PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Impulsive Behavior”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Self-injurious behavior in anorexia nervosa.

Recent reports have postulated the existence of two different types of self-injurious behavior: impulsive and compulsive. The aim of the present study is to analyze the dimensionality of self-injurious behavior and to study the link between self-injurious behavior and clinical features in anorexia nervosa. The study involved 236 consecutive patients with anorexia nervosa, diagnosed by DSM-IV criteria. Subjects were evaluated by means of a semistructured interview and self-reported questionnaires, such as the Eating Disorders Inventory and Hopkins Symptom Checklist. A principal component analysis was used to study the dimensionality of different types of self-injurious behavior, including purging. Our findings confirm the distinction between impulsive and compulsive self-injurious behavior. The dimensions appear to be represented as a continuum in both the anorexia nervosa diagnostic subgroups. A third distinct dimension emerged that included self-induced vomiting and laxative/diuretics abuse. Childhood sexual abuse and anxiety significantly predict the presence of impulsive self-injury, whereas obsessionality and age predict compulsive self-injury. The coexistence of a positive score on both dimensions of self-injurious behavior was the strongest predictor of treatment dropout. The present study highlights the importance of self-injurious behavior; it should be given due consideration in future outcome studies on anorexia nervosa

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Effects of morphine and naltrexone on impulsive decision making in rats.

RATIONALE: It has been reported that human opiate addicts discount delayed rewards more than non-addicts, indicating that they are more impulsive. However, it is not clear whether this difference reflects pre-existing traits, or the effects of exposure to the opiates. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to investigate the effects of an opioid agonist and antagonist on delay discounting in rats. The study had three objectives: to determine (1) the acute effects of the opioid agonist morphine (MOR) on delay discounting, (2) the acute effects of the opioid antagonist naltrexone (NAL) on delay discounting, and (3) whether NAL reverses the effects of MOR on delay discounting. METHODS: An adjusting amount procedure (AdjAmt) was used to determine how much animals discounted the value of delayed rewards. Acute doses of MOR (0.3, 1.0, and 1.8 mg/kg SC), NAL (0.01, 0.1, 1.0, and 10 mg/kg SC) and NAL (0.1 mg/kg SC) prior to MOR (1.8 mg/kg SC) were tested in 15 rats. RESULTS: MOR dose dependently increased the rate of delay discounting (i.e., made the animals more impulsive). NAL alone had no effect on the value of delayed rewards, but NAL blocked the effects of MOR. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that the direct effects of MOR may contribute to the high level of impulsive behavior seen among opiate users.

Analgesics, Opioid↗
PubMed1993

Comparison among various methods of assessment of impulsiveness.

The current confused status of the research on impulsivity may be attributed to the lack of precise definitions, the reliance of most operationalizations on a single index, and inconsistency among different measures of the construct. Empirical measurements of impulsivity by self-reports, rating scales, or performance tasks suggest that the instruments employed measure aspects that have very little in common, a finding that throws serious doubts on the validity of the construct and implies a need for further research. To clarify this topic, we applied four different measures of impulsivity to 46 7th-grade (12 to 13 years old) schoolchildren. The children were rated by their teachers on an impulsivity behavior scale and were administered Kagan's Matching Familiar Figures Test, Version MFF-20, and two self-report forms, the Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire, and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale. Although the results confirmed the lack of convergence among these measures, high latencies on matching were associated with the cognitive aspect of the self-report scales. Treating impulsivity as a multidimensional construct is discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

[Experimental detection of inadequate affect regulation in patients with self-mutilating behavior].

According to DSM-IV affective instability in borderline personality disorder is due to marked reactions to environmental events. The aim of this study was to investigate affective responsiveness of abnormal personalities with self-harming impulsive behaviors by means of an affect-stimulation design. The first experiment was based on the presentation of a short story that allowed affective responses to various stimuli to be assessed in regard to quality, intensity, and alterations over time. The second one presented a typical frustration design, which provoked specific feelings of anger and disappointment. Impulsive personalities showed an affective hyperreactivity that was characterized by a decreased threshold for affective responses, as well as by intensive, rapidly changing affects. Furthermore, affect experiences turned out to be qualitatively diffuse and undifferentiated. Results support that affective instability of patients with borderline personality disorder should be differentiated from the autonomous deviations of mood typical of affective disorders. Their affective hyperreactivity is a crucial part of impulsive personality functioning.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2003

Drug abuse as a problem of impaired control: current approaches and findings.

