repetitive negative thinking (RNT) with response inhibition across non-emotional and emotional domains, and no work has compared these relationships for inhibition of socio-emotional relative to self-referential stimuli. Undergraduate students (N = 71, 18.44 ± 0.71 years) selected on extremes of internalizing symptoms completed the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ) and a Go/No-Go paradigm using non-emotional stimuli, other individuals' sad facial expressions, and participants' own sad facial expressions. Participants exhibited more commission errors for sad facial expressions than non-emotional trials, though commission errors for others' and participants' own sad facial expressions did not differ. Depressive symptoms were associated with poorer inhibition of non-emotional stimuli; however, PTQ scores were associated with more successful inhibition of non-emotional stimuli. Our results provide evidence that transdiagnostic RNT as assessed by the PTQ may be related to better inhibition in non-emotional domains, but negative emotional stimuli may interfere with successful inhibition for those with high RNT, while depressive symptoms were linked to poorer inhibition of non-emotional stimuli. These findings have implications for internalizing disorders, which often are accompanied by RNT.

Altered brain activity related to inhibitory processing in youth with insomnia

Insomnia has been shown to negatively affect one's cognitive functioning. While there has been some evidence suggesting sleep disruption in relation to impaired inhibitory control, a major component of executive function, little is known about the underlying neural processing in insomnia. The current study aimed to examine the differences in the behavioral responses and electroencephalography (EEG) correlates of inhibitory control between youths with insomnia and healthy sleepers. Twenty-eight participants with insomnia disorder and 31 healthy sleeper controls aged between 15 and 25 completed the study. Electroencephalographic activity was recorded during the Cued Go/NoGo (CGNG) task, a task assessing inhibitory control. Although insomnia group exhibited comparable behavioral performance to the healthy sleeper group, they showed impaired attention preparation, as displayed by a smaller contingent negative variation (CNV) component (F = 4.10, p = 0.048) after cue onset; and demonstrated impaired inhibitory control, as evidenced by smaller N2 and theta power on 200-350 ms (MANCOVA multivariate Group effect, F = 5.85, p < 0.001). The results suggested that youths with insomnia demonstrated altered brain activity during inhibitory control, despite their comparable behavioral performance. Given that impaired inhibitory control is often implicated in psychopathology, future studies with a longitudinal design are needed to further explore the long-term impacts and trajectory of altered inhibitory control in youths with insomnia.

Use of cognitive event-related potentials in the management of psychiatric disorders: Towards an individual follow-up and multi-component clinical approach

Relapse prevention remains a major challenge in psychiatry, thus indicating that the established treatment methods combining psychotherapy with neuropharmacological interventions are not entirely effective. In recent years, several intervention strategies have been devised that are aimed at improving psychiatric treatment by providing a complementary set of add-on tools that can be used by clinicians to improve current patient assessment. Among these, cognitive event-related potentials (ERPs) have been indexed as valuable biomarkers of the pathophysiological mechanisms of various mental illnesses. However, despite decades of research, their clinical utility is still controversial and a matter of debate. In this opinion review, I present the main arguments supporting the use of cognitive ERPs in the management of psychiatric disorders, stressing why it is currently still not the case despite the vast number of ERP studies to date. I also propose a clinically-oriented suitable way in which this technique could — in my opinion — be effectively incorporated into individual patient care by promotion of the use of individual ERP test-retest sessions and the use of a multi-component approach.

Effectiveness of an Integrated Intervention Program for Alcoholism: Electrophysiological Findings

BACKGROUND

Neuroelectrophysiological measures such as electroencephalograms (EEGs) in resting state and event-related potentials (ERPs) provide valuable information about the vulnerability and treatment-related changes in persons with alcoholism. This study examined the effectiveness of an Integrated Intervention Program for Alcoholism (IIPA) using electrophysiological measures.

