Cognitive Inhibitory Control Research Articles

Effects of 12 weeks of high-intensity interval, moderate-intensity continuous and self-selected intensity exercise training protocols on cognitive inhibitory control in overweight/obese adults: A randomized trial

ABSTRACT Growing evidence shows that aerobic exercise improves cognitive function. However, it is unclear how exercising at different exercise intensities affects cognitive inhibitory control in overweight/obese adults. Herein we compared the effects of 12 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), and self-selected intensity training (SSIT) on cognitive inhibitory control in overweight/obese adults. A total of 64 adults (59.4% women, 31.3 ± 7.1 years, 29 ± 2.5 kg/m²) were randomized into three walking/running groups: HIIT, MICT and SSIT. All groups performed three exercise sessions per week on an outdoor running track for 12 weeks. Cognitive inhibitory control was assessed at baseline and after the exercising programs using a computerized version of the Stroop Color-Words test. The HIIT and SSIT resulted in a faster Stroop effect (i.e. enhanced performance) when compared to MICT (p=.018; p= .026), however, there were no significant differences between the HIIT and SSIT groups (p> .05). The enhanced Stroop effect was correlated with increases in cardiorespiratory fitness after HIIT (r= −.521, p= .018) and decreases in body fat after MICT (r= .671, p= .001). These findings may suggest that overweight/obese adults performing exercise interventions at higher intensities or self-selected intensity may enhance their cognitive ability to inhibit automated behavioral responses. Highlights HIIT and/or SSIT are more effective than MICT in improving cognitive inhibitory control after 12-weeks in overweight/obese adults. Increases in cardiorespiratory fitness and decreases in body fat after HIIT and MICT were correlated with improvements in cognitive inhibitory control. Our study highlights the possibility of performing different exercise programs in an outdoor environment to improve cognitive function in overweight/obese adults.

Language Dominance and Sociolinguistic Experience Are Related to Language Control and Domain-General Monitoring Control: An Investigation in Bilinguals Who Live in a Minority/Majority Sociolinguistic Setting.

Bilingual language control in production tasks with language switches is supposed to be linked to domain-general cognitive control. In the present study, we investigated the role of language dominance, measured on a continuous scale, in the relationship between measures of language control elicited through language switching in a picture naming task and non-linguistic cognitive control induced by stimulus-response interference in a Simon task. In our sample of bilinguals who speak both a minority and majority language (language pair of Uyghur-Chinese), the results showed that as bilinguals were more L2-dominant, a pattern of reversed asymmetry switch costs in language control, i.e., larger L2 than L1 switch costs, was observed. Furthermore, the findings showed that recent exposure to the L1 minority language was associated with the change in language switch costs in terms of both response latencies and accuracy rates. This suggests a role for sociolinguistic context in bilingual language control. Concerning cross-domain generality, globally sustained language control was found to be correlated with domain-general monitoring control in response latencies for all bilingual participants. It lends support to the idea that bilinguals tap into monitoring control in the context of language switching. Additionally, the cross-domain overlap was found between two non-equivalent measures (global language control vs. cognitive inhibitory control) in response latencies, specifically for L1-dominant bilinguals. This suggests that language dominance may have an impact on cross-domain generality in language-switching processes.

Similar improvements in cognitive inhibitory control following low-intensity resistance exercise with slow movement and tonic force generation and high-intensity resistance exercise in healthy young adults: a preliminary study

This study compared the effects of low-intensity resistance exercise with slow movement and tonic force generation (ST-LRE) and high-intensity resistance exercise (HRE) on post-exercise improvements in cognitive inhibitory control (IC). Sixteen young males completed ST-LRE and HRE sessions in a crossover design. Bilateral knee extensor ST-LRE and HRE (8 repetitions/set, 6 sets) were performed with 50% of one-repetition maximum with slow contractile speed and 80% of one-repetition maximum with normal contractile speed, respectively. The IC was assessed using the color–word Stroop task at six time points: baseline, pre-exercise, immediate post-exercise, and every 10 min during the 30-min post-exercise recovery period. The blood lactate response throughout the experimental session did not differ between ST-LRE and HRE (condition × time interaction P = 0.396: e.g., mean ± standard error of the mean; 8.1 ± 0.5 vs. 8.1 ± 0.5 mM, respectively, immediately after exercise, P = 0.983, d = 0.00). Large-sized decreases in the reverse-Stroop interference scores, which represent improved IC, compared to those before exercise (i.e., baseline and pre-exercise) were observed throughout the 30 min post-exercise recovery period for both ST-LRE and HRE (decreasing rate ≥ 38.8 and 41.4%, respectively, all ds ≥ 0.95). The degree of post-exercise IC improvements was similar between the two protocols (condition × time interaction P = 0.998). These findings suggest that despite the application of a lower exercise load, ST-LRE improves post-exercise IC similarly to HRE, which may be due to the equivalent blood lactate response between the two protocols, in healthy young adults.

