Executive functioning, temperament, and drug use involvement in adolescent females with a substance use disorder

Negative Affect, Sensation Seeking, and Adolescent Substance Use Development: The Moderating Role of Executive Function

It is unknown how the Addictions Neuroclinical Assessment markers-negative affect, sensation seeking, and executive function-contribute to substance use development. This study examined whether associations of negative affect and sensation seeking with substance use vary by executive function. Participants were 167 adolescents (47% female) who participated annually for four years (Mage = 14.07, SDage = 0.54 at Time 1). There were within-person bidirectional associations between higher negative affect and higher substance use for adolescents with lower executive function. Adolescents with higher sensation seeking at age 14 exhibited increasing substance use trajectories from age 14 to 17, regardless of executive function level. Negative affect and substance use influence each other within individuals, whereas sensation seeking predicts substance use between individuals.

Substance use disorders in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: The role of affective temperament

OBJECTIVE

Substance Use Disorders (SUD) are common in adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Although predictors of SUD in this population are relevant for prevention and treatment, they need further clarification. Affective temperaments potentially associated with SUD in adult ADHD patients were explored.

METHODS

ADHD patients with and without SUD were compared for sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological characteristics through: Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale; Wender Utah Rating Scale; Temperament Evaluation Memphis for Pisa, Paris, and San Diego-Autoquestionnaire. Logistic regression investigated factors associated with SUD.

RESULTS

We included one-hundred and thirty-six ADHD patients with (n = 51, 37.5 %) and without SUD (n = 85, 62.5 %). The presence of SUD was associated with irritable temperament (p = 0.009), as well as more frequent school failure (p = 0.038), legal problems (p = 0.039), and lifetime suicide attempts (p = 0.014).

LIMITATIONS

The cross-sectional design, the relatively small sample size, and the use of self-administered questionnaires.

CONCLUSIONS

This study confirms the greater overall severity of adult ADHD-SUD compared with ADHD-only patients and suggests the potential role of irritable temperament as a predictor of substance-related problems.

Assessing Temperament Risk Factors in Late Childhood and Early Adolescence: Development and Validation of the Integrative Late Childhood Temperament Inventory

Childhood temperament has a well-documented influence on later life outcomes, notably behavior problems, quality of interpersonal relationships, and academic achievement. However, there is at present a lack of brief measures that assess temperament characteristics which are represented across models of temperament in the late childhood and early adolescence period. To redress this gap, the aim of the current study was to develop and validate a short questionnaire that extends an earlier integrative measure of temperament, the Integrative Child Temperament Inventory (ICTI) to the late childhood period. The new measure (named Integrative Late Childhood Temperament Inventory, ILCTI) includes all five components of the ICTI (frustration, behavioral inhibition, attention/persistence, activity level, sensory sensitivity), plus affiliation. German- or English-speaking parents rated a total of 525 children, aged 8 to 14 years. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the predicted structure of the new measure. Examination of fit indices and psychometric analyses showed that 24 items are sufficient to capture all six dimensions reliably. Next to convergent validity with established measures of temperament and personality, we also present analyses of associations with measures of externalizing problems, internalizing problems, and school failure all of which support the instrument's clinical utility. Thus, despite its brevity, the ILCTI is a reliable and valid measure of late childhood temperament that can be helpful in assessing risk of developing behavior problems or school failure.

Children with lower ratings of executive functions have a greater response to the portion size effect

Deficits in executive functions (EFs), a set of cognitive processes related to self-regulation, are associated with the development of obesity. Prior studies from our group showed that lower food-cue related activation in brain regions implicated in self-regulation was related to a larger portion size effect. We tested the hypothesis that lower EFs in children would be positively related to the portion size effect. Healthy weight children aged 7-8 y (n = 88), who varied by maternal obesity status, participated in a prospective study. At baseline, the parent primarily in charge of feeding completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF2) to assess child EFs, including Behavioral (BRI), Emotional (ERI), and Cognitive (CRI) indices. At 4 baseline sessions, children consumed meals in which the portion sizes of foods (pasta, chicken nuggets, broccoli, and grapes) varied by visit (total meal weight of 769, 1011, 1256, or 1492g). Intake increased with increasing portions in a linear trajectory (p < 0.001). EFs moderated the portion size effect such that lower BRI (p = 0.003) and ERI (p = 0.006) were associated with steeper increases in intake as portions increased. As amount of food increased, children in the lowest functioning tertiles for BRI and ERI increased intake by 35% and 36%, respectively, compared to children in the higher tertiles. Increases in intake among children with lower EFs were for higher- but not lower-energy-dense foods. Thus, in healthy weight children who varied by obesity risk, lower parentally reported EFs were associated with a larger portion size effect, and these results were independent of child and parent weight status. Therefore, EFs may be target behaviors that could be strengthened to help children moderate excess intake in response to large portions of energy-dense foods.