METHODS

Fifty individuals with early onset of alcohol dependence participated. They were grouped randomly into two: the treatment as usual (TAU) group and the treatment group, matched on age (±1 year) and education (±1 year). eyes closed and resting state EEGs and ERPs on cognitive tasks (flanker task, alcohol Go/No-Go task, and single outcome gambling task) were recorded before and after treatment. The TAU group received pharmacotherapy, six days/week yoga sessions, and three sessions/week group therapy on relapse prevention while the treatment group received IIPA along with usual treatment (except yoga) for 18 days.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference between the groups pre-treatment. RM-ANOVA for pre- and post-treatment stages showed a significant difference between the two groups in the absolute power of alpha, beta, theta, and delta, during eye closure, in the resting-state EEGs. The treatment group showed significantly larger N200/N2 amplitude in congruent and incongruent conditions (flanker task), N200/N2 amplitude for alcohol No-Go, P300/P3 amplitude for neutral No-Go on alcohol Go/No-Go task, and outcome-related positivity (ORP) amplitude on single outcome gambling task.

CONCLUSION

This exploratory study suggests that IIPA is effective for enhancing relaxation state and attentiveness, decreasing hyperarousal, and ameliorating neurocognitive dysfunctions of conflict-monitoring, response inhibition, and reward processing.

Electrocortical correlates of impaired motor inhibition and outcome processing are related in high binge-watching

Models posit problematic binge-watching to involve a vicious circle of low motivation for alternative activities, low sensitivity for the consequences of neglected goals, and low self-control. As such, simultaneously impaired feedback and inhibitory functioning might contribute to binge-watching. We tested the hypothesis that blunted feedback-related brain activity is coupled with attenuated inhibitory brain activity in binge-watchers. High (n = 32) and non-binge-watchers (n = 31) performed go/nogo (inhibition) and stop signal (stopping) tasks and a flanker paradigm with performance feedback during electroencephalography. We examined how neural correlates of inhibition and stopping were associated with outcome processing in each group. We assessed the temporospatial relationship using a single-trial regression approach. High binge-watchers, but not non-binge-watchers, who differentiated less between gains and losses at the neural level (feedback-P3b) also recruited less brain activity during both inhibition and stopping (inhibition-P3 and stopping-P3). Exploratory analyses suggested that these relationships were most prominent in high binge-watchers with high loss of control over watching. Main effects of the group in performance or EEG did not emerge. These results suggest a potentially problematic interaction between outcome and inhibitory functions in binge-watchers. Insensitivity to behavioral consequences along with inhibitory impairments may also confer a long-term risk for compulsive watching. Our multi-modal approach may be particularly suited to detect such an underlying risk marker.

An event-related potential (ERP) study of the transfer of response inhibition training to interference control

The classification of inhibitory control and the relationship between the subcomponents of inhibitory control have been the focus of many studies. This study mainly explored the influence of response inhibition training on interference control through event-related potential data. Forty college students were randomly divided into a training group and a control group. Two response inhibition tasks were used as training tasks and the Stroop and go/no-go tasks were used with electroencephalogram monitoring to evaluate students' abilities in the two kinds of inhibitory control. The results showed that the conflict effect of the training group significantly improved after training compared with those of the control group. In the training group, the N2 effect was enhanced not only in the no-go stimulation in the training task but also in the incongruent stimulation in the untrained Stroop task and there was a correlation in the enhancement of the N2 effect between the two tasks. To some extent, this study provided neuroscientific evidence that response inhibition training can transfer to interference control.