Distributive Behavior Differences Between Ingroup and Outgroup and the Influence of Inhibitory Control and Intelligence on Preschoolers’ Distributive Behavior

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the patterns and characteristics of distributive behavior in preschoolers, influence of inhibitory control and intelligence on the distributive behavior, and associations between them.Methods: The data was collected through a one-on-one interview experiment with 328 children aged 3–5 years old attending daycare centers and kindergartens. The distributive behavior was measured by modifying the procedure of the dictator game. Children’s cognitive and emotional inhibitory control (IC) were assessed using the day-night task and the reverse compensation task respectively. The intelligence was assessed using the K-WPPSI short form test. Pearson's correlation, paired samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, McNemar test, multiple regression, and the verification of mediation were performed to analyze the dataResults: First, there were differences among boys in resource allocation according to the type of group (in-group vs. outgroup). That is, boys aged four and five gave more resources to classmates rather than anonymous children. Second, cognitive IC and performance intelligence were associated with distributive behavior towards anonymous children. However, only performance intelligence was related to the children’s distributive behavior towards their classmates. Lastly, performance intelligence was completely mediated in the association between cognitive IC and distributive behavior towards anonymous children.Conclusion: We provide empirical evidence that cognitive IC and thinking skills necessary for performance intelligence were related to distributive behavior towards outgroup. In particular, boys aged four and five tended to consider more social relations in distributive behavior. This may be useful information for teaching altruism and sharing in early childhood.

Additional Exergames to Regular Tennis Training Improves Cognitive-Motor Functions of Children but May Temporarily Affect Tennis Technique: A Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.

This study evaluated the effects of an exergame program (TennisVirtua-4, Playstation Kinect) combined with traditional tennis training on autonomic regulation, tennis technique, gross motor skills, clinical reaction time, and cognitive inhibitory control in children. Sixty-three children were randomized into four groups (1st – two exergame and two regular trainings sessions/week, 2nd – one exergame and one regular training sessions/week, 3rd – two regular trainings sessions/week, and 4th – one regular training session/week) and compared at baseline, 6-month immediately post intervention and at 1-year follow-up post intervention. At 6-month post intervention the combined exergame and regular training sessions revealed: higher breathing frequency, heart rate (all ps ≤ 0.001) and lower skin conductance levels (p = 0.001) during exergaming; additional benefits in the point of contact and kinetic chain elements of the tennis forehand and backhand technique (all ps ≤ 0.001); negative impact on the shot preparation and the follow-through elements (all ps ≤ 0.017); higher ball skills (as part of the gross motor skills) (p < 0.001); higher percentages of clinical reaction time improvement (1st −9.7% vs 3rd group −7.4% and 2nd −6.6% vs 4th group −4.4%, all ps ≤ 0.003) and cognitive inhibitory control improvement in both congruent (1st −20.5% vs 3rd group −18.4% and 2nd −11.5% vs 4th group −9.6%, all ps ≤ 0.05) and incongruent (1st group −19.1% vs 3rd group −12.5% and 2nd group −11.4% vs 4th group −6.5%, all ps ≤ 0.001) trials. The 1-year follow-up test showed no differences in the tennis technique, clinical reaction time and cognitive inhibitory control improvement between groups with the same number of trainings per week. The findings support exergaming as an additional training tool, aimed to improve important cognitive-motor tennis skills by adding dynamics to the standardized training process. Caution should be placed to planning this training, e.g., in a mesocycle, since exergaming might decrease the improvement of specific tennis technique parts of the trainees. (ClinicalTrials.gov; ID: NCT03946436).

