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PubMed1990

Eating disorders and depression: is there a serotonin connection?

Central serotonin pathways modulate eating patterns, and may also participate in the regulation of behavioral impulsivity and mood. Recent studies lend support to the hypothesis that impaired postingestive satiety in bulimia nervosa is associated with reduced hypothalamic serotonergic responsiveness. Serotonin dysregulation has been implicated in major depression, and may play a role in the increased prevalence of depressive episodes in patients with eating disorders. This review compares evidence for alterations in central serotonin regulation in patients with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and depression. It is proposed that impaired synaptic transmission in functionally distinct serotonin pathways may result in concurrent or sequential periods of binge eating, behavioral impulsivity, and depression in patients with eating disorders.

Anorexia Nervosa↗
PubMed2005

The role of serotonin in impulsive and aggressive behaviors associated with epilepsy-like neuronal hyperexcitability in the amygdala.

Neuronal hyperexcitability in limbic areas, especially the amygdala, is a significant underlying mechanism associated with complex partial seizures (CPS). CPS may be comorbid with emotional disturbances, especially major mood disorders, anxiety, and aggression. Anticonvulsant medications such as phenytoin are also mood-stabilizing, and have been used for treatment of behavioral dyscontrol in impulsive aggressive individuals. Because the amygdala has important functional roles in epilepsy, emotion, and behavioral control, there may be common biological mechanisms involving neuronal excitability that contribute to both seizure activity and psychopathology. This review examines physiological mechanisms in the amygdala that regulate neuronal excitability and discusses how this may underlie, in part, disturbances in emotional behavior.

Aggression↗
PubMed1997

Correlates of battering among 997 men: family history, adjustment, and attitudinal differences.

In order to identify the characteristics associated with physical abuse of female partners, a detailed questionnaire was administered to 997 men who were recruited from either a forensic out-patient clinic (780) or from a community based employment center (217). This questionnaire sampled family and personal history, criminal behavior, psychopathology, and attitudes towards violence. Based upon self-report, the sample was divided into 184 non-abusive men, 517 moderately abusive men, and 296 severely abusive men. The full sample (997) was randomly divided into two subsamples and then, using a cross-validation design, group differences were identified in both subsamples on 46 of the 93 variables examined in this study. All significant effects were linear, such that the average scores of the severely abusive men were worse than the scores of the abusive men who, in turn, scored worse than the non-abusive men. In general, both groups of abusive men reported high rates of violence during childhood (both as victims and perpetrators), antisocial personality disorder, subjective distress, marital maladjustment, attitudes tolerant of spouse assault, and a range of impulsive behaviors (impulsive violence, substance abuse, motor vehicle accidents). The factors that correlated with abuse in the total sample also correlated with abuse in the community sample.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Cardiovascular effects of tricyclic antidepressants in childhood asthma: a case series and review.

Children with asthma frequently have significant anxiety and depression that interfere with treatment outcome. Although the use of antidepressants may be helpful, in the one published study of antidepressant use in pediatric asthma, significant side effects necessitated discontinuance; these side effects were increased motor activity, impulsive behavior, insomnia, postural hypotension, premature auricular contractions, diastolic hypertension, and generalized seizure. The objective of this retrospective chart review was to examine whether antidepressants could be tolerated and administered safely to children on asthma medications. Forty pediatric inpatients (mean age 13.3 years, range 7-19) with varying levels of asthma severity (5 mild, 11 moderate, 24 severe) and an average duration of asthma treatment of 10.0 years were administered antidepressants while also taking an average of 5 medications for asthma (range 2-7). Ten of the patients had an additional comorbid medical diagnosis. There were 17 children diagnosed with a primary affective disorder; 7 with a primary anxiety disorder; and 16 with both an affective and anxiety disorder. Thirty-six children ultimately were continued on an antidepressant: 13 on desipramine, 9 on nortriptyline, 6 on imipramine, 4 on fluoxetine, 3 on bupropion, and 1 on sertraline. Significant cardiovascular side effects (tachycardia, hypertension, and postural hypotension) occurred in 4 subjects on tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and 1 subject on a non-TCA (fluoxetine); 3 of these subjects were able to continue treatment with an antidepressant. Two subjects were taken off antidepressants because of hypomanic symptoms (increased motor activity, mood lability, impulsive behavior, and insomnia). No medications were discontinued because of electrocardiogram changes, arrhythmias, or seizures. Doses of TCAs were comparable to those in previous studies, but the asthma medications differed. Discussion of current anti-asthmatic medications and potential for interactions with antidepressants is included.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Longitudinal course of behavioral problems during Alzheimer's disease: linear versus curvilinear patterns of decline.

