Impulsiveness Scale Research Articles

Emotion dysregulation and impulsivity as overlapping symptoms in adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder: severity profiles and associations with childhood traumatization and personality functioning

BackgroundIncreased levels of emotion dysregulation and impulsive behavior are overlapping symptoms in adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (aADHD) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), both symptom domains reflecting on inhibitory control, although from different angles. Our aims were to describe their differences in the above conditions, investigate their associations with childhood traumatization, and to explore the potential mediation of emotion dysregulation and impulsivity between childhood traumas and personality functioning.MethodsYoung adults between 18 and 36 years diagnosed with aADHD (n = 100) and BPD (n = 63) were investigated with structured clinical interviews, while age-matched healthy controls (n = 100) were screened for psychiatric disorders. Patients with aADHD-BPD comorbidity were excluded from further analyses. The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, the Level of Personality Functioning Scale, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form were administered to investigate trait measures and childhood traumatization, respectively. Behavioral impulsivity and delay aversion were assessed using selected tests of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery, and a computerized decision-making paradigm based on the Rogers decision-making task, respectively.ResultsSignificantly higher levels of emotion dysregulation and impulsivity were present both in the aADHD and BPD groups, however with different profiles. Waiting and stopping impulsivity was selectively higher among aADHD patients compared to healthy controls. The BPD group reported higher levels of emotion dysregulation in all domains, and demonstrated increased delay aversion among uncertain conditions in decision-making. Higher levels of childhood trauma were associated with emotion dysregulation, trait impulsivity, and delay aversion across groups. Emotion regulatory capacity played a significant mediating role between childhood traumatization and the level of personality functioning.ConclusionsInhibitory control profiles of the aADHD and BPD groups were divergent. Childhood traumatization was associated with lower levels of personality functioning in adulthood, independently of diagnosis, an effect mediated more by emotion dysregulation, rather than impulsivity. These findings have various clinical implications for the treatment of aADHD and BPD, including psychoeducation, pharmacological interventions, and psychotherapy targeting specific symptom domains.

Negative Affect and Impulsivity in Adolescents with Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: The Moderating and Mediating Roles of Perceived Social Support.

Negative affective states and impulsivity have been found to be closely associated with non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), but how negative affect contributes to impulsivity in NSSI adolescents and the role of perceived social support remain unclear. In Study 1, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) was administered on 225 NSSI adolescents and 225healthy volunteers to determine the characteristics of impulsivity in the patients. In Study 2, 102 of the patients were randomly selected to further complete the Zung Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) to clarify the relationships between negative affect, perceived social support, and impulsivity in these patients. In Study 1, NSSI adolescents scored higher than volunteers on almost all factors of BIS-11 except for Cognitive Instability. In Study 2, Support from significant others mediated the association between SAS and BIS-11 Self-control. Moreover, Support from significant others and family moderated the prediction of SAS score on their BIS-11 Cognitive Complexity. Compared to healthy adolescents, NSSI individuals were more impulsive, while perceived support from family and significant others prevented the anxious NSSI adolescents from lower cognitive complexity. Therefore, more social support should be available to NSSI adolescents with high anxiety to reduce their risk of self-harm due to high impulsivity.

A hybrid transformer masked time-domain denoising network for vibration signals

Abstract Health-condition-sensitive vibration information is prone to be swamped by widespread noise. Denoising is always indispensable, but existing methods still lack adaptability. Therefore, a novel intelligent denoising framework called a hybrid transformer masked time-domain denoising network (HTMTDN) is proposed. First, a dense dilation convolution block and a hybrid transformer are constructed to deal with fault impulse scale variations and unexpected noise frequency bands respectively, which greatly improves the adaptive denoising capability and relieves tough denoising parameter tuning. Further, interpretable time- and frequency-domain joint constraints are constructed to enhance the network’s optimization ability under strong noise. Finally, a novel strategy called overlapping reconstruction is introduced to recover 1D signals from 2D signal segments. Extensive experiments based on two bearing fault datasets with variable loads and rotation speeds confirm the remarkable performance of the HTMTDN under low signalnoise ratios, and present good adaptability in 15 health conditions without separate hyperparameter tuning, which shows promise for real-world applications.

