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Cortisol and heart rate measures during casino gambling in relation to impulsivity.

Problematic gambling behavior is thought to be influenced by neurobiological as well as environmental factors. In this study, we investigated the relationship among impulsivity, gambling behavior, the cardiovascular system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity in blackjack gamblers. Twenty-nine males were continuously monitored before, during and after a 90-min blackjack session in a casino wagering their own money and during a control condition where subjects played cards for accumulation of points. Heart rate and cortisol levels significantly increased with the onset of gambling and remained elevated throughout the test session compared to the control condition. After median split of impulsivity scores, high impulsivity subjects revealed significantly higher heart rate levels compared to the low impulsivity subgroup. Correlation analyses revealed a positive relationship between impulsivity scores and severity of pathological gambling. Impulsivity may be one important factor mediating gambling behavior and its accompanying autonomic response.

Adult↗

Effects of acute and chronic nicotine on impulsive choice in rats.

Impulsive choice, or preference for small immediate reinforcers over large delayed reinforcers, has been associated with cigarette smoking. The direct effects of nicotine on impulsive choice in laboratory animals are unknown. We examined the effects of acute and chronic nicotine injections, and the termination of injections, on impulsive choice in rats. Five rats made choices between a one- and a three-pellet reinforcer in a discrete trials procedure. The delay to the smaller reinforcer was always 1 s. A computer adjusted the delay to the larger reinforcer until the pattern of choices reflected indifference between the two alternatives. We assessed the effects of acute and chronic nicotine (vehicle, 0.03, 0.1, 0.3 and 1.0 mg/kg nicotine). The latency to make the first response of the session increased under the acute 1.0 mg/kg dose. There were no consistent differences in the effects of acute and chronic nicotine on response latency and lever pressing during the delays between choices. Acute injections of nicotine dose-dependently increased impulsive responding. After chronic injections, impulsive responding was increased equivalently regardless of dose, and it was increased even in the absence of nicotine. After drug injections were terminated, behavior remained impulsive for about 30 drug-free sessions, and then responding gradually returned to baseline levels. The results suggest that increases in impulsive choice were not due to anorectic effects, response biases or changes in conditioned reinforcement. Nicotine may have decreased the value of delayed reinforcers. Chronic nicotine exposure produced long-lasting but reversible increases in impulsive choice.

Animals↗

Therapeutic effects of pindolol on behavioral disturbances associated with organic brain disease: a double-blind study.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study was conducted to examine the effects of pindolol for the treatment of 11 patients with impulsive, explosive behaviors and other emotional-behavioral abnormalities as a consequence of brain disease or injury. Pindolol treatment was associated with significant therapeutic benefits without sedation and without the use-limiting side effects that occur with propranolol.

Adult↗

A controlled study of trait narcissism in anorexia and bulimia nervosa.

INTRODUCTION: Many theories attribute anorexia and bulimia nervosa to "pathological narcissism," but this conception has not been adequately evaluated. METHOD: We compared the scores of 90 eating disorder (ED) sufferers (23 anorexic restricters, 14 anorexic bingers, and 53 bulimics) with those of 36 psychiatric-control (PC) and 54 normal-control (NC) females on validated self-report scales measuring Narcissism, Affective Instability, Stimulus Seeking, Compulsivity, and Restricted Expression. RESULTS: Narcissism scores of ED patients (whether restricters or bingers/purgers) consistently exceeded those of the PC and NC cases, suggesting that Narcissism does indeed load more heavily in the EDs than in other psychiatric disturbances. Conversely, Affective Instability was characteristic of all clinical cases (i.e., of EDs and PCs), Restricted Expression and Compulsivity were characteristic of restricters, and Stimulus Seeking was characteristic of bingers/purgers. DISCUSSION: Results are consistent with the notion that different ED variants may reflect subtype-specific temperaments and/or adaptive styles acting-upon shared underlying narcissistic disturbances.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Subclinical eating disorders in adolescent women: a test of the continuity hypothesis and its psychological correlates.

Subclinical eating disorders are common in adolescent women. In this study the severity of disturbed eating and its psychological correlates were examined in 207 college freshmen. The results indicated that 9% fell into the probable bulimic or dieter at-risk categories, 23% were classified as intensive dieters, 17% as casual dieters, and over half (51%) of the sample was classified as non-dieters. Depression, dysfunctional thinking, and disturbed eating attitudes were found to correlate with the severity of eating pathology. Support was found for the continuity hypothesis of eating disorders.

Adolescent↗

Cigarette smoking and its relationship to other substance use among eating disordered inpatients.