Deficits in saccadic eye movements differ between subtypes of patients with mild cognitive impairment

ABSTRACT Introduction: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is known to be heterogeneous in its cognitive features and course of progression. Whilst memory impairment is characteristic of amnestic MCI (aMCI), cognitive deficits other than memory can occur in both aMCI and non-amnestic MCI (naMCI) and accurate assessment of the subtypes of MCI is difficult for clinicians without the application of extensive neuropsychological testing. In this study, we examine metrics derived from recording of reflexive and voluntary saccadic eye movements as a potential alternative method for discriminating between subtypes and assessing cognitive functions in MCI. Method: A total of 29 MCI patients and 29 age- and education-matched healthy controls (HCs) participated in the cross-sectional study. We recorded horizonta l and vertical pro-saccades and anti-saccade responses. All the participants also completed a comprehensive neuropsychological tests battery. Results: Significant differences in saccadic eye movement were found between the subtypes of MCI and HCs. Patients with aMCI had a higher percentage of short latency “express” saccades than HCs. We found strong associations between saccadic reaction times and cognitive domains, including executive functions and attention. The mini-mental state examination (MMSE) was also found to correlate with uncorrected errors in the anti-saccade task. Conclusions: The increased proportion of saccades in the express latency range in aMCI may be indicative of problems with cognitive inhibitory control in these patients. A focus on this and other saccade metrics in the preclinical and prodromal stages of dementia may help to predict the clinical progression of the disease and direct interventions for the management of MCI. The clinical significance of saccadic eye movement impairments in MCI is not yet fully understood and should be investigated in further studies using larger samples.

Neurophysiologic evidence for increased retrieval suppression among negative ruminators.

IntroductionEvents (e.g., seeing a familiar face) may initiate retrieval of associated information (e.g., person's name), but not all cue‐initiated memory retrieval is welcome (e.g., trauma). Retrieval suppression refers to the ability to halt unwanted retrieval, and any erosion of memory associations in response to repeatedly excluding a memory from consciousness. The current study sought to examine event‐related potential (ERP, averaged scalp electrical recordings) correlates of inhibitory cognitive control of memory retrieval and any linkage of such control to ruminative memory styles.MethodsParticipants (N = 23) first learned face‐picture pairings. ERPs were then recorded as they viewed face cues while either bringing the associated picture to mind (think trial), or not allowing the associated picture to come to mind (no‐think trial).ResultsEmotional valence of learned pictures (negative versus neutral) modulated a posterior (P1, 100–150 ms) ERP associated with attention to the face cue. Memory strategy (think versus no‐think) modulated a frontal (P3, 350–450 ms) associated with alerting of the need to control retrieval. Both valence and strategy worked in combination to modulate a late posterior (LC, 450–550 ms) ERP associated with successful memory retrieval. Brooding, a negative form of rumination, was found to be positively correlated with the LC ERP.ConclusionThe results suggest early separation of emotional and strategic control of retrieval, but later combined control over access to working memory. Moreover, the positive correlation of brooding and the LC suggest that individuals who are high in application of perseverative strategies to memory retrieval will show greater modulation of the retrieval‐related LC ERP.

Work volume is an important variable in determining the degree of inhibitory control improvements following resistance exercise.

We previously determined that improvement in cognitive inhibitory control (IC) immediately after localized resistance exercise was greater for high‐intensity resistance exercise (HRE) than for low‐intensity resistance exercise (LRE). However, our previous study used the same total repetitions (i.e., same repetitions per set) between HRE and LRE; therefore, the difference in postexercise IC improvement might be due to a difference in work volume (i.e., intensity × total repetitions). In this study, we compared the effect of high‐volume (HV)‐LRE to that of volume‐matched HRE on postexercise IC improvements. Twenty‐two healthy, young males performed both HV‐LRE and HRE in a crossover design. Exercise loads for HV‐LRE and HRE were set at 35% and 70% of one‐repetition maximum, respectively. The bilateral knee extension exercises for HV‐LRE and HRE were programmed for six sets with 20 and 10 repetitions, respectively, per set. IC was measured using the color‐word Stroop task (CWST) at six time points; baseline, pre‐exercise, immediate postexercise, and every 10 min during the 30‐min postexercise recovery period. The reverse‐Stroop interference score decreased significantly immediately after HV‐LRE and HRE compared with that before each exercise (decreasing rate >34 and >38%, respectively, vs. baseline and pre‐exercise; all ps < .05), and the decreased score remained significant until 20 min after both protocols (decreasing rate >40 and >38%, respectively, vs. baseline and pre‐exercise; all ps < .05). The degree of the postexercise IC improvements did not differ significantly between the two protocols. These findings suggest that HV‐LRE improves IC in a similar manner to volume‐matched HRE.