The author presents a selective and integrative overview of current research examining acute effects of abused drugs on aspects of behavioral control in humans. The review discusses the concept of behavioral control and reviews research models that examine inhibitory influences as a central mechanism of control. Evidence for drug-induced impairment of inhibitory mechanisms is reviewed from current neuroanatomical, neuropharmacological, and behavioral perspectives. Model-based laboratory assessments of behavioral control are described in terms of their application to behavioral pharmacology and evidence for alcohol and psychostimulant effects on basic inhibitory mechanisms is reviewed. Drug effects on inhibitory mechanisms are also discussed in terms of their relevance to higher-order cognitive and behavioral functions, and in relation to impulsive behaviors, such as drug abuse. The review concludes by identifying important drug-related phenomenon (e.g., drug tolerance, cue reactivity) that might also be studied in behavioral control frameworks in future research.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Disordered gambling in adolescents : epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment.

Rapid expansion of legalized gambling has been associated with increased rates of gambling disorders among adults and adolescents worldwide. Epidemiologic studies suggest that, in North America, up to 6% of adults and 20% of adolescents have a gambling problem. Despite increasing prevalence rates of gambling disorders, little research is available on how to treat such disorders in adolescents. Much of what is known about how to treat adolescent problem and pathological gambling comes from research on psychosocial and psychopharmacologic treatments for adult pathological gambling. Risk factors for adolescent gambling disorders include male gender, alcohol and drug use, deviant peers, family history of gambling, and impulsive behavior. While several risk factors characterize disordered gambling among adolescents, the extent to which these characteristics are related remains to be determined. In terms of screening for adolescent problem and pathological gambling, several instruments designed to reflect the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders diagnostic criteria for pathological gambling are available. Psychosocial approaches used to treat adult pathological gambling include Gamblers Anonymous, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and motivational enhancement therapy (MET). Among adolescents, CBT as well as an eclectic therapy have been helpful in reducing problematic gambling behavior. In terms of pharmacotherapy, three classes of psychotropic drugs have been used to treat adult pathological gambling - serotonin reuptake inhibitors, opioid antagonists, and mood stabilizers. While some of these pharmacotherapies have been efficacious in treating adult pathological gambling, additional double-blind, placebo-controlled studies are needed to determine the long-term effectiveness of these treatments. No known study has evaluated the use of psychopharmacologic agents in treating adolescent pathological gambling. Possible reasons for the lack of research on treatment for adolescent gambling disorders include lack of motivation to pursue treatment, feelings of self-control, and negative perception of therapy. Referrals from parents, teachers, and peers of adolescents, as well as community outreach programs, may be useful in successfully deriving a treatment population. Clinicians are advised to be sensitive to behavioral risk factors and to screen for disordered gambling in high risk adolescents. A combination of CBT and MET, as well as medication for any comorbid psychiatric condition, is recommended.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

[The effect of valproic acid monotherapy on behavior and cognitive performance of children with idiopathic generalized epilepsy].

Valproic acid (VPA) currently plays an important role in the treatment of several different types of epilepsy. Especially in children and adolescents, VPA is used because of a minimum of adverse effects and generally little impact on cognitive and psychomotor functions. However, reports in the literature regarding the influence of VPA on behavior and cognitive performance and on EEG parameters vary widely. We investigated the effect of VPA monotherapy on behavioral components (attention, concentration, inhibitory control), cognitive efficiency (motor reaction time, learning, retention) and evoked potentials in 19 children aged 6 to 14 years with idiopathic generalized epilepsy and compared the results with those of healthy controls matched for age. In addition, we analyzed the serum levels of VPA and some of the VPA metabolites in all of the children with epilepsy immediately before the psychophysiological assessments. Our results show marked differences between the children with epilepsy and the healthy controls in all types of behavior and cognitive performance assessed. Abnormal behavior (disturbances of attention and concentration, impulsive behavior patterns) and significant changes in evoked potentials appear to be correlated with serum levels of VPA and certain VPA metabolites.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Impulsivity and delinquent behavior among incarcerated adolescents.