Neurocognitive Correlates of Adolescent Cannabis Use: An Overview of Neural Activation Patterns in Task-Based Functional MRI Studies

Adolescence is dynamic and comprises physiological, psychological, and neurocognitive changes. Notably, many developmentally associated neurobiological changes (e.g., synaptic pruning, myelination) coincide with peak substances use prevalence rates, particularly for cannabis use. Cannabis remains the most commonly used illicit drug among adolescents with 23.9% reporting cannabis use in the last year (Johnston et al., 2019). Adolescents who engage in cannabis use often show poorer neurocognitive performance and alterations in structural and functional brain development as compared to their non-using peers (Jacobus & Tapert, 2014). Over the past several decades, the cognitive domains most consistently associated with cannabis use among adolescents are learning and memory and several facets of executive functioning (e.g., inhibitory control, decision-making). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a non-invasive method for probing the neural substrates underlying possible cannabis-related changes in cognition. This brief review aims to synthesize recent findings on the relationship between adolescent (≤25 years old) cannabis use and neural response during task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Findings thus far suggest aberrant, often hyperactive, response to task-based stimuli in youth cannabis users. When considering the future directions of fMRI research with cannabis-using youth, review of existing studies also highlights the need for more prospective research with diverse samples.

Maternal substance use in pregnancy: Differential prediction by childhood adversity subtypes

Substance use in pregnancy, including alcohol use, drug use, or smoking, is associated with poor health outcomes for both the mother and her unborn child. Building on previous research that has examined the cumulative impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on maternal binge drinking and alcohol use in pregnancy, the current study sought to examine the association between maternal ACEs and substance use in pregnancy more broadly, including alcohol use, binge drinking, smoking, and drug use. Furthermore, we also examined how different adversity subtypes, including sexual abuse, family violence (physical abuse, emotional abuse), and household dysfunction, differentially predict maternal substance use behavior. A sample of 1994 women were recruited between 2008 and 2011 from a community-based pregnancy cohort in Calgary, Canada. Self-reported information on exposure to ACEs prior to the age of 18 years and maternal substance usewere collected. Examining ACE subtypes, medium effects were observed for the role of household-dysfunction on binge drinking, drug use, and smoking in pregnancy, while only small effects were observed for family violence on binge drinking, drug use, and smoking. There were no significant effects for sexual abuse after controlling for covariates. A dose-response association between the number of ACEs and substance use in pregnancy was also demonstrated. Increased support prior to, and in pregnancy, particularly for women with a history of childhood adversity, is needed to reduce substance use behaviors in pregnancy.

Transactional relations between developmental trajectories of executive functioning and internalizing and externalizing symptomatology in adolescence

Adolescence is a period of social, physical, and neurobiological transitions that may leave individuals more vulnerable to the development of internalizing and externalizing symptomatology. Extant research demonstrates that executive functioning (EF) is associated with psychopathology outcomes in adolescence; however, it has yet to be examined how EF and psychopathology develop transactionally over time. Data were collected from 167 adolescents (47% female, 13-14 years old at Time 1) and their primary caregiver over 4 years. At each time point, adolescents completed three behavioral tasks that capture the underlying dimensions of EF, and both adolescents and their primary caregiver completed measures of adolescent psychopathology. Latent growth curve modeling was used to test the associations between initial levels and trajectories of EF and psychopathology. Results indicated that higher initial levels of internalizing and externalizing symptomatology were associated with lower EF at Time 4 (controlling for Time 1 EF). Initial levels of EF did not predict changes in internalizing and externalizing symptomatology. These findings suggest that early psychopathology may be a risk factor for maladaptive EF development in adolescence.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the executive function-health behaviour relationship

Objective

This study provides the first comprehensive meta-analysis of the relationship between executive function (EF) and performance of health behaviours in healthy populations.