Associations between executive functions and problematic social networking sites use

ABSTRACT Background Research on problematic internet use has greatly increased over the last decade. Although there were many studies related to problematic social networking sites (SNS) use, there is limited empirical research yet focused on exploring the relationship between problematic SNS use and Executive Functions (EF). Aim This study set out to determine whether problematic SNS use is associated with cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control aspects of EF. Method A total of 284 individuals participated in the study. A sociodemographic data form, Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) were administered. Results Group comparisons revealed no difference in WCST performance between problematic and non-problematic SNS use groups. Categories achieved (WCST-CA) and perseverative errors (WCST-PE) subtests were correlated with “relapse” subtest and “total score” of BSMAS in problematic SNS use group. Regression analysis revealed that WCST-CA and WCST-PE were associated with “relapse” subtest of BSMAS in problematic SNS use group. Conclusion Our findings yielded a possible association between EF and problematic SNS use. Enhancing cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control may be beneficial in mitigating problems related to relapse in excessive SNS use.

Dopaminergic medication improves cognitive control under low cognitive demand in Parkinson's disease.

Dopamine agonists are the main pharmacological intervention for the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, dopaminergic medication has been associated with disinhibitory psychopathology in some patients. The aim of this study was to test the effect of dopaminergic medication on inhibitory control in patients with PD using the paced Random Number Generation task (RNG), which requires inhibition of prepotent counting in series to produce a random sequence of numbers. Twenty-three PD patients performed RNG on and off dopaminergic medication. Cognitive load was manipulated by performing RNG at faster (1Hz) and slower (0.5 Hz) rates. For RNG, two scores (CS1 and CS2) were derived, which are considered indices of more automatic and more controlled counting, respectively. There were no main effects of medication on RNG performance. There was a significant main effect of cognitive load on CS1, with higher CS1 scores at the faster rate (p = <.01). A significant interaction effect between medication and rate (cognitive load; p = .03) followed by post hoc testing, revealed that CS2 scores were higher, on medication, at the slower but not the faster rate. Patients with PD displayed increased use of more controlled processing strategies on medication at the slowest rate of RNG. Therefore, while dopaminergic medication has been associated with disinhibitory psychopathology, our results suggest that dopamine therapy may enhance some forms of inhibitory cognitive control in PD, but only if there is sufficient time to engage controlled processing strategies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

A influência entre os domínios cognitivo e motor em estudantes de 07 a 09 anos

Atualmente há um crescente aumento evidenciado pelos órgãos avaliadores acerca do desempenho escolar insatisfatório, ou baixa proficiência escolar. O desenvolvimento dos aspectos da memória, da aprendizagem e da indissociável relação corpo-mente para a aprendizagem do sujeito, traz à luz o conceito da cognição incorporada, ou da mente corporalizada – embodied cognition, para os quais o sistema motor influencia a cognição, ou desenvolvimento cognitivo, composto basicamente pelas funções executivas - conjunto de habilidades cognitivas necessárias para aprender coisas novas, raciocinar ou concentrar-se diante de um ambiente distrator - flexibilidade cognitiva, controle inibitório, memória de trabalho, resolução de problemas, raciocínio e planejamento. O objetivo do presente estudo é comparar o desenvolvimento motor e o funcionamento executivo em estudantes de 07 a 09 anos, com desempenho escolar insatisfatório (I) e satisfatório (S). Foi utilizada como metodologia quantitativa um estudo comparativo transversal com os seguintes instrumentos: i) TGMD2 (teste motor); ii) Teste de Trilhas (funções executivas); iii) IMC (relação peso\altura); iv) questionário sociodemográfico; v) avaliação do desempenho escolar dos estudantes (segundo critério da escola para conceitos de proficiência geral não construída - I e em construção - S). Os resultados apontam que não houve significância na comparação entre desempenho motor nos grupos de desempenho escolar I e S para esta amostra; porém, encontrou-se significância entre Funções Executivas (Teste de Trilhas) e Desempenho Escolar I e S. Conclui-se que tanto o desenvolvimento motor quanto o funcionamento executivo, podem influenciar no desempenho escolar, quando estes não forem devidamente desenvolvidos e se encontrando a baixo das recomendações da literatura, como evidenciado. Estudos desta natureza ainda são em pequeno número, sobretudo os estudos empíricos no contexto do cotidiano escolar dos estudantes; também se considera a relevância do trabalho mediante pesquisas similares internacionais e nacionais que demonstram a preocupação com o ainda presente dualismo corpo-mente na escola. Espera-se que esta pesquisa possa contribuir para a emergente interface entre as áreas pedagógicas e da saúde, colaborando para que os profissionais do ensino discutam com maior propriedade os conceitos de sistemas bioecológicos, seus affordances, e àqueles afetos ao novo paradigma do embodied cognition, ou seja, da mente corporalizada, e desenvolvam oportunidades e estimulações de qualidade para o corpo/movimento das crianças na escola.