Clinical measures of impulsivity were administered to 33 incarcerated juvenile delinquents; scores were compared to the type and number of crimes committed. The data revealed that impulsivity is a measureable construct among delinquent adolescents, but that impulsiveness is not necessarily related to either type or number of crimes committed. The notion that impulsivity is an integral factor in the etiology of delinquency was not supported by the data.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Acute and chronic administration of trazodone in the treatment of disruptive behavior disorders in children.

We report the results of an open trial of trazodone in the treatment of severe behavioral disturbances in a sample of 22 hospitalized children previously found to be unresponsive to other treatments. Response to treatment was assessed by overall clinical criteria and improvements in individual symptom dimensions during the inpatient hospitalization. Thirteen children (67%) were found to benefit from the introduction of trazodone. Aggressive, impulsive behaviors were symptoms most frequently improved by this agent. Three of those found to be nonresponders actually worsened in symptomatology. A follow-up interview of the parents was conducted 3-14 months after discharge from the inpatient unit, for those children who initially responded to trazodone administration. The results of this interview suggest that the effect of trazodone was persistent for a prolonged period of time after the initial inpatient trial. Trazodone appears to be of value in the management of severe behavioral disturbances in children. The possible mechanism of action of trazodone is discussed.

Aggression↗
PubMed1999

Impulsivity as a correlate of suicidal behavior in adolescent psychiatric inpatients.

One hundred and eighteen inpatient adolescents in a psychiatric hospital were evaluated to determine the relationship of aggression, self injury, and suicidal behavior to impulsivity. It was hypothesized that all these variables would be significantly and positively correlated with one another. This hypothesis was in part based on the results of psychobiological research that found serotonin dysfunction to be the common denominator of these psychopathological dimensions. As predicted, a significant correlation was found between the measures of suicidal behavior, aggressive behavior, and impulsivity. This correlation between suicidal behavior and impulsivity remained after partialing out the factor of aggression. Furthermore, the correlations between impulsivity and suicidality appeared greater in males than in females. Since male suicide attempters are more likely to eventually commit suicide than female suicide attempters, these findings may have a bearing on suicide prediction.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

A fenfluramine-activated FDG-PET study of borderline personality disorder.

BACKGROUND: Impulsive aggression in patients with personality disorders is associated with diminished levels of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) 5-HIAA, blunted neuroendocrine responses to serotonergic agonists, and decreased glucose utilization in the prefrontal cortex. We tested the hypothesis that impulsive aggression in borderline personality disorder (BPD) may be associated with diminished serotonergic regulation in the prefrontal cortex, using positron-emission tomography (PET) neuroimaging during pharmacologic challenge with d,l fenfluramine (FEN). METHODS: A 2-day, single-blind, placebo-controlled FEN challenge study was conducted in five patients with BPD (and no Axis I MDD) and eight healthy control participants. On Day 1, 4 mCi [(18)F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) was injected 3 hours after ingestion of placebo; on Day 2, FDG was injected 3 hours after ingestion of.8 mg/kg to 60 mg of d,l fenfluramine. After 30 min, a 45-min emission scan was acquired on the Siemans/CTI 951r/31 scanner. PET data were aligned to MR images and analyzed by Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM96). RESULTS: In response to placebo, uptake of FDG was greater in control participants than patients in large areas of the prefrontal cortex including medial and orbital regions bilaterally (BA 10-11), left superior temporal gyrus, and right insular cortex. There were no areas in which patients had greater relative regional uptake than control participants. In response to FEN, relative regional uptake of FDG (relative to placebo) was greater in control participants compared to patients in medial and orbital regions of right prefrontal cortex (BA 10), left middle and superior temporal gyri (BA 22-23), left parietal lobe (BA 40), and left caudate body. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with BPD have diminished response to serotonergic stimulation in areas of prefrontal cortex associated with regulation of impulsive behavior.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

A replication study of violent and nonviolent subjects: cerebrospinal fluid metabolites of serotonin and dopamine are predicted by plasma essential fatty acids.