Method

Electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science) were searched, and forward and backward citation tracking was undertaken to identify articles investigating the relationship between EF and health behaviour. Studies were eligible if they examined the direct correlational relationship between EF and health behaviour in healthy populations, were available in English and published in peer-reviewed journals in any year.

Results

Sixty-one articles covering 65 tests were included in a random effects meta-analysis. Several moderators were assessed, including: the type, and addictiveness of the health behaviour; the type of EF measure; study design, and sample characteristics. Overall EF had a significant, but small correlation with health behaviour; EF was significantly positively associated with health-protective behaviours and significantly negatively associated with health-damaging behaviours. There was considerable heterogeneity in the observed effect sizes, but this was not explained by the examined moderators.

Conclusions

Although the meta-analysis indicates a significant effect for EF on health behaviour, effect size is small. Due to the complex nature of EF, more research is required to further elucidate the relationship between EF and health behaviour in its entire conceptualization.

Intelligence moderates the relationship between delay discounting rate and problematic alcohol use

Individuals with problematic alcohol use discount larger delayed rewards at higher rates relative to smaller immediate rewards compared with healthy controls. Lower executive function ability, including lower general intelligence quotient (IQ), is associated with both high delay discounting rates and more lifetime alcohol-related problems. Although problematic alcohol use, delay discounting rates, and IQ are all significantly associated, we know little about the nature of their interrelationships. This study tests the hypothesis that IQ moderates the association between delay discounting rates and measures of problematic alcohol use. Lifetime alcohol-related problems, drinking levels over the past 2 weeks, IQ, and delay discounting were assessed in a sample of 617 young adults (303 female). Higher delay discounting rates were associated with more lifetime alcohol problems, more recent alcohol use, and lower IQ. However, analyses also revealed that IQ moderated the association between delay discounting rates and lifetime alcohol problems as well as high levels of recent alcohol use. Delay discounting rates were more strongly associated with both lifetime alcohol problems and higher levels of recent alcohol consumption for those with higher IQ compared with those with lower IQ. Results indicate that discounting rewards at higher rates may indicate an important risk factor for problematic alcohol use in individuals with high IQ, whereas this association may be blunted in individuals with low IQ because of their uniformly elevated discounting rates and higher problematic alcohol use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

How Is Religiousness Associated With Adolescent Risk-Taking? The Roles of Emotion Regulation and Executive Function

Existing literature has demonstrated an association between higher adolescent religiousness and lower risk-taking via higher self-regulation. This study sought to elucidate the roles of emotion regulation and executive function as parallel mediators in the link between religiousness and risk-taking in a sample of 167 adolescents (mean age = 14.13 years, 52% male, 82% White at Time 1). Longitudinal results across three waves utilizing structural equation modeling indicated higher religiousness was associated with higher emotion regulation, whereas religiousness was not associated with executive function. Subsequently, higher emotion regulation and executive function were associated with lower risk-taking. Emotion regulation mediated the association between religiousness and risk-taking. The findings highlight religiousness as a contextual protective factor for adolescents.

Executive Control and Adolescent Health: Toward A Conceptual Framework

Executive control is a set of cognitive abilities that may impact a variety of adolescent health behaviors and outcomes; however, research on executive control as a contributor to the physical health of youth is relatively limited. Therefore, the current article explores the possible role of executive control in adolescent health by reviewing relevant literature and proposing a conceptual framework to guide future research in this area. The development of executive control from preschool through adolescence is described, with particular attention to executive control in the unique health context of adolescence. A new conceptual model is proposed, focusing on how executive control may play a critical role in supporting health in adolescence and beyond through the mechanisms of attentional, behavioral, and emotional control. Literature exploring associations between youth executive control and key health behaviors (including diet, physical activity, sleep and substance use) is reviewed. Researchers and clinicians are encouraged to consider executive control as an important cross-cutting contributor to health during adolescence and beyond and to incorporate this construct into longitudinal studies of health.

Sensitivity to "sunk costs" in mice, rats, and humans

Sunk costs are irrecoverable investments that should not influence decisions, because decisions should be made on the basis of expected future consequences. Both human and nonhuman animals can show sensitivity to sunk costs, but reports from across species are inconsistent. In a temporal context, a sensitivity to sunk costs arises when an individual resists ending an activity, even if it seems unproductive, because of the time already invested. In two parallel foraging tasks that we designed, we found that mice, rats, and humans show similar sensitivities to sunk costs in their decision-making. Unexpectedly, sensitivity to time invested accrued only after an initial decision had been made. These findings suggest that sensitivity to temporal sunk costs lies in a vulnerability distinct from deliberation processes and that this distinction is present across species.

Structural Home Environment Effects on Developmental Trajectories of Self-Control and Adolescent Risk Taking

Extant literature has demonstrated that self-control is critical for health and adjustment in adolescence. Questions remain regarding whether there are individuals that may be most vulnerable to impaired self-control development and whether aspects of the structural home environment may predict membership in these subgroups, as well as the behavioral consequences of impaired self-control trajectories. The present study utilized growth mixture modeling and data from 1083 individuals (50% female, 82% White) from age 8.5 to 15 years to identify four latent classes of self-control development. Additionally, higher household chaos and lower socioeconomic status at age 8.5 were associated with maladaptive trajectories of self-control at ages 8.5-11.5. In turn, maladaptive self-control trajectories at ages 8.5-11.5 were associated with higher risk taking at age 15. The results highlight the importance of increased structure and support for at-risk youth.

Executive functioning and substance use in adolescence: Neurobiological and behavioral perspectives

The current review is guided by the theoretical perspective that emphasizes the regulating role of executive functioning (Carver et al., 2009) and presents studies that elucidate the ways that executive functioning (inhibition and working memory) explain individual differences in adolescent substance use independently or by regulating the reactive system (reward and punishment sensitivity). Behavioral studies indicate that main effects of executive functioning on adolescent substance use are often nonsignificant or weak in effect sizes. In contrast, emerging evidence suggests consistent and stronger regulating effects of executive functioning over reward and punishment sensitivity. Functional neuroimaging studies reveal significant associations between executive functioning task-related hemodynamic responses and substance use with strong effect sizes. There is also direct evidence from studies testing statistical interactions of the regulating effects of EF-related brain activation, and indirect evidence in studies examining functional connectivity, temporal discounting, and reinforced control. We note key future directions and ways to address limitations in existing work.

Executive Functioning of Sexually Compulsive and Non-Sexually Compulsive Men Before and After Watching an Erotic Video

INTRODUCTION

Despite the serious behavioral consequences faced by individuals with sexual compulsivity, related neuropsychological studies are sparse.

AIM

To compare decision making and cognitive flexibility at baseline and after exposure to an erotic video in sexually compulsive participants and non-sexually compulsive controls.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 30 sexually compulsive men and 30 controls. Cognitive flexibility was investigated through the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and decision making was examined through the Iowa Gambling Task.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test categories, correct responses, and perseverative errors and Iowa Gambling Task general trends and blocks.

RESULTS

Sexually compulsive subjects and controls performed similarly at baseline. After watching an erotic video, controls performed better in block 1 of the Iowa Gambling Task (P = .01) and had more correct responses on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (P = .01).

CONCLUSIONS

The controls presented fewer impulsive initial choices and better cognitive flexibility after exposure to erotic stimuli. Messina B, Fuentes D, Tavares H, et al. Executive Functioning of Sexually Compulsive and Non-Sexually Compulsive Men Before and After Watching an Erotic Video. J Sex Med 2017;14:347-354.

Behavioral and neural inhibitory control moderates the effects of reward sensitivity on adolescent substance use

The developmental period of adolescence is characterized by increasing incidence of health risk behaviors, including experimenting with drugs and alcohol. We examined how inhibitory control interacts with reward and punishment sensitivity to predict substance use severity and age of onset among early adolescents. The sample was comprised of 157 early adolescents (13-14 years of age, 52% male). Composite scores for behavioral activation system (BAS), behavioral inhibition system (BIS), and substance use severity and onset were computed using adolescents' questionnaire data, and inhibitory control was assessed based on adolescents' behavioral performance and brain imaging during the Multiple Source Interference Task (MSIT). Structural equation modeling analyses indicated that for both behavioral performance and neural activity indicators of inhibitory control, high levels of BAS predicted earlier onset of substance use among adolescents with low inhibitory control-but not among adolescents with high inhibitory control. BIS was not related to substance use severity and onset among adolescents. The results support the theoretically hypothesized moderating role of inhibitory control and its associated frontal cortex functioning, and offer new insights into the identification of adolescents with neurobehavioral vulnerabilities to developing maladaptive substance use behaviors.

The Abbreviated Dimensions of Temperament Survey: Factor Structure and Construct Validity Across Three Racial/Ethnic Groups

The factor structure, reliability, and construct validity of an abbreviated version of the Revised Dimensions of Temperament Survey (DOTS-R) were evaluated across Black, Hispanic, and White early adolescents. Primary caregivers reported on 5 dimensions of temperament for 4,701 children. Five temperament dimensions were identified via maximum likelihood exploratory factor analysis and were labeled flexibility, general activity level, positive mood, task orientation, and sleep rhythmicity. Multigroup mean and covariance structures analysis provided partial support for strong factorial invariance across these racial/ethnic groups. Mean level comparisons indicated that relative to Hispanics and Blacks, Whites had higher flexibility, greater sleep regularity, and lower activity. They also reported higher positive mood than Blacks. Blacks, relative to Hispanics, had higher flexibility and lower sleep regularity. Construct validity was supported as the 5 temperament dimensions were significantly correlated with externalizing problems and socioemotional competence. This abbreviated version of the DOTS-R could be used across racial/ethnic groups of early adolescents to assess significant dimensions of temperament risk that are associated with mental health and competent (healthy) functioning.

Attention regulates anger and fear to predict changes in adolescent risk-taking behaviors

BACKGROUND

Regulation of negative affect is critical to healthy development in childhood and adolescence. We conducted a longitudinal study examining the moderating role of attention control in the effects of anger and fear on changes in risk-taking behaviors from early to middle adolescence.

METHOD

The sample involved participants from the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD), assessed at 9, 11, and 15 years of age. Composite scores for anger, fear, and attention control were computed using indicators from multiple informants, and risk-taking behaviors were assessed based on adolescents' self-reports.

RESULTS

Latent difference score analysis indicated significant moderating effects of attention control showing that increased anger between 9 and 11 years was related to increases in risk-taking behaviors between 11 and 15 years only for adolescents with low attention control but not for adolescents with high attention control. In contrast, significant moderating effects of attention control for the link between fear and risk-taking behaviors suggested increased fear between 9 and 11 years tended to be associated with decreases in risk-taking behaviors between 11 and 15 years only for adolescents with high attention control, but not for adolescents with low attention control.

CONCLUSIONS

Attention control regulates the connections between negative affect such as anger and fear with changes in adolescent risk-taking behaviors. Our data suggest the protective role of strong attention control against the development of risk-taking behaviors in adolescence as it demotes the effects of anger and promotes the effects of fear.

Differential susceptibility to environmental influences: Interactions between child temperament and parenting in adolescent alcohol use

Temperament and parental practices (PP) are important predictors of adolescent alcohol use (AU); however, less is known about how they combine to increase or decrease risk of AU. This study examined whether age 6 temperament (i.e., impulsivity and inhibitory control) interacted with age 6 coercive PP and/or age 14 parental monitoring to predict AU at 15 years among 209 adolescents. Results showed that low parental monitoring was associated with more frequent AU and that coercive PP interacted with impulsivity to predict AU. This interaction was examined as a function of two models that were not studied before in the prediction of AU: the diathesis-stress model (i.e., impulsive children are more "vulnerable" to adverse PP than those with an easy temperament); and the differential susceptibility model (i.e., impulsive children are also more likely to benefit from good PP). Results supported the differential susceptibility model by showing that impulsive children were not only at higher risk for AU when combined with high coercive PP but also benefit from the absence of coercive PP. This supports the suggestion that the conception of certain temperament characteristics, or in this case impulsivity, as a "vulnerability" for adolescent AU, may need revision because it misrepresents the malleability it may imply.

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), the forerunner of alcohol dependence: a controlled study

There are common genetic, neurobiological and psycho-social substrates for oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and substance dependence. ODD can be regarded as the mildest and earliest form of disruptive behavioral disorder and also represents the threshold of vulnerability for substance dependence. But it is a less researched area. The aim of this research was to study any possible association between childhood ODD and adult alcohol dependence. Data are presented from a non probability sample of 100 adult alcohol dependent subjects and equal number of biologically unrelated control subjects. Assessment was conducted by the instrument Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism for both the assessment of ODD and alcohol dependence. The results of this study demonstrated significant association between childhood ODD and adult alcohol dependence. The association remained significant even after the exclusion of the possible confounding effects of the presence of conduct disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Our study should encourage further research in this area and is expected to open up an opportunity for preventive research.

Phenotypic and genetic analyses of the Wisconsin Card Sort

The present study assessed the factor structure and etiology of traditional perseverative and nonperseverative errors, and six narrowly defined errors that occur during the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST). A computer-administered version of the WCST, designed to maximize the variance in a nonclinical sample, was used. Phenotypic factor analysis and twin models were used to examine the structure and genetic and environmental etiology in 191 monozygotic and 165 dizygotic adolescent twin pairs. Factor analysis did not support the traditional division of errors into perseverative and nonperseverative errors. Heritability of individual indices was small to moderate (a(2) = 0.10 - 0.42), with varying significance. Estimates of shared environment (c(2) = 0.00 - 0.14) were not significant. The best fitting multivariate genetic model had one genetic factor, with specific variance and covariance due to nonshared environmental influences. These results suggest that there are common underlying genetic influences on WCST indices, along with index-specific environmental variance that does not correspond to the traditional division between perseverative and nonperseverative errors.

A surprising finding related to executive control in a patient sample of hypersexual men

INTRODUCTION

Patients seeking help for hypersexual behavior often exhibit features of impulsivity, cognitive rigidity, and poor judgment as well as deficits in emotion regulation and excessive preoccupation with sex. Some of these characteristics are also common among patients presenting with neurological pathology associated with executive dysfunction. Exploring relationships between dysregulated sexual behavior and executive deficits will enhance our understanding of hypersexuality.

AIM

This study sought to assess whether patients seeking help for hypersexual behavior exhibit executive deficits as measured by standardized neuropsychological tests of executive functioning when compared with healthy controls.

METHODS

Executive deficits were assessed in a sample of male patients (N = 30) seeking help for hypersexual behavior compared with a nonhypersexual community sample of men (N = 30) using neuropsychological tests of executive functioning. Using multivariate statistics, differences between the groups were examined.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Sexual activity measured by the Hypersexual Behavior Inventory and the Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory. Executive functions measured through neuropsychological testing using several subtests of Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System: Color-Word Interference Test, the Tower Test, the Trail Making Test, the Verbal Fluency Test, as well as the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Psychopathology was assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, and cognitive ability was assessed using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale.

RESULTS

Significant differences on measures of hypersexuality were observed. However, the groups failed to exhibit significant differences across neuropsychological tests of executive functioning even after controlling for cognitive ability.

CONCLUSIONS

These results contradict a previous finding of executive deficits among hypersexual men measured by self-report. The lack of executive deficits suggests that this population may exhibit domain-specific aspects of impulsivity, poor judgment, and risky behavior that are not generalizable to other domains of life. Furthermore, our findings fail to support a conceptualization of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, proposed hypersexual disorder based on models of executive dysfunction. .

Self-reported differences on measures of executive function and hypersexual behavior in a patient and community sample of men

Patients seeking help for hypersexual behavior often exhibit features of impulsivity, cognitive rigidity, poor judgment, deficits in emotion regulation, and excessive preoccupation with sex. Some of these characteristics are also common among patients presenting with neurological pathology associated with executive dysfunction. These observations led to the current investigation of differences between a group of hypersexual patients (n = 87) and a non-hypersexual community sample (n = 92) of men using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version (BRIEF-A) and the Hypersexual Behavior Inventory (HBI). Significant differences between the groups emerged on eight subscales and all of the general indices of executive functioning with the most dramatic differences on BRIEF-A's Shift, Emotional Control, Initiate, and Plan/Organize subscales. Hypersexual behavior was positively correlated (r = .37, p < .01) with global indices of executive dysfunction and several subscales of the BRIEF-A. These findings provide preliminary evidence supporting the hypothesis that executive dysfunction may be implicated in hypersexual behavior.

Gender differences in factors influencing alcohol use and drinking progression among adolescents

While prevalence rates for alcohol use and related disorders differ widely between adult men and women, male and female adolescents do not exhibit the same disparity in alcohol consumption. Previous research and reviews do not address the emergence of differences in drinking patterns that occur during late adolescence. Therefore, a developmental perspective is presented for understanding how various risk and protective factors associated with problematic drinking affect diverging alcohol trajectories as youth move into young adulthood. This review examines factors associated with risk for developing an alcohol use disorder in adolescent girls and boys separately. Findings indicate that certain biological (i.e., genetic risk, neurological abnormalities associated with P300 amplitudes) and psychosocial (i.e., impact of positive drinking expectancies, personality characteristics, and deviance proneness) factors appear to impact boys and girls similarly. In contrast, physiological and social changes particular to adolescence appear to differentially affect boys and girls as they transition into adulthood. Specifically, boys begin to manifest a constellation of factors that place them at greater risk for disruptive drinking: low response to alcohol, later maturation in brain structures and executive function, greater estimates of perceived peer alcohol use, and socialization into traditional gender roles. On an individual level, interventions which challenge media-driven stereotypes of gender roles while simultaneously reinforcing personal values are suggested as a way to strengthen adolescent autonomy in terms of healthy drinking decisions. Moreover, parents and schools must improve consistency in rules and consequences regarding teen drinking across gender to avoid mixed messages about acceptable alcohol use for boys and girls.

Psychosocial functioning of adults who experienced substance use disorders as adolescents

The authors examined whether substance use disorder (SUD) before age 19 was associated with functioning at age 30. Participants (N = 773) were assessed twice during adolescence and at ages 24 and 30. Eight of 14 adult measures were associated with adolescent SUD: education, unemployment, income, risky sexual behavior, suicide attempt, coping, stressful life events, and global adjustment. After adolescent comorbidity and functioning and adult SUD were controlled for, education and unemployment remained associated, and three variables emerged as significant: being a parent (significant only for participants without adult SUD), being currently married, and having decreased life satisfaction (significant only for participants with adult SUD). Adolescent SUD is associated with numerous functioning difficulties at age 30, some of which appear to be related to recurrent SUD, comorbid adolescent disorders, or functioning problems already evident in adolescence.

Neurobiological processes in adolescent addictive disorders

The purpose of this review is to summarize the neurobiological factors involved in the etiology of adolescent addiction and present evidence implicating various mechanisms in its development. Adolescents are at heightened risk for experimentation with substances, and early experimentation is associated with higher rates of SUD in adulthood. Both normative (e.g., immature frontal-limbic connections, immature frontal lobe development) and non-normative (e.g., lowered serotonergic function, abnormal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function) neurobiological developmental factors can predispose adolescents to a heightened risk for SUD. In addition, a normative imbalance in the adolescent neurobiological motivational system may be caused by the relative underdevelopment of suppressive mechanisms when compared to stimulatory systems. These neurobiological liabilities may correspond to neurobehavioral impairments in decision-making, affiliation with deviant peers and externalizing behavior; these and other cognitive and behavioral traits converge with neurobiological factors to increase SUD risk. The progression to SUD acts as an amplifying feedback loop, where the development of SUD results in reciprocal impairments in neurobehavioral and neurobiological processes. A clearer understanding of adolescent neurobiology is a necessary step in the development of prevention and treatment interventions for adolescent SUD.

Temperament among offspring at high and low risk for depression

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between parental depression, offspring temperament, and offspring major depressive disorder (MDD), and to determine whether difficult temperament, as measured by the Dimensions of Temperament Survey (DOTS), mediates the relation between parental MDD and offspring MDD. Offspring (n=169) of depressed or never depressed parents were followed over approximately 20 years and were blindly assessed up to 4 times (Waves 1 to 4) using semi-structured interviews. Offspring completed the DOTS at the time of first or second assessment. The results showed: (1) high-risk offspring with one or more depressed parent were significantly more likely than offspring with neither parent depressed to have a difficult temperament; (2) offspring with a difficult temperament were more than twice as likely as those with an easy temperament to develop a MDD; and (3) difficult temperament explained more than 10% of the association between parental depression and new onsets of MDD in offspring. The findings suggest that offspring temperament is associated with development of MDD and that difficult temperament at least partially mediates the relationship between parental depression and offspring depression. When identifying those at greatest risk for MDD, measures of temperament could serve as a useful supplement to family psychiatric history of MDD.

Evaluating models of the personality–psychopathology relationship in children and adolescents

Connections between personality traits and psychopathology in children and adolescents have frequently been reported in research studies. However, despite the occurrence of significant and systematic relationships between personality and mental disorders in childhood, a thorough understanding of the cause, nature, and implications of these relationships is lacking. In this paper, a comprehensive taxonomy of childhood personality is used to link research on children with that on adults, as well as provide a framework for discussing the personality-psychopathology relationship. Next, research on children and adolescents is integrated into various proposed models of the personality-psychopathology relationship. Finally, clinical implications and future directions are proposed for research on personality and psychopathology in children.

Factor Analysis of the Self-Report Dysexecutive (DEX-S) Questionnaire

The self-rating Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX-S) is a recently developed standardized self-report measure of behavioral difficulties associated with executive functioning such as impulsivity, inhibition control, monitoring, and planning. Few studies have examined its construct validity, particularly for its potential wider use across a variety of clinical and nonclinical populations. This study examines the factor structure of the DEX-S questionnaire using a sample of nonclinical (N = 293) and clinical (N = 49) participants. A series of factor analyses were evaluated to determine the best factor solution for this scale. This was found to be a 4-factor solution with factors best described as inhibition, intention, social regulation, and abstract problem solving. The first 2 factors replicate factors from the 5-factor solutions found in previous studies that examined specific subpopulations. Although further research is needed to evaluate the factor structure within a range of subpopulations, this study supports the view that the DEX has the factor structure sufficient for its use in a wider context than only with neurological or head-injured patients. Overall, a 4-factor solution is recommended as the most stable and parsimonious solution in the wider context.

Impulsivity (delay discounting) as a predictor of acquisition of IV cocaine self-administration in female rats

RATIONALE

Previous research in humans suggests a relationship between drug abuse and impulsivity as shown by selection of a smaller immediate reward over a larger delayed reward. However, it is not clear whether impulsivity precedes drug abuse or drug abuse influences impulsivity.

OBJECTIVE

The hypothesis of the present experiment was that rats selected for choosing smaller, immediate over larger, delayed food would acquire IV cocaine self-administration faster than those choosing larger, delayed food rewards.

METHODS

Female rats were screened for locomotor activity and trained on a delay discounting procedure that allowed them access to two response levers and a food pellet dispenser. Under a fixed-ratio (FR) 1 schedule, responding on one lever resulted in immediate delivery of one 45 mg pellet, while responding on the other lever resulted in delivery of three 45 mg pellets after a variable delay that increased after responses on the delay lever and decreased after responses on the immediate lever. For each rat, a mean adjusted delay (MAD) was calculated for each daily session, and stability was defined as MADs varying less than 5 s across 5 days. Based on their average MADs, rats were separated into low impulsive (LoI) and high impulsive (HiI) groups, implanted with an indwelling IV catheter, and trained to lever press for cocaine (0.2 mg/kg) under an FR1 schedule.

RESULTS

There were no differences in locomotor activity between the LoI and HiI groups; however, a greater percentage of the HiI group acquired cocaine self-administration, and they did so at a significantly faster rate than the LoI rats.

CONCLUSIONS

Performance on the delay discounting model of impulsivity predicted vulnerability to subsequent acquisition of cocaine self-administration.

Cognitive ability and risk for alcoholism: short-term memory capacity and intelligence moderate personality risk for alcohol problems

This study tested the hypothesis that short-term memory (STM) capacity moderates the effect of social deviance on alcohol problems. Personality, cognitive ability, and alcohol use and abuse were assessed in the adult offspring of alcoholics (FHPs; n = 153) and the adult offspring of nonalcoholics (FHNs; n = 150). The results revealed that STM capacity moderated the effect of social deviance on alcohol problems, independent of intelligence. High social deviance and high-STM participants had fewer alcohol problems than did high social deviance and low-STM participants. Intelligence also moderated the effect of social deviance on alcohol problems in the same way, independent of STM capacity. FHPs had lower IQs, lower verbal ability, and more response perseveration than FHNs. The results suggest that working memory capacity moderates the risk for alcoholism associated with disinhibited traits.