Psychometric study of the Russian version of the Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale

Craving is one of the central symptoms of alcohol use disorder. Currently, there is no single accepted definition, model, or standardized approach to assessing craving for alcohol use, but the phenomenon is extensively studied in the field of addiction research. The Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale was developed based on the hypothesis that both obsessive-compulsive disorder and alcohol use disorder have similar symptoms. The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure as well as the convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity of the Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale. 222 patients with Alcohol Use Disorder undergoing inpatient treatment (163 men (73,42%), average age 42,67±10,06 years old, average age of the onset of alcohol use disorder 32,19±8,57 years old) were recruited for the study. The following methods were used: clinical interview, Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale, Penn Alcohol Craving Scale, Motivation for Alcohol Consumption, and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale. The results of the study confirmed two-factor structure of the scale; however, the goodness-of-fit indices slightly differed from acceptable cut-off values. The scale had acceptable internal consistency and convergent validity. Discriminant validity was moderate. The analysis of criterion validity revealed a negative correlation between the factor “Compulsions” and age of the first alcohol drink, start of the regular alcohol use, and age of the first inpatient treatment for alcohol use disorder. Participants with daily use had significantly higher scores on both factors compared to the participants with heavy drinking episodes.

Impact of Impulsivity, Frustration Intolerance and Violence on Media on Emotional Regulation of Married Menopausal Women

The present research was conducted to explore the impact of impulsivity, frustration intolerance and of violence on media on the emotional regulation of married women of Pakistan. The research tries to find out the link between impulsivity, frustration intolerance and violence expressed on media with emotional disturbance in women in menopausal age so that the significant causes of disturbance and emotional sufferings in women would be disclosed and their quality of life would be improved. Correlation design was used to explore the relationship among variables and purposive sample of 300 women were taken that were married and in menopausal age. The age of the women was 40 to 55 years old. Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (Barrat, 1994), Distress Tolerance Scale (Azhar & Saleem, 2017), Content Based Media Violence Scale (Hamer et al., 2017) and Scale for the Difficulties in Emotional Regulation (Dan-Glauser & Scherer, 2013) were provided to the participants along with demographics sheet. The result reported that impulsivity, frustration intolerance and role of violence on media have a significant positive correlation with emotional dysregulation of married women in menopausal phase. The study can be helpful to comprehend the causes of emotional disturbance or dysregulation in menopausal women. It would also create consciousness in people how media has an impact on married women and would give peep into the issues of married menopausal women. This study would also be very helpful for the clinical purpose especially to the psychologist to understand the role of impulsivity, intolerance to frustration and expression of violence on media while providing therapy or counselling to menopausal married women.

A study of impulsivity and adverse childhood experiences in a population health setting.

As complex mental health traits and life histories are often poorly captured in hospital systems, the utility of using the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS) and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) for assessing adult disease risks is unknown. Here, we use participants from the Healthy Nevada Project (HNP) to determine if two standard self-assessments could predict the incidence and onset of disease. We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving adult participants who completed the Behavioral and Mental Health Self-Assessment (HDSA) between September 2018 and March 2024. Impulsivity levels were measured using the BIS-15, and retrospective self-reports of ACEs were collected through a standardized questionnaire. In total, 17,482 HNP participants completed the HDSA. Our findings indicate that ACEs were significantly associated with impulsivity. Disease associations with impulsivity and ACEs were evaluated using a phenome-wide association study, identifying 230 significant associations with impulsivity. Among these, 44 were related to mental health diagnoses, including major depressive disorder (MDD). Kaplan-Meier survival estimates characterized the differences in the lifetime predicted probability between high and low impulsivity for major depressive disorder and essential hypertension. This analysis showed that having both high ACEs and high impulsivity confer substantial risk of MDD diagnosis (hazard ratios 2.81, 2.17, respectively). Additionally, lifetime predicted probability of MDD was approximately 40% higher for high ACEs and high impulsivity compared to no ACEs and low impulsivity. Essential hypertension demonstrated similar trends, with an approximate 20% increase in predicted lifetime probability of diagnosis. These results demonstrate that high ACES and elevated impulsivity scores are associated with a range of negative health outcomes and a simple self-assessment of complex traits and life history may significantly impact clinical risk assessments.