BACKGROUND: Among an independent group of subjects selected for their history of violent, impulsive behaviors and nonviolent control subjects, we attempted to replicate the finding that plasma docosahexaenoic acid concentrations were negatively correlated with cerebrospinal fluid 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (CSF 5-HIAA) concentrations. METHODS: CSF 5-HIAA and homovanillic acid (HVA), fasting total cholesterol, and plasma fatty acid concentrations were examined in violent and nonviolent subjects matched for their severity of alcohol dependence. RESULTS: Violent subjects had significantly higher lifetime violence and hostility ratings and lower concentrations of CSF 5-HIAA than nonviolent subjects. Plasma docosahexaenoic acid was negatively correlated with CSF 5-HIAA only among violent subjects. CONCLUSIONS: This observational study suggests that dietary essential fatty acids may change neurotransmitter concentrations. Prospective dietary intervention trials will be required to determine if increasing dietary intake of docosahexaenoic acid will increase or decrease either CSF 5-HIAA concentrations or impulsive and violent behaviors.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

[Preliminary pilot study of cyproterone acetate for the treatment of aggressive behavior associated with severe dementia].

INTRODUCTION: Behavioral symptoms are common in dementia, and seem to be more frequent in men than in women. Agitation is frequently responsible for caregiver burn-out and leads to institutionalization. The dramatic increase in the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders requires better management of behavior symptoms. Although environmental adaptation has been proposed recently, for many years, psychoactive medications and physical restraints were the primary approach. However, in severely demented patients, both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments are inoperative. In this situation, alternative pharmacologic approach should be tested. Cyproterone acetate, an antiandrogen and progestative steroid has never been proposed to prevent aggressive behavior in dementia, but its favorable effect is well described in rat and monkey aggressivity. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cyproterone acetate was proposed for 19 demented patients who developed severe aggressive behaviors or an agitation unresponsive to psychoactive drugs (even in association) or to environmental adaptation. Clinical and behavioral analysis was carried out using the Cohen-Mansfield agitation inventory associated with an assessment of dependency in daily life activities, before and during treatment with cyproterone acetate. The behavioral status was stable, with permanent or repetitive agitation. Seven patients had vascular dementia, 7 had Alzheimer's disease, 2 had fronto-temporal degeneration, 2 had Huntington's disease and 1 a probable diffuse Lewy bodies disease. Fifteen patients had prominent aggressive behavior and 4 had predominant aberrant motor behavior with aggressive behavior. RESULTS: Cyproterone (50 to 100mg - mean: 92.5mg daily) improved significantly aggressive and impulsive behavior related to Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia but had no effect on aberrant motor behavior. When cyproterone was stopped, aggressive behaviors reappeared more rapidly in vascular dementia. CONCLUSION: Cyproterone acetate is then an interesting choice when aggressive behavior is not improved with psychotropic drugs. A detailed clinical analysis is required to avoid the use of cyproterone in non-aggressive and non-impulsive patients. The results of this preliminary study suggest a randomized double-blind study should be carried out in the near future. The behavior improvement could be related to the blockage of androgen receptors, and simultaneously to the sedative effect of progestative drugs.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Measurement of impulsivity: construct coherence, longitudinal stability, and relationship with externalizing problems in middle childhood and adolescence.

This study focused on the assessment of impulsivity in nonreferred school-aged children. Children had been participants since infancy in the Bloomington Longitudinal Study. Individual differences in impulsivity were assessed in the laboratory when children were 6 (44 boys, 36 girls) and 8 (50 boys, 39 girls) years of age. Impulsivity constructs derived from these assessments were related to parent and teacher ratings of externalizing problems across the school-age period (ages 7-10) and to parent and self-ratings of these outcomes across adolescence (ages 14-17). Consistent with prior research, individual measures of impulsivity factor-analyzed into subdimensions reflecting children's executive control capabilities, delay of gratification, and ability or willingness to sustain attention and compliance during work tasks. Children's performance on the main interactive task index, inhibitory control, showed a signficant level of stability between ages 6 and 8. During the school-age years, children who performed impulsively on the laboratory measures were perceived by mothers and by teachers as more impulsive, inattentive, and overactive than others, affirming the external validity of the impulsivity constructs. Finally, impulsive behavior in the laboratory at ages 6 and 8 predicted maternal and self-ratings of externalizing problem behavior across adolescence, supporting the long-term predictive value of the laboratory-derived impulsivity measures.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Gender differences in schizotypic features in a large sample of young adults.