Long-Term Outcome of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in a Large Cohort of Patients With Cocaine-Use Disorder: An Observational Study.

Background: Cocaine is a psychostimulant drug used as performance enhancer throughout history. The prolonged use of cocaine is associated with addiction and a broad range of cognitive deficits. Currently, there are no medications proven to be effective for cocaine-use disorder (CocUD). Previous preliminary clinical work suggests some benefit from repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) stimulating the prefrontal cortex (PFC), involved in inhibitory cognitive control, decision-making and attention. All published studies to date have been limited by small sample sizes and short follow-up times.Methods: This is a retrospective observational study of 284 outpatients (of whom 268 were men) meeting DSM-5 criteria for CocUD. At treatment entry, most were using cocaine every day or several times per week. All patients underwent 3 months of rTMS and were followed for up to 2 years, 8 months. Self-report, reports by family or significant others and regular urine screens were used to assess drug use.Results: Median time to the first lapse (resumption of cocaine use) since the beginning of treatment was 91 days. For most patients, TMS was re-administered weekly, then monthly, throughout follow-up. The decrease in frequency of rTMS sessions was not accompanied by an increase in lapses to cocaine use. Mean frequency of cocaine use was <1·0 day/month (median 0), while serious rTMS-related adverse events were infrequent, consistent with published reports from smaller studies.Conclusions: This is the first follow-up study to show that rTMS treatment is accompanied by long-lasting reductions in cocaine use in a large cohort.

Capturing multiple interaction effects in L1 and L2 object-naming reaction times in healthy bilinguals: a mixed-effects multiple regression analysis

BackgroundIt is difficult to set up a balanced higher-order full-factorial experiment that can capture multiple intricate interactions between cognitive and psycholinguistic factors underlying bilingual speech production. To capture interactions more fully in one study, we analyzed object-naming reaction times (RTs) by using mixed-effects multiple regression.MethodsTen healthy bilinguals (median age: 23 years, seven females) were asked to name 131 colored pictures of common objects in each of their languages. RTs were analyzed based on language status, proficiency, word choice, word frequency, word duration, initial phoneme, time series, and participant’s gender.ResultsAmong five significant interactions, new findings include a facilitating effect of a cross-language shared initial phoneme (mean RT for shared phoneme: 974 ms vs. mean RT for different phoneme: 1020 ms), which profited males less (mean profit: 10 ms) than females (mean profit: 47 ms).ConclusionsOur data support language-independent phonological activation and a gender difference in inhibitory cognitive language control. Single word production process in healthy adult bilinguals is affected by interactions among cognitive, phonological, and semantic factors.

Progressive dysexecutive syndrome due to Alzheimer's disease: a description of 55 cases and comparison to other phenotypes.