The Effect of FoMO, Uncertainty Avoidance and Impulsiveness on Financial Investment Decisions of Individual Investors

The increase in the use of internet, mobile devices and social media tools causes an increase in the factors affecting the investment decisions of individual investors. Especially social media platforms can trigger individual investors' fear of missing out (FoMO), uncertainty avoidance and impulsive buying emotions, which can direct investors' behavior and directly affect their investment decisions. In the literature, FoMO, uncertainty avoidance and impulsiveness, which have been studied in marketing, communication, and psychology, have been addressed separately in a few studies in finance. The most important point that distinguishes this study from other studies is that the relationship between FoMO, uncertainty avoidance and impulsiveness in the investment decisions of individual investors is studied together. The data used in the study was collected through a survey to measure uncertainty avoidance, impulsivity and FoMO levels from people over the age of 18, who have income and have made at least one financial investment. In the study, factor analysis was conducted on the participants' investment preferences, uncertainty avoidance, impulsivity and FoMO scales, Cronbach Alpha values of the factors were examined, and then cluster analysis was conducted for each scale. In the study, by examining individual investors' investment preferences and investment frequency separately, it was concluded that investors who invest in the same investment type exhibit different behaviors according to their investment frequency. This shows that investors who invest in the same investment instruments have different levels of FoMO, impulsiveness and uncertainty avoidance. The relationships between the frequency of investment in each type of investment and FoMO, uncertainty avoidance and impulsiveness are presented in detail in the relevant sections of the study.

Resting-state voxel-wise dynamic effective connectivity predicts risky decision-making in patients with bipolar disorder type I

Patients with Bipolar Disorder type I (BD-I) exhibit maladaptive risky decision-making, which is related to impulsivity, suicide attempts, and aggressive behavior. Currently, there is a lack of effective predictive methods for early intervention in risky behaviors for patients with BD-I. This study aimed to predict risky behavior in patients with BD-I using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). We included 48 patients with BD-I and 124 healthy controls (HC) and constructed voxel-wise functional connectivity (FC), dynamic FC (dFC), effective connectivity (EC), and dynamic EC (dEC) for each subject. The Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) was employed to measure the risky decision-making of all participants. We applied connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM) with five regression algorithms to predict risky behaviors as well as Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS) scores. Results showed that the BD-I had significantly lower risky adjusted pump scores compared to HC. The dEC-based linear regression-CPM model exhibited significant predictive ability for the adjusted pump scores in BD-I, while no significant predictive power was observed in HC. Furthermore, this model successfully predicted non-planning impulsiveness, motor impulsiveness, and BIS total score, but failed for attentional impulsiveness in BD-I. These findings provide a foundation for future work in predicting risky behaviors of psychiatric patients by using voxel-wise dEC underlying resting state.

Prevalence and Influencing Factors of Body-focused Repetitive Behaviors in Turkish Medical Students

Background/Aims: Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) such as skin-picking, trichotillomania, nail-picking, nail-biting, lip-biting and skin-biting have adverse physical and psychological effects. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of BFRBs in a sample of Turkish medical students. Methods: An online survey was used to investigate the prevalence of six BFRBs —skin-picking, trichotillomania, nail-biting, nail-picking, lip-biting and skin-biting-- and psychological factors such as anxiety, depression, stress levels, impulsivity and difficulties in emotional regulation (DER) in a sample of 200 medical students. Skin Picking Scale-Revised (SPS-R), Massachusetts General Hospital Hairpulling Scale (MGH-HPS), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale–Short Form and Difficulty in Emotion Regulation Scale—Brief Form and specific questions for four BFRBs (nail-picking, nail-biting, lip biting and skin biting) were administered. Results: The prevalence of at least one BFRB disorder was 28.0% (n=56). The most common diagnoses were skin-picking (17.0%) and trichotillomania (10.5%), followed by skin-picking (9.0%), lip biting (8.5%), nail-picking (7%) and nail-biting (5.0%). The gender difference was found only in skin-picking disorders (females=22.9%; males=8.5%). Students with BFRB disorder (n=56) were found to have higher levels of anxiety, depression, stress, impulsivity and DER. Students in 2nd, 3rd and 5th grade are more likely to have BFRB disorders than interns. DER was a partial mediating variable between impulsivity and the presence of BFRB disorder. Conclusions: The findings of the study suggest that BFRBs are common among medical students and that these behaviors are associated with psychological factors such as depression, anxiety, stress levels, impulsivity and difficulties in emotion regulation. Screening programs and intervention strategies for BFRBs in medical students should be developed, and it is recommended that psychological factors should be considered in these interventions, emotion regulation and stress management skills should be significantly improved, and comorbid depression and anxiety should be treated.