Using generalizability theory and the ERP reliability analysis (ERA) toolbox for assessing test-retest reliability of ERP scores part 2: Application to food-based tasks and stimuli

If an ERP score is to reflect a trait-like characteristic or indicate if an intervention had an effect over time, adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability of that ERP score across multiple testing sessions must be established. The current paper is a companion paper to Clayson et al. (current issue) that applied generalizability theory formulas and the ERP Reliability Analysis (ERA) Toolbox to assess test-retest and internal consistency in a dataset of event-related brain potentials (ERPs) assessing food-related cognition. Although ERPs in response to food cues have been related to eating behaviors or assessed during a health intervention, the reliability of food-related ERPs generally has not been tested. Within the generalizability theory framework, we assessed the stability (cf., test-retest reliability) and equivalence (cf., internal consistency) of four commonly used food-related ERPs: the late positive potential (LPP), centro-parietal P3, N2, and fronto-central P3. 132 participants (92 female) completed two testing sessions held two weeks apart. During the sessions, participants completed a passive food viewing task, a high-calorie go/no-go task, and a low-calorie go/no-go task in a counterbalanced fashion. Coefficients of equivalence for all ERPs were excellent (>0.96). Coefficients of stability were moderate-to-low, with N2 scores on the low-calorie go/no-go task showing the highest test-retest reliability (>0.65) and fronto-central P3 scores on the high-calorie go/no-go task showing the lowest (0.48). Results suggest the ERPs in the current dataset have high internal consistency and would be reliable in detecting individual differences, but their test-retest reliability is limited. Reliability of these ERPs may be improved with changes in task stimuli, task instructions, and study procedures.

Effects of adaptive and non-adaptive three-week executive control training on interference control: Evidence from the N2, CRN, and ERN

The current pilot study investigated if interference control can be improved by a three-week at-home training comprising a flanker and a n-back task in healthy adults, thus exploring the training's suitability for future clinical application, i.e. as a treatment augmentation for psychological disorders. As training gains are assumed to be modulated by the amount of mismatch between task demands and brain resources, an adaptive and a non-adaptive training were contrasted in separate experiments. In the adaptive training, task difficulty was continuously adapted to participants' performance. In the non-adaptive training procedure, task difficulty remained stable on the lowest difficulty level. As deficits in interference control in psychological disorders often predominantly manifest on the electrophysiological level, the impact of the training procedures on medio-frontal negativities (N2, CRN, ERN) was investigated in addition to behavioral measures. The adaptive training led to significant improvements in interference control, as reflected in reduced response times and error rates in incompatible trials. This was accompanied by specific and complementary changes in medio-frontal negativities: After the adaptive training the N2 in incompatible trials was larger and the CRN in incompatible trials was reduced. The non-adaptive training procedure led to generally faster response times but also an increased error rate, indicating a speed-accuracy trade-off. This was accompanied by global changes to medio-frontal negativities irrespective of compatibility, possibly indicating task disengagement. Taken together, the current studies demonstrate that an adaptive training procedure can improve interference control thereby opening up possible clinical applications.

The Effects of Subliminal Goal Priming on Emotional Response Inhibition in Cases of Major Depression

Previous studies have provided evidence that automatic emotion regulation (AER), which is primed by control goals, can change emotion trajectory unconsciously. However, the cognitive mechanism and associated changes in depression remain unclear. The current study aimed to examine whether subliminal goal priming could change the emotional response inhibition among patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and their healthy controls. A group of patients with depression and a healthy control group were both primed subliminally by playing control goal related or neutral words for 20 ms each; afterward, they judged the gender of happy or angry faces in an emotional Go/No-Go task. A group of depressed patients and a healthy control group both were both primed subliminally with control goal-related words (20 ms) or neutral words (20 ms), and they judged the gender of happy or angry faces in an emotional Go/No-Go task. Among patients with depression, there were fewer false alarms of the No-Go response to emotional stimulus after priming with control goal rather than neutral words. Meanwhile, patients with MDD in the subliminal regulation goal priming condition reacted faster to happy rather than angry faces; no significant difference was found in the subliminal neutral priming condition. These findings suggest the malleability of inhibitory control in depression using subliminal priming goals.

Theta oscillations in prolactinomas: Neurocognitive deficits in executive controls

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Prolactin levels negatively correlated with prolactinomas’ executive controls.

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Prolactin levels mediated the correlation between frontal theta activity and inhibition control ability.

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Prolactinomas exhibited decreased frontal theta power in Go/Nogo task.

