Neural processes of inhibitory control in American Indian peoples are associated with reduced mental health problems

Applying an Indigenous Connectedness Framework to Examine Environmental Risk and Protective Factors for Urban American Indian Children's Executive Function Development

Indigenous frameworks suggest environmental risk and protective factors for American Indian (AI) children's development can be understood in terms of connecting and disconnecting forces in five domains: spirituality, family, intergenerational ties, community, and environment/land. This study examined the prevalence of these forces among 156 urban AI parents and their children (mean age = 10.69, SD = 1.92) and investigated associations with child executive function (EF). Parents reported on three disconnecting forces (parent stressful life events, discrimination, and neighborhood risks) and two connecting forces (knowledge of tribal history and engagement with cultural beliefs and traditional practices). Parents rated children's EF using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), and a subsample of children (n = 81) provided self-report EF data. Controlling for income and child age, connecting forces (parent engagement with cultural beliefs and traditional practices and knowledge of tribal history) were associated with higher parent-reported and child self-reported EF, while disconnecting forces (discrimination and neighborhood risk) were related to lower child EF. Findings highlight the protective role of cultural connectedness for urban AI children's cognitive development, and the importance of centering Indigenous theory in risk and resilience research with AI families.

Neural correlates of impulsivity in bipolar disorder: A systematic review and clinical implications

Impulsivity is a common feature of bipolar disorder (BD) with ramifications for functional impairment and premature mortality. This PRISMA-guided systematic review aims to integrate findings on the neurocircuitry associated with impulsivity in BD. We searched for functional neuroimaging studies that examined rapid-response impulsivity and choice impulsivity using the Go/No-Go Task, Stop-Signal Task, and Delay Discounting Task. Findings from 33 studies were synthesized with an emphasis on the effect of mood state of the sample and affective salience of the task. Results suggest trait-like brain activation abnormalities in regions implicated in impulsivity that persist across mood states. During rapid-response inhibition, BD exhibit under-activation of key frontal, insular, parietal, cingulate, and thalamic regions, but over-activation of these regions when the task involves emotional stimuli. Delay discounting tasks with functional neuroimaging in BD are lacking, but hyperactivity of orbitofrontal and striatal regions associated with reward hypersensitivity may be related to difficulty delaying gratification. We propose a working model of neurocircuitry dysfunction underlying behavioral impulsivity in BD. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed.