Improving behavioral deficits induced by perinatal ethanol and stress exposure in adolescent male rat progeny via maternal melatonin treatment

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Early-life stressful situations and binge drinking have been thus far acknowledged as two burdensome conditions that potentially give rise to negative outcomes and then synergistically affect brain development. In this context, the hippocampus, with the greatest number of glucocorticoid receptors (GCRs) in the brain, is responsible for regulating negative responses to stress. Prolonged glucocorticoid (GC) exposure can accordingly cause oxidative stress (OS), leading to cognitive and emotional dysfunction. Against this background, melatonin, as a powerful antioxidant and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulator, was administered in this study to ameliorate cognitive impairments induced by perinatal ethanol and stress exposure in adolescent male rat progeny.

METHODS

Wistar rat dams were exposed to ethanol (4 g/kg) and melatonin (10 mg/kg) from gestational day (GD) 6 to postnatal day (PND) 14 and then limited nesting material (LNS) from PND0 to PND14 individually or in combination. Maternal behavior was then investigated in mothers. Afterward, the plasma corticosterone (CORT) concentration, the OS marker, the corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor type 1 (CRHR1) expression, and the GCR and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels were measured in the male pups. Moreover, behavioral tasks, including the elevated plus maze (EPM), the Morris water maze (MWM), the novel object recognition (NORT), and the object-location memory (OLM) tests were completed and assessed.

RESULTS

The quantity and quality of maternal care significantly decreased in the mothers with dual exposure to ethanol and stress. The plasma CORT concentration in the progeny also dropped in the Ethanol + LNS group, but the risk-taking behavior elevated significantly. The ethanol and stress exposure further revealed a significant fall in the GCR and CRHR1 expression levels, compared with stress alone. The results of learning and memory tasks also indicated a significant reduction in spatial learning and memory among animals exposed to ethanol and stress. The BDNF mRNA levels correspondingly increased in the Ethanol + LNS group, compared with LNS alone. In the presence of ethanol and stress, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities correspondingly declined. On the other hand, the malondialdehyde (MDA) levels augmented in the hippocampus of the animals with ethanol and LNS dual exposure, as compared with the control group. Melatonin treatment (MT) thus improved nursing behaviors in dams, prevented OS, enhanced the CRHR1 and GCR expression, and reduced the BDNF levels to the similar ones in the control group. The animals in the Ethanol + LNS + MT group ultimately showed an ameliorated performance at behavioral tasks, including the memory and risk-taking behavior.

CONCLUSION

It was concluded that MT could prevent stress response and memory impairments arising from dual exposure to ethanol and stress by inhibiting OS.

Modulating risk-taking behavior with theta-band tACS

Although risk is prevalent in decision-making, the specific neural processes underlying risk-taking behavior remain unclear. Previous studies have suggested that frontal theta-band activity plays a crucial role in modulating risk-taking behavior. The functional relevance of theta in risk-taking behavior is yet to be clearly established and studies using noninvasive brain stimulation have yielded inconsistent findings. We aimed to investigate this relevance using transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) over right or left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). We also studied the influence of stimulation intensity on risk-taking behavior and electrophysiological effects. We applied theta-band (6.5 Hz) tACS over the left (F3) and right (F4) DLPFC with lower (1.5 mA) and higher (3 mA) tACS intensities. We employed a single-blinded, sham-controlled, within-subject design and combined tACS with electroencephalography (EEG) measurements and the Maastricht Gambling Task (MGT) to elicit and evaluate risk-taking behavior. Our results show an increase in risk-taking behavior after left DLPFC stimulation at both intensities and a reduction of risk-taking behavior after 3 mA (and not 1.5 mA) right DLPFC stimulation compared to sham. Further analyses showed a negative correlation between resting-state frontal theta-power and risk-taking behavior. Overall, frontal theta-power was increased after left, but not right, theta-band tACS independent of stimulation intensity. Our findings confirm the functional relevance of frontal theta-band activity in decision-making under risk and the differential role of left and right DLPFC. We also were able to show that stimulation intensity did have an effect on behavioral responses, namely risk-taking behavior. Significant right hemisphere stimulation effects were observed only after high-intensity stimulation. Nevertheless, electrophysiological effects were only significant after left DLPFC stimulation, regardless of tACS intensity. Furthermore, the results indicate the role of the baseline frontal theta-power in the direction of behavioral effects after theta-band tACS.

Longitudinal associations between executive function impairments and suicide risk in patients with major depressive disorder: A 1-year follow-up study

Impaired executive function (EF) is a key feature of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) that several studies have linked to suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. This is the first longitudinal study to examine the association between impaired EF and suicide risk in adult patients with MDD. Longitudinal prospective study with 3 assessment points: baseline, 6 and 12 months. The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) was used to assess suicidality. The Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) was used to assess EF. The association between EF impairments and suicidality was analyzed using mixed-effects models. Out of 167 eligible outpatients, 104 were included in the study. Of these, 72 were re-evaluated at 6 months and 60 at 12 months, obtaining 225 complete observations of the EF. Impaired decision-making and risk-taking behavior were associated with suicidal ideation. Difficulty in impulse control was related to suicidal ideation and to greater severity of suicidal ideation. Impaired spatial planning and working memory was linked to suicide attempts. Our results add to previous literature that the association between EF impairments and suicidality is maintained over the long term, supporting it as a longitudinal risk factor and a possible neurocognitive marker of suicide in patients with MDD.

The functional relevance of right DLPFC and VMPFC in risk-taking behavior

BACKGROUND

The prefrontal cortex can be partialized in various anatomical and functional sub regions. Among those regions, both right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) have been associated with risk-taking behavior based on neuroimaging studies. Noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) studies aiming at demonstrating the functional relevance of neural activity in these areas almost exclusively focused on the rDLPFC, where its experimental stimulation with a (generally) inhibitory protocol lead to a measurable increase in risk-taking behavior due to reduced cognitive control. The functional relevance of VMPFC in risk-taking behavior has not yet been addressed using NIBS, although multiple neuroimaging studies correlate this area's activity with valuation.

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS

Here, we used NIBS to investigate the functional relevance of both, the rDLPFC and VMPFC in risk-taking behavior. We hypothesized that, compared to sham stimulation, VMPFC suppression leads to a reduction in risk-taking behavior by reducing the appeal to higher value options and consequently the attractiveness of riskier options, whereas rDLPFC suppression leads to an increase in risk taking, replicating previous findings.

METHODS

We applied continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS), a generally inhibitory protocol, to stimulate either VMPFC or DLPFC before the execution of the computerized Maastricht Gambling Task (MGT) in a within-subject design with 30 participants. The MGT allowed the analysis of potential brain region-specific effects of cTBS on risk-taking behavior such as participants' choices of average values, probabilities, and response time.

RESULTS

cTBS applied to either rDLPFC or VMPFC both led to an increase in risk-taking behavior and in the average value chosen as compared to sham transcranial magnetic stimulation. No effect on the choice of probabilities was found. A significant increase in response time was observed exclusively after suppressing rDLPFC. We speculate that these similar behavioral consequences following cTBS over DLPFC and VMPFC are likely due to the strong anatomical and functional interconnection between both brain regions.

Longitudinal association between interparental conflict and risk-taking behavior among Chinese adolescents: testing a moderated mediation model

BACKGROUND

The interparental conflict has been associated with an increased adolescents' engagement in risk-taking behaviors. However, few studies have examined the potential mediation of deviant peer affiliation and the potential moderation of school climate. Grounded in the ecological system theory, this study aimed to explore the mediating role of deviant peer affiliation and the moderating role of school climate between the association of interparental conflict and risk-taking behavior.

METHODS

This study conducted a longitudinal design (3 time points, 3 months apart) with the sample comprising 550 middle school students in southeastern China (52.91% males; mean age at Time 1 = 15.37). The performed measurements encompassed interparental conflict (T1), deviant peer affiliation (T2), school climate (T3), risk-taking behavior (T1/T2/T3), and demographic information.