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The frontal theta oscillation was highlighted as the electrophysiological markers of the impaired inhibitory control in prolactinomas.

Impairment of cognitive functions has been reported in prolactinomas. However, the electrophysiological mechanisms of response activation and response inhibition in prolactinomas remain unclear. We recorded participants’ scalp electroencephalography (EEG) in a visual Go/Nogo task. Compared to the healthy controls (HCs), the patients demonstrated worse performance and their prolactin (PRL) levels negatively correlated with behavioral results. Meanwhile, patients’ P300 amplitudes in the Go and Nogo conditions were smaller than the HCs. The amplitudes of N200nogo in patients were smaller than the HCs as well. Lower frontal theta power was found in the patients than the HCs in both Go and Nogo conditions, which indicated a deficit in response activation and inhibition. Moreover, the PRL levels mediated the relationship between frontal theta power and behavior performance, implying that lower frontal theta power caused the dysfunction of response control by abnormally high PRL levels. Patients also showed lower occipital alpha power than the HCs, which suggested that the impaired response inhibition may arise from deficient attention control. Taken together, the present study revealed the neurocognitive discrepancies between prolactinomas and the HCs. The frontal theta oscillation was highlighted as the electrophysiological markers of the impaired response control in prolactinomas.

The impact of tinnitus on working memory capacity

OBJECTIVE

To determine if tinnitus was related to working memory (WM) in adults and if tinnitus handicap was related to WM in adults with tinnitus.

DESIGN

Two groups, cross-sectional design.

STUDY SAMPLES

76 adults forming a tinnitus group (n = 38) and a control group (n = 38). Each group included 19 adults with normal hearing and 19 adults with hearing loss matched for age, sex and educational backgrounds. All participants completed the visual n-back test; pure tone audiometry (0.125-16 kHz); and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Tinnitus sufferers also completed the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI).

RESULTS

For all participants, tinnitus was not related to WM scores when corrected for hearing thresholds, anxiety, and depression. The corrections for best ear high-frequency pure-tone average hearing threshold (BEHFPTA: 10, 12.5, 14 and 16 kHz) were significant. For tinnitus sufferers, THI was related to WM scores in the easiest n-back condition, and BEHFPTA was related to WM scores in the easiest and the hardest n-back condition.

CONCLUSION

Tinnitus was not related to WM scores. Tinnitus handicap was related to some WM scores in tinnitus sufferers. Further investigation of the possible relationship between high-frequency hearing and WM is warranted.

The Relationship Between Response-Inhibitory Event-Related Potentials and Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Adult Patients with Major Depressive Disorder

OBJECTIVE

Attention-deficit and poor impulse control have frequently been observed in major depressive disorder (MDD) and attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Altered event-related potential (ERP) performance, such as GoNogo tasks, has been regarded as a neurocognitive process associated with attention and behavioral inhibition. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between Nogo ERP and adult ADHD in MDD.

METHODS

A total of 64 participants with MDD (32 comorbid with ADHD) and 32 healthy controls aged 19-45 years were recruited; they performed GoNogo paradigms during electroencephalogram measurement. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) were evaluated. Clinical measures and GoNogo ERP were compared between three groups: depression with ADHD, depression without ADHD, and healthy controls.

RESULTS

MDD subjects with ADHD showed significantly decreased Nogo P3 amplitude at frontal electrode, compared with those without ADHD and healthy controls. MDD subjects with ADHD showed significantly longer Nogo N2 latency at frontal and frontocentral electrodes, compared with those without ADHD and healthy controls. In MDD subjects with ADHD, the Nogo P3 amplitude at the frontal electrode was negatively correlated with the ASRS score and inattention. The Nogo N2 latency at the frontal electrode was positively correlated with false alarm rate.

CONCLUSION

The decreased Nogo P3 amplitude in the frontal area might be a potential biological marker for inattention in depressed patients with ADHD.

