Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Marcello Spinella.
In a sample of 82 undergraduates, the personality dimension of novelty seeking, which has been hypothesized to be influenced by levels of dopamine in the central nervous system, was associated with attitudes regarding money.
In four samples of adults, individual income was negatively associated with a measure of prefrontal cortex dysfunction even after implementing controls for age, sex, and education. The small association was stronger for men than for women. These results provide support for a neuroeconomic approach to the study of micro-economic variables.
Executive functions are cognitive abilities that allow for more goal-oriented and autonomous behavior. The authors examined the relationship between self-rated executive functions and 3 positive personality attributes (satisfaction with life, gratitude, and forgiveness) in a nonclinical community sample. The authors used self-report scales (Executive Function Index, Heartland Forgiveness Scale "other" subscale, Satisfaction With Life Scale, and the Gratitude Questionnaire) to examine how executive functions related to the positive psychology attributes. After controlling for age, sex, and formal education, positive relationships emerged among gratitude, satisfaction, and executive function scales of motivational drive, empathy, and strategic planning. However, an inverse relationship emerged between impulse control and forgiveness, perhaps relating to cautiousness and suggesting finer distinctions between adaptive and maladaptive forms of forgiveness. These findings suggest common psychological and neurobiological substrates for executive functions and positive psychology attributes, warranting further, more direct biobehavioral research.
Empathy is a vicarious experience of others' emotions, and is crucial to many forms of adaptive social interaction. Clinical, experimental, and functional neuroimaging studies convergently suggest a role for prefrontal-limbic circuits in mediating empathy. This study examined the prefrontal basis of empathy in a community sample using self-report measures: the frontal systems behavior scale (FrSBe), Barratt impulsiveness scale (BIS), and the interpersonal reactivity index (IRI). Multiple correlations emerged supporting an inverse relationship between prefrontal system dysfunction and empathy, particularly emotional empathy and perspective taking. Many of these relationships persisted after controlling for age, sex, and education. However, FrSBe scales did not correlate with one's identification with fictional characters, and motor impulsivity correlated positively, presumably due to the different cognitive and emotional context (i.e. real versus fictional individuals). These studies parallel others using objective methodologies and suggest a graded relationship between prefrontal function and empathy and likely reflect normal variations in prefrontal-limbic function.
Addictions have been associated with compulsive behaviors, which serve to reduce emotional distress. Tobacco use has been associated with increased adverse moods such as anxiety. Nicotine has established anxiolytic effects through modulation of central neurotransmitters, including monoamines. Both obsessive-compulsive behaviors and tobacco use have both been associated with dysfunction in orbitofrontal-subcortical circuits. This study demonstrated greater intensity of compulsive behaviors (as measured by the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale [Y-BOCS]) in tobacco users compared to nonusers, which was not due to demographic influences or use of other psychoactive drugs. Both the frequency of tobacco use and level of overall emotional distress correlated positively with the severity of compulsive symptoms. The results are consistent with tobacco use as a form of self-medicating compulsive symptoms, likely through monoamine modulation of orbitofrontal-subcortical circuits.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is considered an anxiety disorder, but shows comorbidity with other disorders in the affective and impulsive-compulsive spectra, including anxiety disorders, major depression, and drug addictions. Subclinical OCD symptoms are relatively common in nonclinical populations and share common neurobiological substrates with clinical OCD. In this nonclinical community sample, the relationship between the severity of obsessions and compulsions, as measured by the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, related to the intensity of negative emotions (anger, depression, tension, confusion, and fatigue) but not positive emotion (vigor), as measured by the Profile of Mood States. These relationships were independent of demographic influences and psychoactive drug use frequency (alcohol, cannabis, opioid, major stimulants, MDMA, and hallucinogens). These likely reflect common neurobiological substrates for emotional and behavioral regulation in prefrontal-subcortical/limbic circuits, which show normal variations in the general population.
There are several self-rating executive function (SREF) measures in existence that were developed solely in clinical populations or which sample a limited range of executive functions. The Executive Function Index (EFI) was developed here in a normal population with five subscales derived through factor analysis: Motivational Drive, Strategic Planning, Organization, Impulse Control, and Empathy. The content of three second order factors is consistent with the functions mediated by dorsolateral, orbitofrontal, and medial prefrontal circuits. Intrascale reliability and demographic relationships are reported as well as strong correlations with other SREF measures validated in clinical and neuroimaging studies. This brief measure provides a quick and efficient means of collecting data in large samples in order to test hypotheses regarding the role of prefrontal systems in various aspects of behavior and to corroborate findings of other methods, such as objective tests and functional neuroimaging.
In a sample of 139 community residents, credit card ownership was associated with age, sex, income, attitudes toward credit cards and toward money, and scores on a verbal measure of prefrontal cortical dysfunction, supporting a neuroeconomic approach to economic decision-making.