RESULTS

The moderated mediation model revealed that after controlling for T1/T2 risk-taking behavior, T1 interparental conflict was longitudinally and positively correlated with T3 risk-taking behavior through T2 deviant peer affiliation. Furthermore, moderated mediation analysis demonstrated that a positive school climate ameliorated the adverse impact of deviant peer affiliation on risk-taking behavior, thereby mitigating the indirect effect of interparental conflict on risk-taking behavior among adolescents.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings propose a nuanced explanation of the processing mechanisms between interparental conflict and risk-taking behaviors among Chinese adolescents. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Cyberbullying and School Bullying Are Related to Additive Adverse Effects among Adolescents

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to examine whether (a) cyberbullying has unique associations with mental health problems, risk-taking, and self-harm behavior in victims and perpetrators when compared to school bullying and (b) if cyberbullying is associated with an additional burden for students already involved in school bullying.

METHODS

Data were collected from 6,561 students across 23 schools in Germany (grades 5-13). The sample was divided into the following four groups: cyber-only involvement (victims = 1.9%, perpetrators = 0.6%), school-only involvement (victims = 17.2%, perpetrators = 11.9%), dual involvement (victims = 5.7%, perpetrators = 2.9%), and noninvolvement (victims = 75.3%, perpetrators = 84.6%). Multilevel mixed-effects regression analysis was conducted to examine group differences in mental health (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, KIDSCREEN-10), risk-taking, and self-harm behavior (e.g., substance use, suicide attempts).

RESULTS

Cyber-only bullying had unique associations with mental health problems and risk-taking behavior in victims (lower levels of peer relationship problems: p < 0.001, greater substance use: p < 0.05) and perpetrators (higher levels of peer relationship problems: p < 0.05) when compared to school-only bullying. Dual victims and perpetrators reported significantly more mental health problems (victims: χ2(5) = 221.58, p < 0.001; perpetrators: χ2(5) = 116.40, p < 0.001) and were more likely to report risk-taking and self-harm behavior (victims: χ2(7) = 115.15, p < 0.001; perpetrators: χ2(7) = 38.79, p < 0.001) than students involved in school-only bullying.

CONCLUSION

Cyber-only bullying appears to be related to specific mental health issues beyond those associated with school-only bullying. Cyberbullying and school bullying go along with additive mental health problems, risk-taking, and self-harm behavior in both victims and perpetrators. Thus, bullying prevention and intervention programs should also target cyberbullying.

The Genetic and Neural Substrates of Externalizing Behavior

Background

To gain more insight into the biological factors that mediate vulnerability to display externalizing behaviors, we leveraged genome-wide association study summary statistics on 13 externalizing phenotypes.

Methods

After data classification based on genetic resemblance, we performed multivariate genome-wide association meta-analyses and conducted extensive bioinformatic analyses, including genetic correlation assessment with other traits, Mendelian randomization, and gene set and gene expression analyses.

Results

The genetic data could be categorized into disruptive behavior (DB) and risk-taking behavior (RTB) factors, and subsequent genome-wide association meta-analyses provided association statistics for DB and RTB (N _eff = 523,150 and 1,506,537, respectively), yielding 50 and 257 independent genetic signals. The statistics of DB, much more than RTB, signaled genetic predisposition to adverse cognitive, mental health, and personality outcomes. We found evidence for bidirectional causal influences between DB and substance use behaviors. Gene set analyses implicated contributions of neuronal cell development (DB/RTB) and synapse formation and transcription (RTB) mechanisms. Gene-brain mapping confirmed involvement of the amygdala and hypothalamus and highlighted other candidate regions (cerebellar dentate, cuneiform nucleus, claustrum, paracentral cortex). At the cell-type level, we noted enrichment of glutamatergic neurons for DB and RTB.

Conclusions

This bottom-up, data-driven study provides new insights into the genetic signals of externalizing behaviors and indicates that commonalities in genetic architecture contribute to the frequent co-occurrence of different DBs and different RTBs, respectively. Bioinformatic analyses supported the DB versus RTB categorization and indicated relevant biological mechanisms. Generally similar gene-brain mappings indicate that neuroanatomical differences, if any, escaped the resolution of our methods.

Risk-Taking Behavior Among Male Adolescents: The Role of Observer Presence and Individual Self-Control

A number of studies have focused on the same-sex peer effect on and the developmental difference in adolescent risk-taking in terms of the dual systems model. Little research, however, addresses the effects of different observers, the role of different levels of individual self-control, and their interactions. To fill this gap, the present study examined the main and interactive effects of observer presence and individual self-control on male adolescents' risk-taking behavior with an experimental design. A total of 261 male adolescents (M_age = 15.79 ± 0.79, range = 14-18) completed an adapted Stoplight Task, which measures risk-taking behavior, in the presence of an observer, either peer or adult, either male or female. The results indicated that a same-sex peer's presence and low self-control were both risk factors of male adolescents' risk-taking, but did only low self-control male adolescents take serious risks when in the presence of a same-sex peer whereas those with high self-control consistently had low levels of risk-taking under any condition. An opposite-sex observer, particularly an opposite-sex adult's presence, played a similar protective role for male adolescents with low self-control. The findings suggest that a high level of self-control closely related to the cognitive control system may significantly buffer the negative effect of an adverse social stimulus which activates the social-emotional system on male adolescents' risk-taking; the findings also reveal that an opposite-sex adult's presence may contribute to a decrease in male adolescents' risk-taking by improving their cognitive control system.

Risk-taking Behavior Under the Effect of Emotional Stimuli Among Children and Adults

Introduction

Risk-taking has an important role in human life, either positive or negative. Finding a method to control or drive this in a particular way can affect the health of individuals and communities by discouraging negative risks, such as reckless driving, or encouraging positive risks. It has been shown that emotion induction can enhance risk-taking behavior. Nonetheless, studies are mainly conducted on adults and a gap to focus on adolescents group as the peak age of risk-taking is required. Therefore, a new risk-taking task is introduced and development of risk-taking behavior in children is compared with a group male adults. In addition, influence of positive and negative emotional images on the risk-taking behavior is also evaluated.

Methods

A total of 21 children and 20 adults participated in this experiment. Their risk taking behavior is obtained using a new version of the dice game task with emotional stimuli. Subsequently, performances of two groups before and after emotional priming are statistically compared.

Results

The results showed that children have a higher tendency to choose riskier options when they are affected by positive emotion, while adults are more risk-averse after being primed by negative emotion.

Conclusion

These findings can be helpful for policymakers and tutoring planners to control risk-taking behavior at different ages using the priming effect of positive and negative emotions.

Highlights

Children perform riskier than adults in our new version of the game of dice task.Children are affected by choosing riskier options by positive priming.Adults are affected by choosing less risky options by negative priming.Results were proved by dual-process theory.

Plain Language Summary

Every second of our life is consistent with decision-making. When you decide you face conditions that you do not know the result when you choose them. Choosing these options is associated with risks. Choosing these options can have both advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it will be very useful for communities, if they can find a way to control it. In this study, we aimed to test whether it is possible to control risk-taking by viewing emotional pictures before decision-making or not. Hence, we design gambling-like experiments and test adults and children using this experiment. These two age groups were used to test the existence of any difference or similarity between their behaviors. We used three main emotions to check their effect on people's choices. We wanted to check what happens to people's decisions if they are faced with positive, negative, or neutral images before their choice. Results showed that children were riskier than adults and affected more when facing positive images and selecting riskier options. On the other hand, adults are more affected by negative images and chose safer options after seeing the pictures in this emotion.