Response Activation and Inhibition in Patients With Prolactinomas: An Electrophysiological Study

Impairment of executive function has been reported in patients with prolactinomas. However, few studies have investigated the electrophysiological mechanisms of response activation and response inhibition in these patients. In this study, we employ an event-related potentials (ERPs) technique to quantitatively assess response activation and inhibition before and after the surgical treatment of prolactinomas. A 64-electrode electroencephalogram (EEG) skullcap was used to record the brain activity in 20 pre-operative patients, 20 follow-up post-operative patients, and 20 healthy controls (HCs) while performing the visual Go/Nogo task. As expected, we identified P300 across all study populations that could reflect response activation and inhibition. Across the three groups, the Nogo stimuli evoked larger frontal-central P300 than the Go stimuli did. In contrast, the Go trials elicited larger parietal P300 than the Nogo trials did. The peak latency of P300 was significantly delayed in both the pre-operative and the post-operative groups compared to the HCs. The amplitude of P300 in both the Go and the Nogo conditions was significantly decreased in the pre-operative patients compared with that of the HCs. At 6 months post-operatively, the prolactinoma patients showed an increase in amplitude of P300 during both the Go and the Nogo tasks. These findings indicate that the prolactinoma patients suffer from deficits in response activation and inhibition, which could be improved by surgical treatment.

Dissociated deficits in attentional networks in social anxiety and depression

A critical cognitive symptom that is commonly involved in social anxiety and depression is attentional deficit. However, the functional relationship between attentional deficit and these two disorders remains poorly understood. Here, we behaviorally disentangled the three key attentional components (alerting, orienting, and executive control) using the established attentional network task (ANT) to investigate how social anxiety and depression are related to deficits in these attention components. We identified a double dissociation between the symptoms of social anxiety and depression and the attentional component deficits when processing non-emotional stimuli. While individuals vulnerable to social anxiety exhibited deficits in the orienting component, individuals vulnerable to depression were impaired in the executive control component. Our findings showed that social anxiety and depression were associated with deficits in different attentional components, which are not specific to emotional information.

An Investigation Into Response Inhibition in Distinct Clinical Groups Within Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

OBJECTIVE

Response inhibition has been frequently studied in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with mixed results. The inconsistent findings may stem in part from failure to consider the heterogeneity of the disorder.

METHODS

The authors examined behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) components (N2 and P3) during a simple response inhibition go/nogo task in a sample of patients with OCD (N=48) and control subjects (N=53). Comparisons in behavioral and electrophysiological measures were made between groups (OCD compared with control) and within the OCD group in terms of symptom clusters (symmetry, forbidden thoughts, and cleaning) and comorbidity status (OCD only and OCD with depression).

RESULTS

In the OCD group, the N2 component appeared more frontally localized compared with the control group. Participants with OCD demonstrated longer N2 latency and a larger difference in N2 between the nogo and go conditions, suggesting slower but greater conflict monitoring. P3 had a larger amplitude in the OCD group compared with the control group, indicative of greater response inhibition, but was also reduced in the nogo compared with go condition, suggesting suppressed response inhibition. No significant differences were found between symptom clusters, but patients with OCD only made more omission errors compared with patients with OCD and comorbid depression. The latter cohort also had faster P3 latencies, which, combined with the behavioral data, indicates slightly improved response inhibition when comorbid depression is found.

CONCLUSIONS

On the basis of these results, it would seem unlikely that symptom clusters have contributed to previous inconsistencies in the literature. Comorbid depression, which may have affected previous results, should be considered in future research.