OBJECTIVE: The present study examines prevalence rates of tobacco, caffeine, alcohol and other substance use and abuse among eating disordered inpatients and compares smokers (regular vs occasional vs non-smokers) and eating disorder (ED) subtypes [anorexia nervosa (AN) vs bulimia nervosa (BN); restrictors vs purgers] on substance use behaviors, family history, depressive symptoms and impulsivity. METHOD: Participants were 100 ED inpatients who completed assessment upon treatment entry. RESULTS: A high incidence of regular cigarette smoking (29%) and occasional smoking (13%) was detected and associations were found with caffeine abuse, alcohol and marijuana use, family history and depression. BNs were more likely to smoke occasionally and use alcohol than ANs, while Purgers demonstrated higher caffeine and alcohol use than Restrictors. DISCUSSION: Comprehensive assessment and intervention for smoking, caffeine and other substance use among ED patients is clearly indicated.

Adolescent↗

Toward an animal model of gambling: delay discounting and the allure of unpredictable outcomes.

Laboratory investigations of gambling are sometimes criticized as lacking ecological validity because the stakes wagered by human subjects are not real or no real monetary losses are experienced. These problems may be partially addressed by studying gambling in laboratory animals. Toward this end, data are summarized which demonstrate that laboratory animals will work substantially harder and prefer to work under gambling-like schedules of reinforcement in which the number of responses per win is unpredictable. These findings are consistent with a delay discounting model of gambling which holds that rewards obtained following unpredictable delays are more valuable than rewards obtained following predictable delays. According to the delay discounting model, individuals that discount delayed rewards at a high rate (like pathological gamblers) perceive unpredictably delayed rewards to be of substantially greater value than predictable rewards. The reviewed findings and empirical model support the utility of studying animal behavior as an ecologically valid first-approximation of human gambling.

Animal Experimentation↗

The Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire: an exploration of personality traits in eating disorders.

The Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) was tested in four subgroups of eating-disorder patients: anorectic-restrictors (AN-R), anorectic-bulimics (AN-B), normal weight bulimics (BN), and bulimics with a past history of anorexia (B-AN). Normal controls and patients were matched for gender and age. All subjects completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in addition to the TPQ. AN-Rs scored lower on the Novelty Seeking scale than the bulimic groups and controls, and the two normal weight bulimic groups had higher Novelty Seeking scores than the controls. On the Harm Avoidance scale, all eating disorder groups scored significantly higher than the control group. In addition, the AN-Rs scored lower than the AN-Bs and B-ANs. The Harm Avoidance scale and depression scores were positively correlated while the Reward Dependence scale and depression scores were negatively correlated. Differences between diagnostic groups on the Novelty Seeking and Persistence scales remained clearly significant when depression was partialled out. These results are discussed in terms of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire as a stable measure of traits with eating disorder subjects.

Adult↗

Compulsive buying. Demography, phenomenology, and comorbidity in 46 subjects.

Compulsive buying has been generally ignored in the psychiatric literature, although it is apparently frequent, underrecognized, and can lead to severe financial and legal consequences for its sufferers. The current investigation was designed to assess the overall life-style and problems of subjects identified as compulsive shoppers. Forty-six compulsive buyers were assessed for comorbid psychiatric disorders with the Diagnostic Interview Schedule, the Structured Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders, and a semistructured interview to assess buying behavior. The typical shopper was a 31-year-old female who had developed compulsive buying at age 18 years. Subjects spent their money on clothing, shoes, and records/compact discs. The average debt load accrued was $5,422 out of an average yearly income of $23,443. More than two-thirds met lifetime criteria for a major (Axis I) mental disorder, most commonly anxiety, substance abuse, and mood disorders. Nearly 60% were found to meet criteria for a DSM-III-R personality disorder, most commonly the obsessive-compulsive, borderline, and avoidant types. The authors conclude that compulsive buying is a definable clinical syndrome which can cause its sufferers significant distress and is associated with significant psychiatric comorbidity.

Adolescent↗

The combined effects of delay and probability in discounting.

Human discounting studies have frequently observed hyperbolic discounting of rewards that are delayed or probabilistic. However, no studies have systematically combined delay and probability in a single discounting procedure. Indifference points of hypothetical money rewards that are both delayed and probabilistic were determined. Probabilities were converted into comparable delays according to the h/k constant of proportionality determined by , and discounting rates were calculated. These data provided a very good fit to the hyperbolic model of discounting, suggesting that delay and probability can be combined into a single metric in studies of discounting. The inclusion of a magnitude condition found the Magnitude Effect commonly found in studies of temporal discounting. A temporal resolution of uncertainty condition found no effect. The present paper offers a novel statistical method, within an established framework, for the analysis of data from studies of discounting that combine delay and probability.