The unintended impact of helmet use on bicyclists' risk-taking behaviors

INTRODUCTION

Safety is a critical factor in promoting sustainable urban non-motorized travel modes like bicycles. Helmets have shown to be effective in reducing injury severity in bicycle crashes, however, their effects on bicyclists' behaviors still requires deeper understanding, especially amid the emerging trend of using shared bicycles. Risk compensation effects suggest that bicyclists may offset perceived gains in safety from wearing a helmet by increasing risk-taking behaviors. A better understanding of these compensation effects can be useful in assessing various bicycle safety related programs.

METHOD

Using a sample of 131 bicyclists from the San Francisco Bay area, this research studies how bicyclists respond with respect to risk-taking behaviors under various urban-street conditions, as a function of helmet use. Study participants were each shown 12 videos, shot in Berkeley, California, from the perspective of a bicyclist riding behind another bicyclist. A fractional factorial experiment design was used to systematically vary contextual attributes (e.g., speed, bike lane facilities, on-street parking, passing vehicles) across the videos. After each video, participants were asked to indicate if they would overtake the bicyclist in the video. With the help of data adaptive estimation techniques, targeted maximum likelihood estimation (TMLE) was applied to estimate the average risk difference between helmeted users and non-users, controlling for self-selection effects. Individual-based nonparametric bootstrap was performed to assess the uncertainty associated with the estimator.

RESULTS

Our findings suggest, on average, individuals more likely to wear a helmet are 15.6% more likely to undertake a risky overtaking maneuver. Practical Applications: This study doesn't try to oppose mandatory helmet laws, but rather serves as a cautionary warning that road safety programs may need to consider strategies in which unintended impact of bicycle helmet use can be mitigated. Moreover, our findings also provide additional evaluation component when it comes to the cost-benefit assessment of helmet-related laws.

Resting-state functional connectivity within orbitofrontal cortex and inferior frontal gyrus modulates the relationship between reflection level and risk-taking behavior in internet gaming disorder

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) has become an increasing mental health issue worldwide. Previous studies indicated that IGD was related to maladaptive risk-taking behavior. However, the relationship among risk-taking behavior, reflection level, and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) between brain regions in IGD individuals remains unclear. The current study combined resting-state fMRI and the Devil task to investigate this issue. The behavioral results suggested that IGD participants exhibited increased risk-taking behavior in the Devil task than healthy controls. Moreover, IGD participants' risk-taking behavior was positively correlated with their reflection level. As for fMRI results, IGD participants showed stronger rsFC between orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) than healthy controls. Additionally, the mediation analyses revealed that, among IGD participants, the rsFC between OFC and IFG fully mediated the relationship between reflection level and risk-taking behavior. Together, the current study highlighted that the altered rsFC between OFC and IFG in IGD individuals modified the relationship between their reflection level and risk-taking behavior, which might contribute to the understanding of neural mechanisms underlying risk-taking behavior in IGD individuals.

Risky scenario identification in a risk perception scale for construction workers in Thailand

INTRODUCTION

Construction sites exhibit unique hazardous characteristics. Hence, investigating the causes of fatal and nonfatal accidents is extremely important to promote safety on construction sites. Literature shows a risk perception (RP) scale for construction workers; to expand the existing research, this study aims to identify risky scenarios for assessing the RP of Thai construction workers, with the goal of reducing workplace incidents.

METHOD

The scale development process consists of four phases. Item development was also performed, followed by factor analysis. Reliability and validity assessments were finalized in the process. A survey of 500 construction workers in Thailand was conducted to investigate risky scenarios. Through the process, a total of 17 items remained in the final RP scale, and the reliability and validity of these items were confirmed.

RESULTS

The RP scale was affirmed to have four dimensions (probability, severity, worry, and unsafe). These dimensions of workers' RP were negatively correlated with the workers' risk-taking behaviors. This study further showed that participants with a high level of affective RP were more likely to have a high level of cognitive RP. Hence, those with a high level of RP tended to be involved in fewer risk-taking behaviors. Practical Applications: The final version of the scale was reliable and valid in determining the RP and risk-taking behaviors of construction workers in Thailand.

Psychopathy is associated with an exaggerated attention bottleneck: EEG and behavioral evidence from a dual-task paradigm

Psychopathy is a personality disorder associated with a chronic disregard for the welfare of others. The attention bottleneck model of psychopathy asserts that the behavior of individuals higher on psychopathy is due to an exaggerated attention bottleneck that constrains all information processing, regardless of the information's potential goal-relevance. To date, the majority of research on the attention bottleneck model of psychopathy conceptually applied the tenets of the model but did not implement methods that directly test an exaggeration of the bottleneck in psychopathy. Accordingly, the presence of an exaggerated bottleneck, the exact expression of that bottleneck, and its potential mechanistic relevance for behavior in individuals higher on psychopathy remains untested. To address these gaps, a sample of 78 male community members, evaluated for psychopathic traits using the Self-Report Psychopathy-III scale, completed an EEG-based dual-task paradigm examining short stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA; 300 ms), long SOA (1,100 ms), and single-task baseline conditions. Additionally, participants were asked about their frequency of real-world risky, impulsive, and antisocial behaviors. Psychopathy was associated with slower reaction times to second targets (T2s) presented during the dual-task conditions, relative to the baseline condition. Psychopathy also was associated with blunted P300 responses, a neural index of stimulus evaluation, across all types of T2 events. Finally, bottleneck-related interference during the short SOA events mediated the relationship between psychopathy and real-world behavior. These findings suggested that individuals higher on psychopathy exhibit an exaggerated bottleneck which produces intense and long-lasting interference, impacting all information processing and partially contributing to their maladaptive behavior.

Intertwined associations among attachment styles, emotional dysregulation, and ADHD: examining unique associations with general risk-taking behavior

Attachment insecurity, emotional dysregulation, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have all been implicated across the literature with various forms of negative life outcomes and increased risk-taking behavior (RTB). Furthermore, abundant research has demonstrated that the three seem to go together. Given these intercorrelations, it is unclear if any of them possess exclusive links with RTB independent of the others across multiple life domains. The present study examined the relations among attachment styles, emotional dysregulation, ADHD symptoms, and hypothetical RTBs across multiple real-life domains. Including a total of 155 mostly undergraduate students, we found in the main analysis that only ADHD symptoms were associated with RTB over and above all other variables. Specifically, the links between both attachment insecurity and emotional dysregulation with RTB disappeared when ADHD symptoms were included in the final model, but not vice versa. An exploratory analysis suggested that attachment insecurity was linked to romantic/sexual RTB over and above the others. These results further substantiate the link between ADHD symptoms and a general propensity for RTB and demonstrate that the link between the two seems to be inherent to the disorder and independent of its co-occurrence with attachment insecurity and emotional dysregulation.

Reduced risk-taking behavior during frontal oscillatory theta band neurostimulation

BACKGROUND

Most of our decisions involve a certain degree of risk regarding the outcomes of our choices. People vary in the way they make decisions, resulting in different levels of risk-taking behavior. These differences have been linked to prefrontal theta band activity. However, a direct functional relationship between prefrontal theta band activity and risk-taking has not yet been demonstrated.

OBJECTIVE

We used noninvasive brain stimulation to test the functional relevance of prefrontal oscillatory theta activity for the regulatory control of risk-taking behavior.

METHODS

In a within-subject experiment, 31 healthy participants received theta (6.5 Hertz [Hz]), gamma (40 Hz), and sham transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) over the left prefrontal cortex (lPFC). During stimulation, participants completed a task assessing their risk-taking behavior as well as response times and sensitivity to value and outcome probabilities. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded before and immediately after stimulation to investigate possible long-lasting stimulation effects.

RESULTS

Theta band, but not gamma band or sham, tACS led to a significant reduction in risk-taking behavior, indicating a frequency-specific effect of prefrontal brain stimulation on the modulation of risk-taking behavior. Moreover, theta band stimulation led to increased response times and decreased sensitivity to reward values. EEG data analyses did not show an offline increase in power in the stimulated frequencies after the stimulation protocol.

CONCLUSION

These findings provide direct empirical evidence for the effects of prefrontal theta band stimulation on behavioral risk-taking regulation.

The importance of parental knowledge in the association between ADHD symptomatology and related domains of impairment

Parents of children with ADHD experience several difficulties while raising their children and report lower levels of knowledge about their children's life and behaviors. A recent study found that low levels of parental knowledge mediated the association between ADHD symptoms and risk-taking behavior (RTB) in adolescents. The current study aimed to investigate this previous finding further by replicating it, by taking peer influence into account as additional social factor of importance and by extending it and also investigate the role of parental knowledge in the association between ADHD symptoms and homework problems. Three studies were performed: study 1 (N=234) replicated previous work on parental knowledge mediating the association between ADHD symptoms and RTB, study 2 (pre-registered, N=313) added peer influence, and study 3 (pre-registered, N=315) assessed whether parental knowledge mediated the association between ADHD symptoms and homework behavior. Parental knowledge consistently mediated the association between ADHD symptoms on one hand and RTB and homework problems on the other, and also predicted stronger resistance to peer influence. Because parental knowledge was repeatedly linked to ADHD-related problems, it seems promising to include parental knowledge in treatment of ADHD-related problems in adolescents, by improving the parent-child relationship. Future studies should test more directly how improvement of the parent-child relationship can be used to optimize parental knowledge, which in its turn reduces ADHD-related problems.

Assessing the relation of chemical and non-chemical stressors with risk-taking related behavior and adaptive individual attributes among adolescents living near the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site

BACKGROUND

Early life exposure to neurotoxicants and non-chemical psychosocial stressors can impede development of prefrontal cortical functions that promote behavioral regulation and thereby may predispose to adolescent risk-taking related behaviors (e.g., substance use or high-risk sexual activity). This is particularly concerning for communities exposed to multiple stressors.

METHODS

This study examined the relation of exposure to mixtures of chemical stressors, non-chemical psychosocial stressors, and other risk factors with neuropsychological correlates of risk-taking. Specifically, we assessed psychometric measures of both adverse behavioral regulation and adaptive attributes among adolescents (age ∼ 15 years) in the New Bedford Cohort (NBC), a sociodemographically diverse cohort of 788 children born 1993-1998 to mothers residing near the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site. The NBC includes biomarkers of prenatal exposure to organochlorines and metals; sociodemographic, parental and home characteristics; and periodic neurodevelopmental assessments. We modelled exposure mixtures using multi-dimensional smooths within generalized additive models.

RESULTS

Children of younger mothers with lower IQ who were exposed prenatally to higher polychlorinated biphenyls and lead had poorer anger control. This pattern was not apparent for children of older mothers with higher IQs. Direction of associations between increased hyperactivity and prenatal levels of organochlorine mixtures differed by maternal age and depression symptoms. Higher cord blood Pb levels, in conjunction with poorer HOME scores, were associated with poorer self-esteem when mothers had fewer depression symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Analyses suggest that prenatal chemical exposures and non-chemical factors interact to contribute to neuropsychological correlates of risk-taking behaviors in adolescence. By simultaneously considering multiple factors associated with adverse behavioral regulation, we identified potential high-risk combinations that reflect both chemical and psychosocial stressors amenable to intervention.

The Effect of Perceived Scarcity: Experiencing Scarcity Increases Risk Taking

Experiments in this research provide evidence that perceived scarcity increases risk-taking propensity and risk-taking behavior in the real world. One laboratory experiment and two field experiments were conducted to explore the effect of perceived scarcity on risk-taking behavior. Scarcity was manipulated by dealing with problems in scenarios of resource scarcity and recalling memories of resource scarcity. In Experiment 1, compared to the control condition, MBA students in the scarcity condition showed greater risk-seeking, a greater likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors, greater risk perception, and greater expected benefits in social, recreational, financial, health/safety, and ethical domains. In Experiment 2, vendors in a local farmer's market kept money that other people lost more in the scarcity condition than in the control condition where perceived money scarcity was not triggered. In Experiment 3, participants who were triggered by either perceived money scarcity or perceived time scarcity showed similar percentages of cheating in the statistics test. Experiments 1 and 2 suggest that perceived scarcity increases risk-taking propensity and ethical risk-taking behavior in the real world. Experiment 3 suggests that perceived scarcity induced by different types of resources scarcity may have the same impact on risk taking, and it needs to be further examined.

Differences in cautiousness between mainland and island Podarcis siculus populations are paralleled by differences in brain noradrenaline/adrenaline concentrations

Adaptive behavior is shaped by the type and intensity of selection pressures coming from the environment, such as predation risk and resource availability, and can be modulated by individual's neuroendocrine profile involving steroid hormones and the brain-stem monoaminergic circuits projecting to forebrain structures. Boldness when faced with a predator and exploration/activity when confronted with a new environment reflect the degree of cautiousness and/or "risk-taking" of an individual. In this study we have explored to which extent two populations of Podarcis siculus occupying different ecological niches: mainland (ML) and an islet (ISL) differ in the level of cautiousness and whether these differences are paralleled by differences in their monoaminergic profiles. Boldness was tested in the field as antipredator behavior, while novel space and object explorations were tested in a laboratory setting in an open field apparatus. Finally, serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline (NA) and adrenaline (ADR) concentrations were measured in whole brain samples by ELISA. Lizards from ML population spent significantly more time hiding after a predator encounter in the field, displayed lower intensity of novel space exploration in a laboratory setting, and contained significantly higher whole-brain concentrations of NA and ADR than their ISL counterparts. Parallelism between the level of risk-taking behavior and concentrations of neurotransmitters mediating alertness and reaction to stress suggests that the differing environmental factors on ML and ISL may have shaped the degree of cautiousness in the residing lizard populations by affecting the activity of NA/ADR neural circuits.

Blood pressure-associated emotional dampening and risky behavior: Elevated resting blood pressure predicts risky simulated driving in women

Elevated resting blood pressure (BP) is associated with dampened responses to emotionally meaningful stimuli. This BP-associated emotional dampening may also influence threat appraisal and, hence, motivation to avoid risk. The present study was designed to determine if resting BP is associated with risky driving behavior assessed in a high fidelity driving simulator. Fifty-one healthy women (n = 20) and men (n = 31) rested for BP determinations both before and after a simulated driving scenario in a DriveSafety automotive simulator with six visual channels, single-axis motion, and functioning controls and instrumentation. Resting systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) BPs were obtained systematically with a calibrated GE Dinamap Pro V100. Risky driving was assessed by speed relative to the posted speed limit, and a speed-adjusted time to collision index of tailgating. Regression analyses indicated that sex interacted with resting BP, with significant associations between BP and risk in women, but not men. For example, risky driving in women was associated with higher resting DBP (p = .006), with similar but less reliable effects for resting SBP (p = .058). These results provide some partial, preliminary support for the notion that BP-associated emotional dampening may reduce threat appraisal and thereby decrease motivation for risk avoidance, but these effects are confined to women in this simulated driving scenario. Interacting central nervous system (CNS) mechanisms controlling BP and emotional responsivity may mediate the relationship between BP and risk-taking behavior. Relative expression of this relationship in women and men may depend on multiple psychosocial and physiological mechanisms. The association of higher BP with increased risk-taking behaviors may have relevance to the early pathogenesis of essential hypertension.

Progesterone treatment following traumatic brain injury in the 11-day-old rat attenuates cognitive deficits and neuronal hyperexcitability in adolescence

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children younger than 4 years old results in cognitive and psychosocial deficits in adolescence and adulthood. At 4 weeks following closed head injury on postnatal day 11, male and female rats exhibited impairment in novel object recognition memory (NOR) along with an increase in open arm time in the elevated plus maze (EPM), suggestive of risk-taking behaviors. This was accompanied by an increase in intrinsic excitability and frequency of spontaneous excitatory post-synaptic currents (EPSCs), and a decrease in the frequency of spontaneous inhibitory post-synaptic currents in layer 2/3 neurons within the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC), a region that is implicated in both object recognition and risk-taking behaviors. Treatment with progesterone for the first week after brain injury improved NOR memory at the 4-week time point in both sham and brain-injured rats and additionally attenuated the injury-induced increase in the excitability of neurons and the frequency of spontaneous EPSCs. The effect of progesterone on cellular excitability changes after injury may be related to its ability to decrease the mRNA expression of the β3 subunit of the voltage-gated sodium channel and increase the expression of the neuronal excitatory amino acid transporter 3 in the medial PFC in sham- and brain-injured animals and also increase glutamic acid decarboxylase mRNA expression in sham- but not brain-injured animals. Progesterone treatment did not affect injury-induced changes in the EPM test. These results demonstrate that administration of progesterone immediately after TBI in 11-day-old rats reduces cognitive deficits in adolescence, which may be mediated by progesterone-mediated regulation of excitatory signaling mechanisms within the medial PFC.

Quantification of risk perception: Development and validation of the construction worker risk perception (CoWoRP) scale

INTRODUCTION

The construction sector is leading in the number of accidents and fatalities; risk perception is the key to driving these numbers. Previous construction safety studies on risk perception quantification have not considered affective risk perception of construction workers or conducted comprehensive reliability and validity testing. Thus, this study aims to fill this need by developing a psychometrically sound instrument - the Construction Worker Risk Perception (CoWoRP) Scale - to assess the risk perception of construction workers.

METHOD

Four phases of scale development, namely, item development, factor analysis, reliability assessment, and validity assessment were conducted with the collection and testing of data from a group (n = 469) of voluntary construction workers in Hong Kong.

RESULTS

The CoWoRP Scale with 13 items was shown to have acceptable test-retest reliability, internal consistency reliability, as well as content, convergent, discriminant, and criterion-related validity. Also, the CoWoRP Scale was affirmed to have three dimensions of worker risk perception, namely risk perception - probability, risk perception - severity, risk perception - worry and unsafe. These three dimensions of worker risk perception were negatively correlated with their risk-taking behavior.

CONCLUSIONS

The CoWoRP Scale is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring the risk perception of construction workers and is expected to facilitate the construction safety studies that take risk perception of construction workers into account. Practical applications: The CoWoRP Scale could serve as an aptitude test to identify the characteristics of construction workers most likely to perceive lower risk in risky work situations. In turn, this information could help safety management provide safety training programs to those workers to enhance their risk perception and thereby minimizing their risk-taking behavior, reducing unnecessary training costs, and improving the construction safety performance.

A case report of persistent risky dietary behaviors in a bipolar disorder patient

BACKGROUND

Bipolar disorder is associated with complicated medical comorbidities. The risk-taking behavior of bipolar disorder patients may lead to many problems.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 40-year-old male patient had gastrointestinal symptoms for 4 months. He was talkative, agitative, and grandiose but showed poor cognition. Multisystem injury required multidepartment, multidisciplinary consultation. Repeated fecal examination found multiple infections of Opisthorchis sinensis, Heterophyes, and Echinostomatidae. The diagnostic criteria for parasitic infections, bipolar disorder and organic mental disorder were met. After treatment with a mood stabilizer and helminthic, his mood became stable, but risky dietary behavior continued.

CONCLUSIONS

The case describes persistent risky dietary behaviors in a bipolar patient even after affective symptoms were under control, which ultimately led to diverse parasitic infections and chronic encephalopathy. We call for clinical and scientific attention to possible dangerous behavior changes in bipolar patients even after their emotions are stabilized.

Risk-Taking Behaviors in Adolescents With Chronic Cardiac Conditions: A Scoping Review

PROBLEM

Advances in treatment and therapy for children with chronic cardiac conditions have extended their life expectancy. Risk-taking behavior among adolescents requires further exploration. Researchers conducted a scoping review to address a literature gap specific to risk-taking behavior among adolescents with chronic cardiac conditions.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Sources were limited to (1) human subjects, (2) English language or translatable to English, (3) adolescents without age restrictions, (4) all research designs and (5) presence of a chronic cardiac condition.

SAMPLE

Searches of six electronic databases (CINAHL Plus Full Text, PubMed, Web of Knowledge, Scopus, ProQuest and Grey Literature Report) were conducted to verify the empirical literature between 1975 and 2018. Seventeen sources were included in this review.

RESULTS

Among the 17 sources, 12 sources examined risk-taking behavior by self-report among adolescents with chronic cardiac conditions. Tobacco, alcohol and/or other drug use and physical inactivity were the most prevalent risk-taking behaviors identified through this review.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings from this scoping review describe the types of risk-taking behaviors that adolescents with chronic cardiac conditions are engaging in, highlight similarities when compared to other types of chronic conditions, and serve as a foundation for future research among this population.

IMPLICATIONS

Discussion of risk-taking behaviors should be integrated into each healthcare encounter beginning in early adolescence and continuing through transition to adulthood and adult health care. Qualitative research studies may serve as an effective method by which to explore risk-taking behavior among adolescents with chronic cardiac conditions in greater detail.

Risk-Taking Behavior in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): a Review of Potential Underlying Mechanisms and of Interventions

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with several forms of risk-taking behavior (RTB). This paper aims to examine the scope of ADHD-related RTB, to highlight potential underlying mechanisms of this association, and to review initial evidence for interventions aimed to treat ADHD-related RTB.

RECENT FINDINGS

Multiple lines of evidence indicate that ADHD is associated with real-life RTB across several domains (e.g., reckless driving, substance use, and unprotected sex), which is corroborated by evidence on laboratory risk-taking tasks. Several individual differences, some of them informed by decision theory, e.g., comorbid disorders, parental monitoring, and perceived enlarged benefits of RTB, may explain the link between ADHD and RTB. A number of studies showed that interventions designed for ADHD may reduce RTB. ADHD is linked to RTB across several domains. Decision theory may serve as a conceptual framework for understanding the underlying mechanisms, and thus may inform future research.

Longitudinal development of risk-taking and self-injurious behavior in association with late adolescent borderline personality disorder symptoms

Self-injurious behavior and risk-taking behaviors are associated with adolescent borderline personality disorder (BPD). Developmental trajectories of self-injurious and risk-taking behavior in predicting BPD have not been fully understood. The aim of the present study was to examine self-injurious and risk-taking behavior development and their prospective influence on BPD symptoms in adolescence. Data (n = 506; 62.06 % females, 14.53 years) from the German Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe cohort were analyzed. Self-injurious and risk-taking behaviors were assessed at baseline and one-year follow-up. BPD symptoms were assessed at two-year follow-up. In fully adjusted stepwise binominal regression analyses, recent onset, termination and maintenance of risky alcohol use and self-injurious behavior remained as significant predictors of BPD. Highest ORs were found for alcohol termination and maintenance of self-injurious behavior. Other facets of risk-taking behavior were not associated with increased ORs of BPD symptoms at two-year follow-up. These findings highlight the importance of self-injurious behavior and specific facets of risk-taking behavior in the development of adolescent BPD. Clinicians should focus on efforts in preventing adolescents from risk-taking and self-injurious behavior, since engaging in young age and therefore in potentially longer periods of these behaviors is associated with the highest risk of BPD.