Trait Anxiety Attenuates Response Inhibition: Evidence From an ERP Study Using the Go/NoGo Task

Neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience have shown that anxious individuals have deficits in response inhibition. However, existing knowledge about the influence of trait anxiety on response inhibition is still inconsistent. The aim of this study was to investigate response inhibition between groups with high trait anxiety (HTA) and low trait anxiety (LTA). Here, we used event-related potential (ERP) indexes as biomarkers to examine the effect of trait anxiety on response inhibition using the Go/NoGo task. Behavioral results indicated that the HTA group made significantly lower accuracy than did the LTA group in the NoGo condition but not the Go condition. Meanwhile, the HTA group needed significantly longer overall response time (RT) than the LTA group did. ERP analyses revealed that the HTA group had smaller and later frontal NoGo-N2 as well as larger and later parietal NoGo-P3 compared to the LTA group. The two response inhibition-related ERP components are distinct neurophysiological indexes that, first, the NoGo-N2 is a component involved in the motor plan prior to the motor execution inhibitory process. Second, the NoGo-P3 reflects later monitoring and evaluation of the inhibition process. Accordingly, the current ERP findings suggest that HTA individuals’ response inhibition deficits are the consequence of abnormal premotor inhibition control and inefficient evaluation and monitoring. In addition, we also found that the peak amplitude of NoGo-N2 and NoGo-P3 were significantly correlated with the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) scores after correction for multiple comparisons. To sum up, these results support the notion that trait anxious individuals have response inhibition deficits in the Go/NoGo task.

Characterizing neurocognitive markers of familial risk for depression using multi-modal imaging, behavioral and self-report measures

BACKGROUND

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with poorer behavioral performance in domains of working memory and associated cognitive systems for cognitive control and attention. Functional neuroimaging studies show altered functioning in MDD in frontal executive control circuits implicated in these cognitive processes. It is not yet known whether poor cognitive performance involving these circuits is part of the familial risk for MDD, and we addressed this issue using a multi-modal imaging, behavioral and self-report approach in unaffected first-degree relatives of parent probands with MDD.

METHODS

72 unaffected adult first-degree relatives of probands with MDD (mean age 30.5 ± 13.4 years) with and 66 case-wise matched non-relative controls underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging during performance of 'n-back' working memory task, a Go/No-go task assessing cognitive control and an Auditory Oddball test of selective attention. Groups were compared on imaging data analyzed voxel wise with a focus on dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex and insula regions of interest, and on corresponding behavioral accuracy and reaction time data. Symptoms were assessed using self-report scales.

RESULTS

Relatives were distinguished by comparatively decreased activation in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during updating of working memory. Behaviorally, relatives also showed more errors of omission during working memory updating. DLPFC hypo-activation was associated with greater depressive symptom severity.

CONCLUSIONS

Deficits in cognitive processing may be part of the profile of familial risk for depression, preceding illness onset, specifically in the domain of working memory.

Children's appraisals of maternal depression and responses to emotional faces in early-adolescence: An Event Related Potential (ERP) study

BACKGROUND

Parental depression represents a significant risk for depression development in offspring. While cognitive mechanisms represent a central risk pathway, children's appraisals of parental symptoms have been understudied. This study examined associations between children's self-blame, threat, and frequency/duration appraisals for maternal symptoms in relation to cognitive control and emotional response processes.

METHODS

Sixty mother-daughter (aged 10-14-years) pairs participated. Affective processing was assessed by three Event Related Potential (ERP) components, the N2, P3, and LPP, during an emotional Go/NoGo task.

RESULTS

Threat-appraisals were associated with alterations in all three ERP components, independently of maternal diagnostic histories or youth depressive symptoms. Self-blame was associated with early attentional engagement towards calm faces. Independent effects of maternal depression history and youth symptoms were also observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Results highlight the importance of youth perceptions of maternal depressive symptoms in models of depression-risk.