<b>Normalización de la violencia en relaciones de pareja y su correlación con la impulsividad</b>

The objective of this study is to investigate the normalization of violence in romantic relationships and its correlation with impulsivity in Costa Rica. The research project is based on a quantitative methodology, using the psychometric scale called Violence in Young Couples Relationships Questionnaire (VIREPA) and a standardized questionnaire that evaluates different aspects of violence in romantic relationships, along with the Brief-A impulsivity scale. The results show a significant correlation between the normalization of emotional abuse and other forms of violence in the relationship. It is important to highlight that no significant differences were found according to biological sex or age, but a significant relationship between impulsivity and the normalization of violence was evident. Therefore, it is suggested that there is a need to address individual and psychological aspects in interventions to prevent violence in romantic relationships.

Effects of decision making and impulsivity on the addictive features of non-suicidal self-injury behaviors in adolescents with depressive disorder

BackgroundNon-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) behaviors pose a significant threat to the physical and psychological well-being of adolescents. Recent research suggests that persistent, uncontrollable and repetitive NSSI can be conceptualized as a behavioral addiction. The addictive feature of NSSI behavior can be assessed using Ottawa self-injury inventory (OSI), the higher addiction score indicates the more serious NSSI behavior. This study aims to explore the relationship of impulsivity and decision-making on the addictive features of NSSI in adolescents with depressive disorder, to explore the influencing factors of behavioral addictive features of NSSI and to predict the addictive features of NSSI.MethodsUsing a cross-sectional design, a total of 126 adolescent outpatients and inpatients with a mean age of 15.49 years old (M = 15.49, SD = 1.56), male students (n = 28, 22.2%) and female students (n = 98, 77.8%) diagnosed with depressive disorders were recruited according to the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), and clinical interviews were completed by two psychiatrists. NSSI addictive features according to the OSI’s addictive features items. The final group was categorized into three groups: depression without NSSI (n = 42), depression with NSSI without addictive features (n = 44), and depression with NSSI and addictive features (n = 40). The present study employed the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-24), Chinese Revised Barratt Impulsiveness Scale Version 11 (BIS-11), OSI, and the Adolescent Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Questionnaire (ANSSIQ). Cognitive decision-making abilities were assessed using the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT).ResultsThe depression with NSSI addictive features group had significantly lower total net scores and net scores of block3, block4, and block5 in the IGT than the depression without NSSI group, whereas there was no statistically significant difference between the two in net scores of block1 and block2. Lower scores mean more unfavorable decisions and strategy adjustments. The addictive features of NSSI behaviors were significantly and positively correlated with the severity of NSSI behaviors, depression, and cognitive impulsiveness, and significantly and negatively correlated with the total net score of the IGT. The severity of NSSI behaviors, severity of depression, cognitive impulsiveness positively predicts the addictive features of NSSI behaviors, the total net score of the IGT negatively predicted the addictive features of NSSI behaviors.ConclusionAdolescents with depressive disorders with NSSI behavioral addictive features had higher severity of depression, exhibited higher cognitive impulsivity, and made more unfavorable decisions when making choices.

Characterizing impulsivity in individuals with methamphetamine and methcathinone use disorders.

Individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) are characterized by loss of control in drug use, such as increased impulsivity. Methamphetamine and methcathinone are psychostimulants, the use of which is accompanied by a high level of impulsivity. Whether individuals with methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) and methcathinone use disorder (MCUD) differ in different aspects of impulsivity is unclear. We investigated impulsivity traits and behaviors in individuals with MUD and MCUD. The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS), and delay discounting task (DDT) were assessed in individuals with MUD and MCUD and in healthy controls (HCs); then, we performed network-based analysis and computational modeling to understand the potential differences among the three groups. MUD subjects scored higher than MCUD subjects in terms of motor impulsivity, nonplanning impulsivity, and total BIS scores. The network analysis revealed that there were no significant differences between MUD and MCUD subjects in any centrality indices. The discount rate of MUD and MCUD subjects was significantly greater than that of HCs, whereas there was no difference in the discount rate between the two addiction groups. These findings suggest that MUD and MCUD participants differ in impulsivity traits but not in impulsive behaviors, implying that impulsive traits and behaviors represent different aspects of impulsivity.

Fast & furious: Rejecting the hypothesis that secondary psychopathy improves reaction time-based concealed information detection.

Deception, a complex aspect of human behavior, is inherently difficult to detect directly. A valid alternative involves memory detection, particularly through methods such as the Reaction-Time based Concealed Information Test (RT-CIT). The RT-CIT assesses whether an individual possesses specific knowledge by presenting various probe (familiar) items amidst irrelevant (unfamiliar) items. The task-required "unfamiliar" response to probes may induce a response conflict. Resolving this conflict, by inhibiting the automatic "familiar" response, takes time and slows probe RTs-a phenomenon known as the RT-CIT effect. Notably, secondary psychopathy is characterized by disinhibition and impulsivity, traits which may hinder the ability to effectively manage experienced conflict. Therefore, we hypothesized that secondary psychopathy would be associated with an elevated RT-CIT effect. To investigate this hypothesized relation, we conducted a pre-registered study (n = 86, student sample), employing a novel CIT paradigm that incorporates no-go trials to assess response inhibition capacity. Psychopathic traits were measured using the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy (LSRP) scale, while the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) assessed impulsivity. The novel CIT paradigm revealed impressive detection efficiency. However, contrary to our expectations, we observed no significant correlation between the RT-CIT effect and secondary psychopathic traits (BF01 = 6.98). This cautiously suggests that while secondary psychopathic tendencies do not improve RT-CIT validity, they also do not compromise it. Although future investigations should explore more diverse contexts and populations, this tentative finding is reassuring and underscores the robustness of the CIT paradigm.

Functional Brain Network of Trait Impulsivity: Whole-Brain Functional Connectivity Predicts Self-Reported Impulsivity.

Given impulsivity's multidimensional nature and its implications across various aspects of human behavior, a comprehensive understanding of functional brain circuits associated with this trait is warranted. In the current study, we utilized whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity data of healthy males (n = 156) to identify a network of connections predictive of an individual's impulsivity, as assessed by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS)-11. Our participants were selected, in part, based on their self-reported BIS-11 impulsivity scores. Specifically, individuals who reported high or low trait impulsivity scores during screening were selected first, followed by those with intermediate impulsivity levels. This enabled us to include participants with rare, extreme scores and to cover the entire BIS-11 impulsivity spectrum. We employed repeated K-fold cross-validation for feature-selection and used stratified 10-fold cross-validation to train and test our models. Our findings revealed a widespread neural network associated with trait impulsivity and a notable correlation between predicted and observed scores. Feature importance and node degree were assessed to highlight specific nodes and edges within the impulsivity network, revealing previously overlooked key brain regions, such as the cerebellum, brainstem, and temporal lobe, while supporting previous findings on the basal ganglia-thalamo-prefrontal network and the prefrontal-motor strip network in relation to impulsiveness. This deepened understanding establishes a foundation for identifying alterations in functional brain networks associated with dysfunctional impulsivity.

The Effect of 6 weeks Physical Activity on Cognitive Control and Trait Impulsivity in Multi-problem Young Adults: First Findings of an RCT-study.