The relationship between the demographic, personal, and social factors of Malaysian motorcyclists and risk taking behavior at signalized intersections

In the context of road safety, risk-taking is undoubtedly one of the main contributory factors in road accidents. The actual forces which influence individuals to take such risks, nevertheless, are still not fully understood. To address this, this study was therefore conducted to investigate the relationship of the demographic, personal, and social factors of motorcyclists, with a specific focus on their risk-taking behavior at signalized intersections in Malaysia. This study adopted the quantitative method using cross-sectional questionnaire surveys and involved 251 respondents. The demographic factors were analyzed using the t-test and an ANOVA Scheffe Post-Hoc test, while the motorcyclists' personal and social characteristics were analyzed with multiple linear regression. The findings indicate that the individuals who were greater risk takers at signalized intersections were teenage motorcyclists (16-25 years old) who had finished their education before taking their high school diploma, and who also received a lower than average monthly income from private sector firms. The actual experience of accidents was also shown to be positively related to this risk-taking behavior. In addition, in term of personal and social factors, results showed that, for these individuals, there was a significant difference between the strength of peer influence and that of parental and spouse guidance. However, there was no significant difference in the risk-taking behavior of Malaysian motorcyclists riding at signalized intersections for the following factors: between genders, in terms of accident involvement, in terms of enforcement of traffic regulations, and prevention steps and confidence level after being involved in an accident.

An experimental paradigm examining the influence of frustration on risk-taking behavior

The present study examined the impact of frustration on risk-taking in college students with low and high ADHD symptomatology (L-ADHD and H-ADHD). Participants completed the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) following induced frustration from a mood manipulation task (experimental session) and following no mood manipulation (control session). A manipulation check revealed a significant three-way interaction where the H-ADHD group reported higher frustration levels compared to the L-ADHD group, particularly in response to the frustration induction in the experimental condition. Primary results revealed that the L-ADHD group exploded significantly fewer balloons in the experimental condition compared to the control condition; there was a nonsignificant difference of balloon explosions across conditions for the H-ADHD group. The study provides initial laboratory-based support for the impact of frustration on the risk behavior of those with low and high levels of ADHD, with potential implications for future studies and ultimately for intervention.

Social interaction anxiety and personality traits predicting engagement in health risk sexual behaviors

Individuals with social interaction anxiety, a facet of social anxiety disorder, withdraw from or avoid social encounters and generally avoid risks. However, a subset engages in health risk sexual behavior (HRSB). Because sensation seeking, emotion dysregulation, and impulsivity predict engagement in HRSB among adolescents and young adults, the present study hypothesized that latent classes of social interaction anxiety and these personality traits would differentially predict likelihood of engagement in HRSB. Finite mixture modeling was used to discern four classes: two low social interaction anxiety classes distinguished by facets of emotion dysregulation, positive urgency, and negative urgency (Low SIAS High Urgency and Low SIAS Low Urgency) and two high social interaction anxiety classes distinguished by positive urgency, negative urgency, risk seeking, and facets of emotion dysregulation (High SIAS High Urgency and High SIAS Low Urgency). HRSB were entered into the model as auxiliary distal outcomes. Of importance to this study were findings that the High SIAS High Urgency class was more likely to engage in most identified HRSB than the High SIAS Low Urgency class. This study extends previous findings on the heterogeneity of social interaction anxiety by identifying the effects of social interaction anxiety and personality on engagement in HRSB.

Reduced maternal behavior caused by gestational stress is predictive of life span changes in risk-taking behavior and gene expression due to altering of the stress/anti-stress balance

Exposure of the mother to adverse events during pregnancy is known to induce pathological programming of the HPA axis in the progeny, thereby increasing the vulnerability to neurobehavioral disorders. Maternal care plays a crucial role in the programming of the offspring, and oxytocin plays a key role in mother/pup interaction. Therefore, we investigated whether positive modulation of maternal behavior by activation of the oxytocinergic system could reverse the long-term alterations induced by perinatal stress (PRS; gestational restraint stress 3 times/day during the last ten days of gestation) on HPA axis activity, risk-taking behavior in the elevated-plus maze, hippocampal mGlu5 receptor and gene expression in Sprague-Dawley rats. Stressed and control unstressed dams were treated during the first postpartum week with an oxytocin receptor agonist, carbetocin (1 mg/kg, i.p.). Remarkably, reduction of maternal behavior was predictive of behavioral disturbances in PRS rats as well as of the impairment of the oxytocin and its receptor gene expression. Postpartum carbetocin corrected the reduction of maternal behavior induced by gestational stress as well as the impaired oxytocinergic system in the PRS progeny, which was associated with reduced risk-taking behavior. Moreover, postpartum carbetocin had an anti-stress effect on HPA axis activity in the adult PRS progeny and increased hippocampal mGlu5 receptor expression in aging. In conclusion, the activation of the oxytocinergic system in the early life plays a protective role against the programming effect by adverse experiences and could be considered as a novel and powerful potential therapeutic target for stress-related disorders.

Increased Risk-Taking Behaviour and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Val66Met Polymorphism Correlates to Decreased Serum Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Level in Heroin Users

BACKGROUND

This study has examined the relationships and interactions between serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and self-reported risk-taking behaviour in individuals with a history of heroin use undergoing outpatient treatment in comparison to healthy individuals.

METHODS

We enrolled 167 heroin users and 86 healthy subjects and examined serum BDNF levels, Val66Met polymorphism, and personal characteristics using Connor Davidson Resilience Scale, Risk-taking (RT) propensity questionnaire, and Personality Assessment Inventory.

RESULTS

Heroin users had significantly higher serum BDNF levels than controls. In addition, serum BDNF levels were significantly higher in Val/Val carriers than in Met/Val or Met/Met in all recruited subjects. Furthermore, a stepwise multiple regression analysis of serum BDNF levels as a dependent variable with related factors showed that in heroin users, Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test score, anxiety and RT score were found as independent contributors to serum BDNF levels. When performing gene-environment interaction it was additionally found that heroin users with self-reported high risk-taking behaviour had significantly lower levels of serum BDNF among heroin users with the Met allele.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that genetic variant Met66 decreased the serum BDNF levels in combination with self-reported risk-taking propensity among heroin users. If results of future work confirm the influence of this combined effect between neurotrophic genotype and risk-taking behaviour, 66Met carriers might require higher levels of intervention to overcome their drug use pattern and risky behaviour.

Risk taking and adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A gap between real life behavior and experimental decision making

Adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are prone to suboptimal decision making and risk taking. The aim of this study was to test performance on a theoretically-based probabilistic decision making task in well-characterized adults with and without ADHD, and examine the relation between experimental risk taking and history of real-life risk-taking behavior, defined as cigarette, alcohol, and street drug use. University students with and without ADHD completed a modified version of the Cambridge Gambling Test, in which they had to choose between alternatives varied by level of risk, and reported their history of substance use. Both groups showed similar patterns of risk taking on the experimental decision making task, suggesting that ADHD is not linked to low sensitivity to risk. Past and present substance use was more prevalent in adults with ADHD. These finding question the validity of experimental probabilistic decision making task as a valid model for ADHD-related risk-taking behavior.

Impulsivity and risky decision making among taxi drivers in Hong Kong: An event-related potential study

Taxi drivers play an important role in providing safe and professional public transport services. However, they tend to be more involved than other professional driver groups in accidents caused by deliberate recklessness. This study used an event-related potential (ERP) experiment to examine risk-taking behavior arising from impulsivity by comparing the underlying neural processes of taxi drivers with and without traffic offence records in Hong Kong. A sample of 15 traffic offenders and 15 nonoffenders, matched by sociodemographic characteristics, was recruited. The results show that the offender group demonstrated significantly less negative-going (less negative) feedback-related negativity but more positive-going (more positive) feedback-related P300 when than with their nonoffending counterparts. These findings show that taxi drivers with traffic offence records were less sensitive to the consequences of behavior and more attuned to the magnitude of potential reward. In addition, behavioral data revealed that they were more willing to make risky decisions. All these characteristics pertain to impulsive personality traits. Based on these findings, we can conclude that the offenders in this sample were more impulsive than their nonoffending counterparts.