Emotional interference under low versus high executive control

Previous research has demonstrated that task-irrelevant emotional distractors interfere with task performance especially under low phasic executive control (i.e., in nonconflict trials). In the present study, we measured medio-frontal ERPs (N2 and correct-related negativity, CRN) to elucidate which aspects of task performance are affected by emotional interference in a flanker task. To create emotional interference, negative and neutral pictures were presented during the flanker stimuli. N2 and CRN were reduced after negative pictures, indicating that conflict processing and performance monitoring are both affected by emotional interference. On the behavioral level, prolonged response times after negative pictures were observed under low phasic executive control (i.e., in compatible trials). Additionally, we explored whether emotional interference is modulated not only by phasic changes in executive control (i.e., conflict vs. nonconflict trials) but also by tonic changes in executive control (i.e., low vs. high overall conflict frequency). To this end, the flanker task consisted of two blocks with 25% versus 75% incompatible trials. Prolonged response times after negative pictures in compatible trials were observed only under low tonic executive control but not under high executive control.

Multidimensional Patterns of Sexual Risk Behavior and Psychiatric Disorders in Men with Substance Use Disorders

Previous evidence links substance use disorders (SUD) to STI/HIV risk and suggests that comorbid psychiatric disorders increase the probability to engage in sexual risk behaviors. This study had two aims: (1) to identify subgroups based on sexual risk behavior using a person-centered approach in a sample of substance users and (2) to measure the association of psychiatric and SUD with subgroup membership. We assessed 402 male adults with SUD, reporting sexual intercourse in the previous 12 months using the HIV-Risk Behavior Scale and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Latent class analysis was performed to determine multidimensional patterns of sexual risk behaviors and multinomial logistic regression was utilized to associate classes with disorders. The three-class model showed the best fit, and the classes were labeled: Relationship-Based (31.34% of the sample), Condom-Based (39.55%), and Multiple Risks (29.10%). Controlling for age and marital status, major depressive disorders, antisocial personality disorder, and any psychiatric disorder were associated with the Multiple Risks class. Results stress the importance of developing a personalized assessment and counseling for sexual risk behaviors in individuals with SUD, particularly when they endorse criteria for comorbid psychiatric disorders. Future studies should focus on evaluating differential response to preventive interventions.

Distress intolerance modulation of neurophysiological markers of cognitive control during a complex go/no-go task

Distress intolerance (DI), a trait-like individual difference reflective of the inability to endure aversive affective states, is relevant to multiple forms of psychopathology, but its relations to theoretically relevant neurobiological systems have received little attention. Altered cognitive control-related neurobiology has been theorized to underlie individual differences in DI, but little empirical work has been conducted. To test this hypothesis, baseline data from a large community sample with elevated high levels of emotional psychopathology and comorbidity was utilized (N = 256). Participants completed a complex go/no-go task while EEG was recorded, and P2, N2, and P3 amplitudes were measured. Based upon prior findings on the relations between these components and response inhibition, a core cognitive control function, we hypothesized that DI would predict reduced no-go N2 and P3 amplitude while controlling for current anxious/depressive symptom severity (i.e., negative affect). Peak amplitudes from the raw data and principal components analysis were used to quantify amplitude of ERP components. Partially consistent with predictions, high DI was independently associated with reduced no-go N2 peak amplitude in the raw ERP data, and was significantly related to a frontal positivity factor in the N2 time window across no-go and go trials. Contrary to predictions, no relations between DI and the P3 were found. Overall, results support the theorized relevance of cognitive control-linked neurobiology to individual differences in tolerance of distress over and above distress severity itself, and suggest specific relations between DI and alterations in early controlled attention/conflict-monitoring but not response inhibition or response inhibition-related sequelae. (PsycINFO Database Record

Adaptações do cérebro durante uma tarefa de longa duração: Um estudo de Potencial Relacionado a Evento

Resumo O objetivo deste estudo é investigar o efeito da demanda cognitiva prolongada na modulação do Potencial Relacionado a Evento (ERP) em um paradigma de controle inibitório. Os dados foram coletados em 19 voluntários destros, com a média de idade de 21,21 (±1,77) anos, que realizaram o paradigma do Go/NoGo durante 50 minutos, com gravação sincronizada do eletroencefalograma para obtenção dos ERPs. O efeito do tempo de realização da tarefa provocou alterações significativas nas variáveis subjetivas, de desempenho cognitivo e nas amplitudes máximas dos componentes N2 e P3. Nossos resultados sugerem que quando nosso cérebro está submetido a demandas cognitivas extensas, ocorrem adaptações para a manutenção do desempenho comportamental através da estratégia de realocação de recursos energéticos.