BACKGROUND: Patients with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) are commonly assumed to experience a linear decline in behavioral functioning that parallels progressive cognitive decline. However, some researchers have suggested that specific behavioral problems either decline at different rates or improve in late dementia. METHODS: The present analyses examined 150 AD patients at an initial assessment, 61 of whom were also evaluated annually on two additional occasions. Measures of cognitive impairment and behavioral problems were obtained. RESULTS: Cross-sectional results indicated curvilinear associations between dementia severity and certain behavioral problems (forgetful behaviors, and emotional and impulsive behaviors). Longitudinal analyses further indicated trends for curvilinear rates of behavioral disturbance across time, with some problem areas showing improvement as AD progresses through the most severe stages. CONCLUSIONS: Even though Alzheimer's disease is a progressive dementia characterized by increasing cognitive deterioration, it appears to be inaccurate to expect behavioral functioning to show the same linear decline across time.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Testosterone and aggressiveness.

Aggressiveness is an ancestral behavior common to all animal species. Its neurophysiological mechanisms are similar in all vertebrates. Males are generally more aggressive than females. In this review, aggressive behavior in rodents, monkeys, and man and the role of testosterone and brain serotonin levels have been considered. Interspecific aggressiveness in rats has been studied considering the mouse-killing behavior; the neonatal androgenization of females increases adult mouse-killing as does the administration of testosterone in adults. Intraspecific aggressiveness was studied by putting two or more male rats (or mice) in the same cage; the condition of subjection or dominance is influenced by testosterone. In monkeys, testosterone is related to aggressiveness and dominance and, during the mating season, increases in testosterone levels and aggressive attitude are observed. In men, higher testosterone levels were obtained in perpetrators of violent crimes, in men from the army with antisocial behaviors, in subjects with impulsive behaviors, alcoholics and suicidals, in athletes using steroids, and during competitions. Aggressive and dominant behavior are distinguished. Testosterone influences both of these, even if man is usually inclined to affirm his power without causing physical damage. Testosterone receptors are mainly in some hypothalamic neurons, where it is aromatized into estrogens, which determine the increase in aggressiveness. A relation between testosterone levels and diencephalic serotonin has been shown: in fact, the lack of serotonin increases aggressive behaviors both in animals and man. Testosterone also increases ADH levels in the medial amygdala, lateral hypothalamus, and preoptical medial area, involved in aggressive behaviors.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Postmortem behavior of impulse transmission latency--impulse transmission strength curves].

Strength-duration curves (i/t-curve) are describing the dependence of the threshold intensity of rectangular impulses from their duration; in clinical neurophysiology they help to clarify whether a muscle is denervated or not. In the post-mortem interval from 2 to 9 hpm the pm. changes of strength-duration-curves were investigated on 17 bodies; muscular contraction was objectified using a sensitive force transducer pricked into the muscle. The muscle was stimulated with constant-current rectangular impulses of 5 to 1000 msec. duration and current intensities which produce a force of muscular contraction of 2.5 mN each half an hour. The strength-duration-curves of human bodies taken at the earliest possible time p. m. (2 hpm) show already the pattern of partially or total denervation (steep rise of threshold values for duration of stimuli shorter than 100 msec). As for the rheobase there is a strong linear relationship between ln of the threshold and time since death for duration of stimuli below 1000 msec. Extrapolation of the time since death on the basis of threshold values of different duration of stimulations of an i/t-curve reveals only small rise of precision of death time estimation compared to extrapolation of the time since death just with the rheobase.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

X-linked borderline mental retardation with prominent behavioral disturbance: phenotype, genetic localization, and evidence for disturbed monoamine metabolism.