Adolescent↗

Characterization of hemizygous SOD1/wild-type transgenic mice with the SHIRPA primary screen and tests of sensorimotor function and anxiety.

SOD1 is one of several overexpressed genes in Down's syndrome. In order to dissect genetic causes of the syndrome, hemizygous human wild-type SOD1 transgenic mice were compared to FVB/N non-transgenic controls at 3 months of age in the SHIRPA primary screen of neurologic function as well as in tests of motor activity and coordination. The responsiveness of SOD1/wt transgenic mice to visual and somatosensory stimuli was reduced in placing, pinna, corneal, and toe-pinch tests. In addition, SOD1/wt transgenic mice crossed fewer segments on a stationary beam. On the contrary, there was no intergroup difference for motor activity and anxiety in open-field and emergence tests and for latencies before falling on the stationary beam, coat-hanger, and rotorod. These results indicate mild deficits in sensorimotor responsiveness in a mouse model expressing human SOD1 and that the overexpressed gene may be responsible for some Down symptoms.

Animals↗

Effects of sucrose ingestion on the behavior of hyperactive boys.

A challenge design was used in two separate studies to investigate the effects of sucrose ingestion on the behavior and learning of hyperactive boys. In both studies, 16 boys were admitted to a clinical research center for 3 successive days, on each of which they were given a sucrose-free diet. On day 1, baseline levels on the learning tasks were established; on days 2 and 3 a challenge drink of either sucrose 1.75 gm/kg or a placebo (aspartame in equivalent sweetness) was presented, in a counterbalanced order. In the first study the challenge drink was administered 1 hour after lunch; in the second study it was given in the morning after an overnight fast. On days 2 and 3 of both studies, 37 behavioral (playroom observation and examiner ratings) and cognitive (learning and memory tasks) measures were collected, starting 1/2 hour after ingestion of the drink. The results of both studies revealed no differences between the boys' performance on the two challenge days. These findings undermine the hypothesis that sucrose plays a major role in accounting for the inappropriate behavior of hyperactive boys.

Aspartame↗

Delay discounting is associated with substance use in college students.

This study investigated whether a measure of delay discounting was associated with substance use variables in a sample of college students. Participants (N=47) completed a substance use survey and a delay-discounting measure that asked them to make a series of choices between a fixed amount of hypothetical money to be delivered immediately and a larger amount to be delivered after a range of delays. Discounting values were significantly associated with a number of substance use variables, most notably age of first alcohol use (r=-.34; P<.05), age of first smoking (r=-.51; P<.05), age of first marijuana use (r=-.48; P<.05), number of times "passed out" from alcohol use (r=.73; P<.01), and total number of illicit drugs used (r=.32; P<.05). Individuals reporting more illicit drug use and younger ages of first use tend to discount the value of future hypothetical rewards more steeply than their peers.

Adult↗

Making choices in anticipation of similar future choices can increase self-control.

Two experiments tested the efficacy of linking a current choice with similar future choices as a means of increasing self-control. Participants were offered choices between smaller and sooner vs. larger and later amounts of money (Experiment 1, n = 60) or food (Experiment 2, n = 34). After a small-large pair for which the participant preferred the smaller reward was found, a choice between the same pair was offered as the 1st of 5 such choices to be offered over a period of weeks. The majority of participants in both experiments who chose between all 5 smaller and all 5 larger rewards chose the larger rewards. One third of participants in Experiment 1 who could choose independently on each pair in the series reversed their previous preference and chose the larger reward in the context of the series. These results suggest that self-control can be enhanced by viewing one's current choice as predictive of future choices.

Choice Behavior↗

Methods of evaluating methylphenidate in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: acceptability, satisfaction, and compliance.

Compared two methods of evaluating methylphenidate (MPH) on measures of parental acceptance, satisfaction, and compliance with the treatment. Twenty-four 6- to 10-year-old children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) were randomly assigned to either a blind, placebo-controlled medication trial (MT) or to a typical clinical procedures (TCP) evaluation that was nonblind and without a placebo control. Ratings of satisfaction were significantly higher in the MT condition than in the TCP condition; however, all parents became more accepting of MPH after participating in an evaluation. Both during the evaluation and at 6-week and 3-month follow-ups, approximately 20% of cases were not complying with treatment. However, rates of compliance did not differ between the MT and TCP conditions.

Attention↗