Age-related characteristics of risky decision-making and progressive expectation formation

During daily encounters, it is inevitable that people take risks. Investigating the sequential processing of risk hazards involve expectation formation about outcome contingencies. The present study aimed to explore risk behavior and its neural correlates in sequences of decision making, particularly in old age, which represents a critical period regarding risk-taking propensity. The Balloon Analogue Risk Task was used in an electrophysiological setting with young and elderly age groups. During the task each additional pump on a virtual balloon increased the likelihood of a balloon burst but also increased the chance to collect more reward. Event-related potentials associated with rewarding feedback were analyzed based on the forthcoming decisions (whether to continue or to stop) in order to differentiate between states of expectation towards gain or loss. In the young, the reward positivity ERP component increased as a function of reward contingencies with the largest amplitude for rewarding feedback followed by the decision to stop. In the elderly, however, reward positivity did not reflect the effect of reward structure. Behavioral indices of risk-taking propensity suggest that the performance of the young and the elderly were dissociable only with respect to response times: The elderly was characterized by hesitation and more deliberative decision making throughout the experiment. These findings signify that sequential tracking of outcome contingencies has a key role in cost-efficient action planning and progressive expectation formation.

Negative functional coupling between the right fronto-parietal and limbic resting state networks predicts increased self-control and later substance use onset in adolescence

Recent developmental brain imaging studies have demonstrated that negatively coupled prefrontal-limbic circuitry implicates the maturation of brain development in adolescents. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) and independent component analysis (ICA), the present study examined functional network coupling between prefrontal and limbic systems and links to self-control and substance use onset in adolescents. Results suggest that negative network coupling (anti-correlated temporal dynamics) between the right fronto-parietal and limbic resting state networks is associated with greater self-control and later substance use onset in adolescents. These findings increase our understanding of the developmental importance of prefrontal-limbic circuitry for adolescent substance use at the resting-state network level.

[Traffic accidentability and risky driving behavior in young people in New Caledonia. Results of study Situation Sociale et Comportements de Santé des Jeunes en Nouvelle-Calédonie]

BACKGROUND

New Caledonia has one of the highest global rates of death from road accidents: 240 deaths per million inhabitants in 2011 with a majority of young people. However, research on driving behaviors has remained rare.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey based on face-to-face questionnaire with 1400 male and female youth aged 16 to 25 was conducted in 2007. It was used to measure the frequency of accidents and to compute a score of driving behaviors and their associations with socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyles as well as other health behaviors. RESULTS - 

CONCLUSION

A total of 10.6% of boys and 6.5% of girls reported a car accident in the previous twelve months period. Among male participants risky driving behavior was associated with having a degree (ORa=2, 95% CI [1.1-3.8]), sport practices (ORa=3.7, 95% CI [1.9-7.05]), involvement in a fight in the last twelve months (ORa=2.2, 95% CI [1.4-3.4]) and precocity of cannabis use (ORa=1.8, 95% CI [1.2-2.8]). Youth living in couple and those with children presented with higher risk-taking scores. Among female participants, young age at cannabis initiation (ORa=3.1, 95% CI [1.5-6.4]) and at sexual debut (ORa=2.4, 95% CI [1.1-5.1]) were associated with driving risk-taking. Finally, younger age at first alcohol intoxication was associated with risky behavior on the road in both sexes. These results highlighted the multidimensional nature of risk-taking behaviors on the road and showed that they are part of, for boys and girls, a larger pattern of risky behaviors. Such results suggest to include behaviors on the road in a comprehensive approach of prevention.

Executive functioning and risk-taking behavior in Parkinson's disease patients with impulse control disorders

Impulse control disorders (ICD) are common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and are associated with dopaminergic medication. The purpose of this study was to investigate executive function and risk-taking behavior in PD patients with ICD. 17 PD patients with ICD (ICD-PD) were compared to 20 PD patients without ICD (CTRL-PD) using neuropsychological and experimental tasks. Executive functions were assessed using standard executive testing (Conner's Performance Test, Modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Trail Making Test and phonological verbal fluency). Subjects were also submitted to an experimental gambling task consisted of three decks of money cards: neutral deck (equal opportunity for gains as losses), winning deck (small amount of money with a positive balance) and loser deck (high amount of money with a negative balance), evaluating risk-taking behavior (number of cards picked in each deck) and valuation of the reward (subjective appreciation of the value of each deck). There was no significant difference in executive functioning between groups. Both groups selected more cards in the losing deck (high amount of money) as compared to the neutral deck (Mann-Whitney test, ICD-PD, p = 0.02; CTRL-PD, p = 0.003) and to the winning deck (Mann-Whitney test, ICD-PD p = 0.0001; CTRL-PD p = 0.003), suggesting an increased risk-taking behavior. Interestingly, we found that ICD-PD patients estimated the value of decks differently from CTRL-PD patients, taking into account mainly the positive reinforced value of the decks (Mann-Whitney test, p = 0.04). This study showed that executive pattern and risk-taking behavior are similar between ICD-PD and CTRL-PD patients. However, ICD-PD patients showed a specific deficit of the subjective estimation of the reward. Links between this deficit and metacognitive skills are discussed.

Annual Research Review: Neural contributions to risk-taking in adolescence--developmental changes and individual differences

BACKGROUND

Risk-taking, which involves voluntary choices for behaviors where outcomes remain uncertain, undergoes considerable developmental changes during childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. In addition, risk-taking is thought to be a key element of many externalizing disorders, such as ADHD, delinquency, conduct disorder, and substance abuse. In this review, we will discuss the potential adaptive and nonadaptive properties of risk-taking in childhood and adolescence.

FINDINGS

We propose that the changes in brain architecture and function are a crucial element underlying these developmental trajectories. We first identify how subcortical and cortical interactions are important for understanding risk-taking behavior in adults. Next, we show how developmental changes in this network underlie changes in risk-taking behavior. Finally, we explore how these differences can be important for understanding externalizing behavioral disorders in childhood and adolescence.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that longitudinal studies are of crucial importance for understanding these developmental trajectories, and many of these studies are currently underway.

Longitudinal Associations among Impulsivity, Friend Substance Use, and Adolescent Substance Use

Adolescent substance use is an increasing problem in the United States, and some researchers posit a bidirectional relation between adolescent substance use and the personality trait of impulsivity (e.g., Quinn, Stappenbeck, & Fromme, 2011). Friend substance use has been shown to be a powerful predictor of adolescent substance use, with prior research suggesting a bidirectional relation between adolescent substance use and friend substance use (e.g., Simons-Morton & Chen, 2006). Extant literature has not tested the bidirectional relation between adolescent substance use and impulsivity with longitudinal data nor has it examined this relation while considering the bidirectional relation with the social context factor of friend substance use. Using three waves of longitudinal data, we tested if there was a bidirectional relation between adolescent substance use and impulsivity while also examining the influences of friend substance use. Participants were 131 adolescents (male = 55%, mean age = 13 years at Wave 1). We tested nested models and examined whether adding equality constraints degraded the model fit using a Wald test. Results of structural equation modeling indicated that, after controlling for baseline levels of substance use, impulsivity predicted adolescent and friend substance use over time, whereas adolescent and friend substance use did not predict impulsivity. Adolescents with substance using friends were likely to increase their own substance use. The findings imply that aiming at both improving adolescents’ ability to regulate impulsivity and deterring associations with friends who are using substances is essential for prevention and intervention efforts against substance use development in adolescents.

The relation between risk-taking behavior and alcohol use in young adults is different for men and women

OBJECTIVE

The present study examined the relationship of risk-taking behavior and alcohol use and the role of sex herein, while adjusting for age, depression, anxiety, stress and lifestyle.