We have identified a large Dutch kindred with a new form of X-linked nondysmorphic mild mental retardation. All affected males in this family show very characteristic abnormal behavior, in particular aggressive and sometimes violent behavior. Other types of impulsive behavior include arson, attempted rape, and exhibitionism. Attempted suicide has been reported in a single case. The locus for this disorder could be assigned to the Xp11-21 interval between DXS7 and DXS77 by linkage analysis using markers spanning the X chromosome. A maximal multipoint lod score of 3.69 was obtained at the monoamine oxidase type A (MAOA) locus in Xp11.23-11.4. Results of 24-h urine analysis in three affected males indicated a marked disturbance of monoamine metabolism. These data are compatible with a primary defect in the structural gene for MAOA and/or monoamine oxidase type B (MAOB). Normal platelet MAOB activity suggests that the unusual behavior pattern in this family may be caused by isolated MAOA deficiency.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Diminished impulsivity in older patients with borderline personality disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to test, in terms of impulsivity, the hypothesis that borderline personality disorder "burns out" with age. METHOD: Linear regression analyses, with age as a predictor variable, were conducted on subsection scores of the Revised Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines (DIB-R) for 123 individuals with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder who were accepted into an outpatient-based psychotherapy program. The subsection scores of the DIB-R allow quantification of the core features of the disorder: affective disturbance, relationship disturbance, cognitive disturbance, and impulsive behavior. RESULTS: Older patients with borderline personality disorder showed less impulsivity than younger patients, but there was no difference in terms of affect disturbance, identity disturbance, and interpersonal problems. CONCLUSIONS: The view that borderline personality disorder burns out with age is supported in terms of impulsivity.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2006

Testosterone levels and discounting delayed monetary gains and losses in male humans.

OBJECTIVES: Although impulsivity has been associated with androgens (e.g., testosterone), little is known regarding the relationship between testosterone levels and impulsivity in intertemporal choice (delay discounting). This study was aimed to examine the relationship between delay discounting of gains and losses and testosterone levels, which is of interest in neuroendocrinology and neuroeconomics. METHODS: We assessed degrees to which delayed monetary gains and losses were discounted (hyperbolic discounting rate) in healty male students (age: 22.4+/-2.67). Participants' salivary testosterone levels were also assessed by utilizing liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy (LC/MS) method. RESULTS: Non-linear curve fitting analysis showed an inverted-U relationship between delay discounting of gains and salivary testosterone levels; while no relationship between salivary testosterone levels and delay discounting of losses was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that (i) testosterone may enhance delay discounting rate of gains in non-impulsive subjects, (ii) testosterone may have an opposite (reducing) effect on delay discounting rate of gains in impulsive subjects, and (iii) testosterone is unrelated to subject's sensitivity to future bad outcomes. Implications for evaluating the effects of testosterone treatment and anti-androgenic therapy on impulsive behavior often observed in psychiatrics (e.g., pathological gambling, credit card debt, substance misuse, and needle-sharing) are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Effects of temporal clumping and payoff accumulation on impulsiveness and cooperation.

Animals show impulsiveness when they prefer a smaller more immediate option, even though a larger more delayed option produces a higher intake rate. This impulsive behavior has implications for several behavioral problems including social cooperation. This paper presents two experiments using captive blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata) that consider the effects of payoff accumulation and temporal clumping on impulsiveness and cooperation. Payoff accumulation refers to a situation where the benefits gained from each choice trial accumulate from one trial to the next, and only become available to the animal after it has completed a fixed number of trials. We hypothesized that this would reduce impulsiveness because it removes the advantage of quickly realizing food gains. Clumping refers to situation in which the animal experiences several choice trials in quick succession followed by a long pause before the next clump. We hypothesized that if payoffs accumulated over a clump of trials this would enhance the effect of accumulation. We tested the effects of accumulation and clumping on impulsiveness in a self-control situation. We found a significant interaction between clumping and accumulation. Payoff accumulation reduced impulsiveness, but only when trials were clumped. Post hoc analyses suggest that clumping alone increases impulsiveness. A second experiment applied these results to cooperation. This experiment reveals an interaction between payoff accumulation and trial's position within the clump. Jays were more likely to cooperate on the first trial of a clump, but the likelihood of cooperation dropped after the first trial. However, this drop was larger when payoffs did not accumulate. This observation suggests that the difference between accumulated and un-accumulated treatments that we reported previously may be largely due to differences in how animals behave in the first trial of a clump.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Which dimensions of impulsivity are related to cigarette craving?