This study aimed to report the effect of a 6-week light-active versus moderate-active physical activity intervention embedded in a multimodal day treatment program on selected measures of cognitive control (i.e., response inhibition, error processing, and cognitive interference) and trait impulsivity. A randomized controlled design was implemented, including male multi-problem young adults (aged 18-27) assigned to either light-active (N = 12) or moderate-active physical activity lessons (N = 11). A repeated measures design was used to examine treatment effects between the two groups over time on response inhibition, error processing, and cognitive interference (measured respectively with a Go/NoGo task, a Flanker task, and the Stroop) and trait impulsivity (measured with the Dutch Baratt Impulsiveness Scale). Cognitive control, but not trait impulsivity, improved over time. Specifically, enhancements in inhibition and reduced cognitive interference were observed after 6 weeks. Error processing did not improve, but we did observe improved performance on an error-processing task. No interaction with physical activity intensity was found, suggesting similar treatment effects regardless of intensity. Results should be interpreted with caution due to several limitations, including the small sample size. Overall, due to current limitations (i.e., physical activity embedded in a larger treatment program, small sample size at follow-up, and low intervention adherence), it is not possible to draw any definite conclusions. However, the current findings contribute to a growing body of evidence suggesting potential benefits of physical activity (embedded in a multi-modal day treatment program) in the enhancement of cognitive control deficits in at-risk populations, independent of exercise intensity.

Adolescent alcohol consumption predicted by differences in electrophysiological functional connectivity and neuroanatomy.

Alcohol consumption during adolescence has been associated with neuroanatomical abnormalities and the appearance of future disorders. However, the latest advances in this field point to the existence of risk profiles which may lead to some individuals into an early consumption. To date, some studies have established predictive models of consumption based on sociodemographic, behavioral, and anatomical-functional variables using MRI. However, the neuroimaging variables employed are usually restricted to local and hemodynamic phenomena. Given the potential of connectome approaches, and the high temporal dynamics of electrophysiology, we decided to explore the relationship between future alcohol consumption and electrophysiological connectivity measured by MEG in a cohort of 83 individuals aged 14 to 16. As a result, we found a positive correlation between alcohol consumption and the functional connectivity in frontal, parietal, and frontoparietal connections. Once this relationship was described, multivariate linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the predictive capacity of functional connectivity in conjunction with other neuroanatomical and behavioral variables described in the literature. Finally, the multivariate linear regression analysis determined the importance of anatomical and functional variables in the prediction of alcohol consumption but failed to find associations with impulsivity, sensation seeking, and executive function scales. In conclusion, the predictive traits obtained in these models were closely associated with changes occurring during adolescence, suggesting the existence of different paths in neurodevelopment that have the potential to influence adolescents' relationship with alcohol consumption.

Impulsivity in Euthymic Patients with Unipolar and Bipolar Disorders

Abstract Background There is marked interest to research to find out the differences between unipolar and bipolar depression. Consequently we aimed to study impulsivity in euthymic unipolar and bipolar patients to find any difference. Aim of the Work Comparing impulsivity in euthymic major depressive and bipolar patients and healthy controls, to find out if these two different disorders have different impulsivity profiles. To find any clinical correlation with impulsivity scores in unipolar and bipolar patients. Subjects and Methods It is a cross sectional case-control study of 50 euthymic unipolar and bipolar patients and25 matched healthy controls. They were subjected to: Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV disorders, (SCID-I) to ascertain clinical diagnosis, Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) to validate euthymia. Barratt impulsiveness scale. Also general health questionnaire is applied for controls to exclude any psychiatric disorder and an information sheet gathering patient data was done. Results Regarding barratt impulsiveness subscales, the most affected group with non-planning impulsivity was unipolar depression group with Mean± SD (29.88±3.94). while regarding attentional impulsivity, unipolar and bipolar depression groups were similarly affected with Mean± SD (19.4±3.8). While regarding motor impulsivity the most affected group was bipolar depression group with Mean± SD (30.56±4.49). Conclusions Analysis of Barratt impulsiveness scale in our study revealed that the unipolar and bipolar groups scored almost the same on total impulsivity measures. The most affected group with non-planning impulsivity was unipolar depression group while regarding motor impulsivity, the most affected group with motor impulsivity was bipolar depression group. Regarding attentions impulsivity, unipolar and bipolar depression groups were similarly affected.