In a sample of 67 students, neuroticism scores were associated with money attitude scores. The higher the neuroticism score the higher the impulsivity and the lower the motivational drive, organization, and planning scores.
In a sample of 139 community residents, three of the four subscales from the Yamauchi and Templer Money Attitude Scale were replicated.
OBJECTIVE: Impulsivity has been well documented as a factor in the behavior of eating-disordered populations and is likely to influence normal eating patterns as well. The current study attempted to clarify the relationship between the three elements of impulsivity (nonplanning, attentional, and motor) and the three factors of eating (cognitive restraint, disinhibition, and hunger) in a nonclinical sample. METHOD: Data were collected from a sample (N = 112) of volunteer participants from the community who answered two self-report instruments related to impulsivity (the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, Version 11) and eating (the Eating Inventory). Partial correlations were performed on the data to control for age, sex, and education. Cognitive restraint did not correlate with any element of impulsivity. Disinhibition was positively correlated with both attentional impulsivity (r = .40, p < .001) and motor impulsivity (r = .32, p < .01). Attentional impulsivity was also positively correlated with hunger (r = .24, p < .05). DISCUSSION: The lack of association between cognitive restraint and impulsivity suggests that they are functionally distinct. Disinhibition is most closely associated with impulsivity, consistent with findings from clinical samples. Further clarification of the relationship between impulsivity and eating in nonclinical populations could facilitate a better understanding of the relationship between personality variables and normal eating behavior.
Impulsivity is associated with the functioning of prefrontal-subcortical circuits particularly, the orbitofrontal circuit, which is shown in neuro-imaging studies of neurological and psychological disorders. Objective behavioral measures, such as go/no-go, antisaccades, and delayed alternation, have demonstrated sensitivity to prefrontal function. This study examined the relationship between orbitofrontal-sensitive measures and impulsivity in healthy adults, as measured by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS). Go/no-go and antisaccades correlated positively and delayed alternations correlated negatively with BIS subscales, even after controlling for demographic influences. The results add to the validity of the BIS and support a role for prefrontal cortex in impulse control.
Eating disorders, such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder, commonly involve a dysregulation of behavior (e.g., a lack or excess of inhibition and impulsive eating patterns) that is suggestive of prefrontal dysfunction. Functional neuro-imaging studies show that prefrontal-subcortical systems play a role in eating behavior and appetite in healthy individuals, and that people with eating disorders have altered activity in these systems. Eating behavior is often disturbed by illnesses and injuries that impinge upon prefrontal-subcortical systems. This study examined relationships between executive functioning and eating behavior in healthy individuals using validated behavioral rating scales (Frontal Systems Behavior Scale and Eating Inventory). Correlations demonstrated that increased dysexecutive traits were associated with disinhibited eating and greater food cravings. There was also a positive association with cognitive restraint of eating, suggesting that increased compensatory behaviors follow disinhibited eating. These psychometric findings reinforce those of other methodologies, supporting a role for prefrontal systems in eating.
Credit card use often involves a disadvantageous allocation of finances because they allow for spending beyond means and buying on impulse. Accordingly they are associated with increased bankruptcy, anxiety, stress, and health problems. Mounting evidence from functional neuroimaging and clinical studies implicates prefrontal-subcortical systems in processing financial information. This study examined the relationship of credit card debt and executive functions using the Frontal System Behavior Scale (FRSBE). After removing the influences of demographic variables (age, sex, education, and income), credit card debt was associated with the Executive Dysfunction scale, but not the Apathy or Disinhibition scales. This suggests that processes of conceptualizing and organizing finances are most relevant to credit card debt, and implicates dorsolateral prefrontal dysfunction.
Hypersexuality can result from insults to several neuroanatomical structures that regulate sexual behavior. A case is presented of an adult male with a thalamic infarct resulting in a paramedian thalamic syndrome, consisting of hypersomnolence, confabulatory anterograde amnesia (including reduplicative paramnesia), vertical gaze deficits, and hypophonic speech. A dysexecutive syndrome also manifested, consisting of social disinhibition, apathy, witzelsucht, motor inhibition deficits, and environmental dependence. Hypersexuality uncharacteristic of his premorbid behavior was evident in instances of exhibitionism, public masturbation, and verbal sexual obscenities. In contrast to the few previous reports of hypersexuality following thalamic infarct, this case neither involved mania nor hemichorea. The relevance of the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus in limbic and prefrontal circuits is discussed.
In a sample of 235 community residents, the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale which measures frontal system dysfunction was negatively associated with income and positively associated with accepting smaller immediate rewards rather than larger delayed rewards.
In a study of 100 students, no associations were found between a measure of the prefrontal system dysfunction personality with credit card use and attitudes.
In a sample of 139 community residents, the three subscales from the brief Hayhoe, et al. credit card attitude scale were replicated in a factor analysis.