Cigarette smoking is a very important health problem and represents the largest preventable risk factor for premature death in developed countries. A considerable body of research indicates that impulsivity is a central etiological concept in many theoretical models of tobacco addiction. The aim of this study is to analyse which dimensions of impulsivity are related to cigarette craving. To this end, 40 undergraduate psychology students were screened using the revised Questionnaire on Smoking Urges (QSU-12) and the French adaptation of the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale (UPPS). This scale identifies four distinct components associated with impulsive behaviour: urgency, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance, and sensation seeking. The results showed that urgency is a significant predictor of tobacco cravings, while depression and anxiety are not.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Age at first drink relates to behavioral measures of impulsivity: the immediate and delayed memory tasks.

BACKGROUND: This study examined the relationship between laboratory-measured impulsivity and age at first drink. METHODS: Using a laboratory behavioral measure of impulsivity [Immediate (IMT) and Delayed Memory Tasks (DMT)], we compared two groups of women differing in their self-reported age at first drink (early-onset drinking, age <18 years, n = 40; late-onset drinking, age > or =21 years, n = 23). It was expected that those who first consumed alcohol before the legal drinking age (i.e., early onset) would perform in a more impulsive manner on the laboratory behavioral measure than the late-onset drinkers. RESULTS: The main finding was that the early-onset group (IMT: mean, 28.7%; DMT: mean, 30.4%) had increased commission error rates compared with the late-onset group (IMT: mean, 21.2%; DMT: mean, 15.5%) during both the IMT [ANOVA:F (1,61) = 4.30; p = 0.042; f = 0.27] and DMT [F (1,61) = 10.76; p = 0.002; f = 0.42]. Age at first drink was significantly correlated with DMT commission errors (r = -0.23; p = 0.037), although this was only at the trend level for IMT commission errors (r = -0.20; p = 0.062); these correlations are likely to be underestimates because of range restriction of the age variable. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that differences in impulsive behavioral responding are distinguishable even between groups of alcohol drinkers who are not experiencing clinically significant problems with alcohol.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Naloxone reverses disinhibitory/aggressive behavior in 5,7-DHT-lesioned rats; involvement of GABA(A) receptor blockade?

Effective medical treatment for impulsive aggression and several impulse control disorders is needed. Disinhibited, impulsive behavior of e.g. murderers, arsonists, suicidal patients, and patients suffering from antisocial personality or substance abuse disorders has been associated with signs of a deficiency in brain serotonin (5-HT) systems. Depletion of brain 5-HT consistently produces disinhibition and aggression also in experimental animals. The present series of experiments using a modified Vogel's conflict test indicates that the disinhibitory behavior of 5-HT-lesioned rats can be reversed by the commonly used opiate receptor antagonist naloxone at doses (0.1-5.0 mg/kg, s.c.) that do not significantly affect behavior in sham-lesioned controls. Moreover, this effect of naloxone, which resembles that previously observed after administration of negative modulators of gamma-aminobutyric acidA (GABA(A))/benzodiazepine receptor complexes, was reversed by a low inert dose (2.0 mg/kg, i.p.) of amobarbital. Furthermore, both naloxone (5.0 mg/kg, s.c.) and Ro 15-4513 (1.0 mg/kg, p.o.; a partial inverse agonist at benzodiazepine receptors) significantly decreased the number of attacks and the time spent in aggressive acts in 5,7-DHT-lesioned male residents. These results taken together with previous behavioral and neurochemical data suggest that the behavioral effects of naloxone observed here may involve an antagonistic action at brain gamma-aminobutyric acidA (GABA(A))/benzodiazepine receptor complexes. Thus, naloxone, its stable analogue naltrexone or other weak negative modulators of brain GABA(A)/benzodiazepine receptor complexes may represent a new pharmacological principle for the treatment of impulse control disorders.

5,7-Dihydroxytryptamine↗