Impulsivity Impacts Suicidality in Patients with Alcohol Use Disorder with and without Comorbid Depression

Abstract Objective: The independent rôle of impulsivity in alcoholism patient’s suicidality is less elucidated. In this study, we intended to investigate how impulsivity and depression contribute to suicidality in patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Methods: We recruited 27 adult patients with AUD and major depressive disorder (AUD with MDD) and 33 with AUD only (AUD without MDD). We assessed suicidality, alcohol use severity, depression severity, impulsivity, and other psychiatric comorbidities. Suicidality was quantified for the frequency of previous history of suicide attempts and for current suicide intent/tendency. Impulsivity was measured using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS). We addressed how impulsivity contributed to both suicidality indices in multiple ordinal regressions. Results: Patients with AUD with MDD versus those with AUD without MDD showed significantly higher suicidality (p < 0.001), significantly more severe alcohol (p < 0.01), significantly more polysubstance use (p < 0.05), significantly more anxiety comorbidities (p < 0.05), and significantly higher BIS scores (p < 0.001). In a better-fitting final model using regression with stepwise elimination, the BIS total score was independently and significantly associated with current suicide tendency (p < 0.05) and frequency of previous suicide attempts (p < 0.01). In contrast, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 score was significantly associated only with current suicidal tendencies (p < 0.01), but not with the frequency of previous attempts. Conclusion: Depressed patients relative to nondepressed individuals with AUD showed higher suicidality, Barratt impulsivity, and severity of alcohol use. Across groups, BIS impulsivity but not the severity of depression was found to predict suicidality. We suggest that suicide prevention efforts may include assessment of impulsivity in AUD patients.

Apathy and Impulsivity Co-Occur in Huntington's Disease.

Apathy is a debilitating behavioral change in Huntington's disease (HD), but impulsivity in HD has not been well documented, and the co-occurrence of these behaviors in HD has not been investigated. Our objective was to determine whether apathy and impulsivity co-occur in people with HD and their associations with quality of life. Carriers of Huntington's gene expansion (premanifest to mild motor manifest disease; n=42) along with healthy controls (n=20) completed measures of apathy (Apathy Evaluation Scale and Apathy Motivation Index) and impulsivity (Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 and UPPS-P impulsivity scale), along with mood, cognition, clinical, and quality of life measures. Apathy and impulsivity measures were each reduced to a single metric per patient using principal component analysis. Correlations and multiple linear regression models determined associations between apathy and impulsivity and the potential influence of other covariates. Apathy and impulsivity were significantly correlated (r=0.6, p<0.001, 95% CI [0.36, 0.76]) in HD, with this association remaining after controlling for depressive symptoms, motor disease severity, and cognitive function. Furthermore, apathy and depressive symptoms were associated with poorer quality of life. Apathy and impulsivity co-occur in individuals with premanifest to mild manifest HD and have a significant impact on wellbeing. We add to a growing evidence body that apathy and impulsivity may be intrinsically linked.

Peripheral Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and Its Regulatory miRNAs as Biological Correlates of Impulsivity in Young Adults.

Background: Impulsivity assessment may serve as a valuable clinical tool in the stratification of suicide risk. Acting without forethought is a crucial feature in the psychopathology of many psychiatric disturbances and corresponds with suicidal ideations, behaviors, and attempts. Methods: We present data on biological and psychological correlates of impulsivity among young adults (n = 47). Psychological analysis included both the self-description questionnaire-Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11)-and neuropsychological behavioral tests, including the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), the Simple Response Time task (SRT), and the Continuous Performance Test (CPT). mRNA and micro-RNA were isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Expression levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) mRNA and its regulatory micro RNAs, mir-1-3p, mir-15a-5p, mir-26a-5p, mir-26b-5p, and mir-195-5p, were analyzed using the quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) method. proBDNF and BDNF plasma protein levels were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Significant correlations between BDNF mRNA and mir-15a-5p as well as proBDNF levels and mir-1-3p were detected. proBDNF protein levels correlated with motor and perseverance, while mir-26b correlated with cognitive complexity subdimensions of the BIS-11 scale. Correlations between BDNF, miRNAs, and the results of neuropsychological tests were also detected. Conclusions: The BDNF pathway shows a clinical potential in searching for biomarkers of impulse-control impairment. BDNF-regulatory micro-RNAs are detectable and related to clinical parameters in the studied population, which needs further research.