METHODS

Participants were 6002 university students. They were classified as either abstinent, drinker but non-binge drinker, or binge drinker based on self-reported alcohol consumption. Risk-taking and risk assessment were evaluated with the RT-18 and depression, anxiety and stress with the DASS-21.

RESULTS

The odds of being a binge versus non-binge drinker increased with risk-taking as well as risk assessment for both men and women. The odds being a non-binge drinker versus abstinent were increased by risk-taking for women only. For binge drinking versus abstinence, risk-taking had a significant increasing effect for both sexes, but risk assessment was only significant in women.

CONCLUSION

These results may assist with alcohol use prevention techniques because risk-taking behavior exerts, even when corrected for age, lifestyle, depression, anxiety, and stress levels, a solid, sex-specific independent effect on alcohol use.

High trait anxiety is associated with attenuated feedback-related negativity in risky decision making

Expectation biases could affect decision making in trait anxiety. Studying the alterations of feedback processing in real-life risk-taking tasks could reveal the presence of expectation biases at the neural level. A functional relevance of the feedback-related negativity (FRN) is the expression of outcome expectation errors. The aim of the study was to investigate whether nonclinical adults with high trait anxiety show smaller FRN for negative feedback than those with low trait anxiety. Participants (N=26) were assigned to low and high trait anxiety groups by a median split on the state-trait anxiety inventory trait score. They performed a balloon analogue risk task (BART) where they pumped a balloon on a screen. Each pump yielded either a reward or a balloon pop. If the balloon popped, the accumulated reward was lost. Participants were matched on their behavioral performance. We measured event-related brain potentials time-locked to the presentation of the feedback (balloon increase or pop). Our results showed that the FRN for balloon pops was decreased in the high anxiety group compared to the low anxiety group. We propose that pessimistic expectations triggered by the ambiguity in the BART decreased outcome expectation errors in the high anxiety group indicated by the smaller FRN. Our results highlight the importance of expectation biases at the neural level of decision making in anxiety.

Neural correlates of adolescents' viewing of parents' and peers' emotions: Associations with risk-taking behavior and risky peer affiliations

Social reorientation from parents to same-age peers is normative in adolescence, but the neural correlates of youths' socioemotional processing of parents and peers have not been explored. In the current study, 22 adolescents (average age 16.98) underwent neuroimaging (functional magnetic resonance imaging) while viewing and rating emotions shown in brief video clips featuring themselves, their parents, or an unfamiliar peer. Viewing self vs. other and parents vs. the peer activated regions in the medial prefrontal cortex, replicating prior findings that this area responds to self-relevant stimuli, including familiar and not just similar others. Viewing the peer compared with parents elicited activation in posterior 'mentalizing' structures, the precuneus, posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), bilateral posterior superior temporal sulcus and right temporoparietal junction, as well as the ventral striatum and bilateral amygdala and hippocampus. Relative activations in the PCC and precuneus to the peer vs. the parent were related both to reported risk-taking behavior and to affiliations with more risk-taking peers. The results suggest neural correlates of the adolescent social reorientation toward peers and away from parents that may be associated with adolescents' real-life risk-taking behaviors and social relationships.

Ability versus hazard: risk-taking and falls in older people

BACKGROUND

Among older people, undue risk taking could lead to falls, irrespective of physical ability. We investigated the interaction between risk-taking behavior and physical ability and its contribution to falls.

METHODS

Participants (N = 294, age ≥ 70) were asked to walk as quickly as possible to a visible destination by choosing one of six paths. Each contained a raised plank that had to be walked along without falling. The shortest path had the narrowest and tallest plank and the longest had the widest and lowest. Behavioral risk was defined as the probability of falling off the chosen plank. This was estimated from a ground path walking task because, for safety, participants were stopped before crossing the plank. Self-reported everyday risk-taking behavior, fear of falling, physical functioning, and 1-year prospective fall rates were measured.

RESULTS

Older participants and those with poor physical ability chose easier planks to cross. Participants with good physical ability consistently took a slight behavioral risk, whereas those with poor physical ability took either very-high behavioral risks or chose the overly safe path with no risk. Unexpectedly, participants reporting cautious behavior on the everyday risk-taking behavior scale took greater behavioral risks. Independent of physical performance, behavioral risk was significantly associated with falls during the subsequent year.

CONCLUSIONS

Assessing behavioral choice in relation to physical ability can identify risk-taking but neither the difficulty of a chosen action nor self-reports of risk-taking behavior are sufficient. Risk-taking behavior is an independent risk factor for falls and management of undue risk-taking might complement existing fall prevention strategies.

Different strategies underlying uncertain decision making: higher executive performance is associated with enhanced feedback-related negativity

The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of executive functions (EFs) in different strategies underlying risky decision making. Adult participants from a nonclinical sample were assigned to low or high EF groups based on their performance on EF tasks measuring shifting, updating, and inhibition. ERPs were recorded while participants performed the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART). In this task, each balloon pump was associated with either a reward or a balloon pop with unknown probability. The BART behavioral measures did not show between-group differences. However, the feedback-related negativity (FRN) associated with undesirable outcomes was larger in the high EF group than in the low EF group. Since the FRN represents salience prediction error, our results suggest that the high EF group formed internal models that were violated by the outcomes. Thus, we provided ERP evidence for EFs influencing risky decision-making processes.

Influence of violent video gaming on determinants of the acquired capability for suicide

The interpersonal theory of suicidal behavior proposes that fearlessness of death and physical pain insensitivity is a necessary requisite for self-inflicted lethal self-harm. Repeated experiences with painful and provocative events are supposed to cause an incremental increase in acquired capability. The present study examined whether playing a first-person shooter-game in contrast to a first-person racing game increases pain tolerance, a dimension of the acquired capability construct, and risk-taking behavior, a risk factor for developing acquired capability. N=81 male participants were randomly assigned to either play an action-shooter or a racing game before engaging in a game on risk-taking behavior and performing a cold pressor task (CPT). Participants exhibited higher pain tolerance after playing an action shooter game than after playing a racing game. Furthermore, playing an action shooter was generally associated with heightened risk-taking behavior. Group-differences were not attributable to the effects of the different types of games on self-reported mood and arousal. Overall these results indicate that action-shooter gaming alters pain tolerance and risk-taking behavior. Therefore, it may well be that long-term consumption of violent video games increases a person's capability to enact lethal self-harm.

Anaphylaxis in the young adult population

It is critical that clinicians treating young adults understand the presentation and management of anaphylaxis. The most common trigger for anaphylaxis in this population is food. The prevalence of food allergy is growing, with 8% of US children and adolescents affected. All patients at risk for anaphylaxis should be prescribed epinephrine autoinjectors, as epinephrine is the only life-saving medication for a severe anaphylactic reaction. The presentation of anaphylaxis can involve multiple organ systems (eg, mucocutaneous, respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal) and, as such, patient education is needed to assist in prompt recognition. Appropriate training of patients and caregivers about how to identify anaphylaxis and what to do in an emergency is critical. Training of school and college staff also is essential, as 1 in 4 first-time reactions occurs outside the home. Additional counseling for adolescents at risk for anaphylactic reactions should address increased risk-taking behavior, decreased adult supervision, dating, and the transition of disease management from an adult to the patient.

Current health issues in Korean adolescents

During the adolescent period, they experience rapid physical, emotional, cognitive developments while they establish their lifestyle and habitual routines that strongly influence adult health and life. Recent rapid economic growth in Korea, and the earlier onset of physical, sexual, and psychological maturation of adolescents, has resulted in changes in the health status of adolescents from many years ago. Risk-taking behaviors such as drinking alcohol, smoking, and sexual experiences are critical issues that affect the health of, adolescents. Therefore, it is important for pediatricians to note the that risk-taking behaviors of adolescents in Korea that are caused by individual psychosocial factors. This review article illustrates the current health status of Korean adolescents and provides an overview of risk-taking behaviors, to inform pediatricians about some of the key issues.