Research with self-report measures of schizotypic or psychosis-prone features in nonclinical populations suggests that, similarly to schizophrenic populations, males score higher on more "negative" schizotypic features and females score higher on more "positive" schizotypic features. We administered the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire and the Chapman Scales of Psychosis Proneness--impulsivity/nonconformity, magical ideation, perceptual aberration, physical anhedonia, and social anhedonia--to a large, nonclinical, young adult sample (N = 1179: 453 males and 726 females). Results indicated increased negative symptomatology in males compared with females, but not increased positive symptomatology in females compared with males. Findings on Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire factors suggested that interpersonal deficits differed by gender as well. Finally, a measure of impulsive behavior and nonconformity not typically associated with negative symptomatology indicated gender differences not predicted by a negative/positive dichotomy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Increased alcohol intake and behavioral disinhibition in rats with ventral striatal neuron loss.

A previous study of ours reported excessive alcohol intake, enhanced defensive aggressiveness (hyperreactivity towards the experimenter), impulsive behavior, and reduced cortical serotonin levels in rats following extensive basal forebrain axon-sparing lesions involving the septal area and the ventral striatum. This constellation of signs resembles that seen clinically in "Dionysian" alcoholics. The present investigation aimed at examining the effect of ibotenic acid lesions restricted to the septal area or the ventral striatum on this behavioral profile. Experiment 1 indicated that medium-sized lesions (induced by infusing 0.35 microl ibotenic acid in each hemisphere) encompassing the septal area or the ventral striatum elicited a qualitatively similar behavioral profile. Both lesion types markedly enhanced the intake of 6% ethanol, and both groups were significantly more hyperreactive towards the experimenter. A brief doorbell signal elicited significantly more fleeing in rats with basal forebrain lesions, and licking from an electrified waterspout in the punished drinking test caused lesser suppression of locomotor activity than normal. Both groups also showed significant deficits in food hoarding. Histological examination revealed that the posterior portion of the ventral striatal lesion typically overlapped with the anterior portion of the septal lesion. Experiment 2 avoided this neuropathological overlap, and examined groups bearing small discrete lesions (induced by infusing 0.15 microl ibotenic acid in each hemisphere) restricted to either the accumbens part of the ventral striatum or the dorsal septal area. Lesions to the nucleus accumbens were associated with an increase in home-cage alcohol drinking, no hyperreactivity towards the experimenter, potentiation of fleeing at the expense of freezing in response to a sudden auditory signal, and disinhibited behavior in the punished drinking test with increased punished responding and reduced behavioral suppression. Rats with small septal lesions showed a weak enhancement of defensive aggression, but no other behavioral alterations. Our results suggest that ventral striatal neuron loss gives rise to excessive alcohol drinking and enhanced impulsivity.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed2005

Alcohol-induced impulsivity in rats: an effect of cue salience?

RATIONALE: There is a common assumption that alcohol produces impulsive behaviors, thereby increasing the preference for immediate over delayed rewards. An alternative explanation, provided by alcohol myopia theory, is that alcohol alters attentional processes such that intoxicated individuals respond exclusively to the most salient cues in their environment. OBJECTIVES: We tested these two hypotheses in rats using standard (impulsivity) and modified (cue salience) versions of the delayed reinforcement task. METHODS: In the impulsivity paradigm, rats were trained to choose between a small immediate reward (2 sucrose pellets) and a large delayed reward (12 sucrose pellets after 10 s) in a T-maze. In the cue salience paradigm, a light in one arm predicted either the small or the large reward, but the arm paired with the light varied across trials. In separate experiments, we examined how changes in delay to the large reward, alcohol administration, or alcohol combined with either a serotonin agonist [para-chloroamphetamine (pCA) at doses of 0.1, 0.4, 0.7, and 1.0 mg/kg, s.c.)] or a dopamine antagonist [cis-(Z)-flupenthixol dihydrochloride (alpha-flupenthixol) at doses of 0.0125, 0.025, 0.05, and 0.1 mg/kg, i.p.] affected performance in each task. RESULTS: Increasing the delay to the large reward increased impulsivity in both paradigms, but it had no effect on responding to a salient cue. Alcohol (0.6, 0.9, 1.2, and 1.8 g/kg, i.p.) increased the choice of the immediate reward and increased the choice of the lit arm, regardless of whether it signaled the small or the large reward. pCA selectively reduced alcohol-induced impulsivity, whereas alpha-flupenthixol selectively reduced responding to a salient cue. CONCLUSIONS: Rats, like humans, are influenced by cue salience when intoxicated. Although this alcohol myopia effect could explain alcohol-induced impulsivity, the two processes are probably distinct because they are mediated by dissociable pharmacological mechanisms.

Animals↗