Age Effects on Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Response Inhibition: An MEG Study

Inhibition, the ability to suppress irrelevant information, thoughts or movements, is crucial for humans to perform context-appropriate behaviors. It was suggested that declined cognitive performance in older adults might be attributed to inhibitory deficiencies. Although previous studies have shown an age-associated reduction in inhibitory ability, the understanding regarding its cortical spatiotemporal maps remained limited. Thus, we used a whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) to elucidate the age effects on response inhibition, and to explore the brain activation differences in high- and low-performing seniors. We recruited 22 younger and 22 older adults to participate in the visual Go/No-go task. Both behavioral performance and neuromagnetic responses to No-go stimuli were analyzed. The behavioral results showed that the older adults made more false alarm (FA) errors than the younger adults did. The MEG results showed that the seniors exhibited declined cortical activities in middle temporal gyrus (MTG) and delayed activation in MTG, prefrontal cortex (PFC) and pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA). Furthermore, among the older adults, more recruitment of the left PFC was found in the high-performers than in the lower-performers. In conclusion, age-related deficiencies in response inhibition were observed in both behavioral performance and neurophysiological measurement. Our results also suggested that frontal recruitment plays a compensatory role in successful inhibition.

Impaired Working Memory Updating for Emotional Stimuli in Depressed Patients

Although two previous studies have demonstrated that depressed individuals showed deficits in working memory (WM) updating of both negative and positive contents, the effects were confounded by shifting dysfunctions and the detailed neural mechanism associated with the failure in N-back task is not clear. Using a 2-back task, the current study examined the WM updating of positive, negative and neutral contents in depressed patients. It is found that depressed patients performed poorer than healthy controls only when updating positive material. Using event-related potential (ERP) technique, the current study also investigated the neural correlates of updating deficits in depression. According to previous studies, the n-back task was divided into three sub-processes, i.e., encoding, matching and maintaining. Our ERP results showed that depressed patients had smaller occipital P1 for positive material compared to healthy controls, indicating their insensitivity to positive items on early encoding stage. Besides, depressed patients had larger frontal P2 and parietal late positive potential (LPP) than healthy controls irrespective of the valence of the words, reflecting that patients are inefficient during matching (P2) and maintaining (LPP) processes. These two mechanisms (insufficient attention to positive stimuli and low efficiency in matching and maintaining) together lead to the deficits of WM updating in depression.

Effort-cost decision-making in psychosis and depression: could a similar behavioral deficit arise from disparate psychological and neural mechanisms?

Motivational impairment is a common feature of both depression and psychosis; however, the psychological and neural mechanisms that give rise to motivational impairment in these disorders are poorly understood. Recent research has suggested that aberrant effort-cost decision-making (ECDM) may be a potential contributor to motivational impairment in both psychosis and depression. ECDM refers to choices that individuals make regarding the amount of 'work' they are willing to expend to obtain a certain outcome or reward. Recent experimental work has suggested that those with psychosis and depression may be less willing to expend effort to obtain rewards compared with controls, and that this effort deficit is related to motivational impairment in both disorders. In the current review, we aim to summarize the current literature on ECDM in psychosis and depression, providing evidence for transdiagnostic impairment. Next, we discuss evidence for the hypothesis that a seemingly similar behavioral ECDM deficit might arise from disparate psychological and neural mechanisms. Specifically, we argue that effort deficits in psychosis might be largely driven by deficits in cognitive control and the neural correlates of cognitive control processes, while effort deficits in depression might be largely driven by reduced reward responsivity and the associated neural correlates of reward responsivity. Finally, we will provide some discussion regarding future directions, as well as interpretative challenges to consider when examining ECDM transdiagnostically.