We report a group of patients presenting with a progressive dementia syndrome characterized by predominant dysfunction in core executive functions, relatively young age of onset and positive biomarkers for Alzheimer’s pathophysiology. Atypical frontal, dysexecutive/behavioural variants and early-onset variants of Alzheimer’s disease have been previously reported, but no diagnostic criteria exist for a progressive dysexecutive syndrome. In this retrospective review, we report on 55 participants diagnosed with a clinically defined progressive dysexecutive syndrome with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography and Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers available. Sixty-two per cent of participants were female with a mean of 15.2 years of education. The mean age of reported symptom onset was 53.8 years while the mean age at diagnosis was 57.2 years. Participants and informants commonly referred to initial cognitive symptoms as ‘memory problems’ but upon further inquiry described problems with core executive functions of working memory, cognitive flexibility and cognitive inhibitory control. Multi-domain cognitive impairment was evident in neuropsychological testing with executive dysfunction most consistently affected. The frontal and parietal regions which overlap with working memory networks consistently demonstrated hypometabolism on positron emission tomography. Genetic testing for autosomal dominant genes was negative in all eight participants tested and at least one APOE ε4 allele was present in 14/26 participants tested. EEG was abnormal in 14/17 cases with 13 described as diffuse slowing. Furthermore, CSF or neuroimaging biomarkers were consistent with Alzheimer’s disease pathophysiology, although CSF p-tau was normal in 24% of cases. Fifteen of the executive predominate participants enrolled in research neuroimaging protocols and were compared to amnestic (n = 110), visual (n = 18) and language (n = 7) predominate clinical phenotypes of Alzheimer’s disease. This revealed a consistent pattern of hypometabolism in parieto-frontal brain regions supporting executive functions with relative sparing of the medial temporal lobe (versus amnestic phenotype), occipital (versus visual phenotype) and left temporal (versus language phenotype). We propose that this progressive dysexecutive syndrome should be recognized as a distinct clinical phenotype disambiguated from behavioural presentations and not linked specifically to the frontal lobe or a particular anatomic substrate without further study. This clinical presentation can be due to Alzheimer’s disease but is likely not specific for any single aetiology. Diagnostic criteria are proposed to facilitate additional research into this understudied clinical presentation.

39 A Model of Gait and Falls in Older Adults with Dementia

Abstract Background Older people with cognitive impairment are at increased risk of falls; however, fall prevention strategies have limited success in reducing fall risks in this population (Fernando E, Fraser M, Hendriksen J et al. Physiotherapy Canada. 2017; 69: 161–170). We aim to present a model of factors contributing to gait and falls in older adults with dementia. Methods The model was developed based on an in-depth review of literature on fall risk factors particularly in people with dementia, and the relationship between cognition and gait, and their joint impact on risk of falls. Results Cognitive and motor functions are closely related as they share neuroanatomy (Rosso AL, Studenski SA, Chen WG et al. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2013; 68: 1379–1386). This close relationship has been confirmed by imaging, observational and interventional studies. Executive function is the cognitive domain most commonly associated with gait dysfunction (Cohen JA, Verghese J, Zwerling JL. Maturitas. 2016; 93: 73-77). The sub-domains of executive function(Sachdev PS, Blacker D, Blazer DG et al. Neurology. 2014; 10: 634-642) - attention, sensory integration and motor planning affect risk of falls through gait dysfunction; whereas other non-gait associated sub-domains of executive function - cognitive flexibility, judgement and inhibitory control affect risk of falls through risk taking behaviour. Conclusion Gait, cognition and falls are closely related. The comoridity and interaction between gait abnormality and cognitive impairment may be the underlying mechanism behind the high prevalence of falls in older adults with dementia. Gait and cognitive assessment with particular focus on executive function, should be integrated in fall risk screening. Assessment results should inform interventions developed by a multidisciplinary team and may include strategies such as customised gait training and behavioural modulation. A comprehensive multidisciplinary approach could be more effective in reducing fall risks in older adults with dementia.

Electrophysiological Correlates of an Alcohol-Cued Go/NoGo Task: A Dual-Process Approach to Binge Drinking in University Students.

Binge drinking is a common pattern of alcohol consumption in adolescence and youth. Neurocognitive dual-process models attribute substance use disorders and risk behaviours during adolescence to an imbalance between an overactivated affective-automatic system (involved in motivational and affective processing) and a reflective system (involved in cognitive inhibitory control). The aim of the present study was to investigate at the electrophysiological level the degree to which the motivational value of alcohol-related stimuli modulates the inhibition of a prepotent response in binge drinkers. First-year university students (n = 151, 54 % females) classified as binge drinkers (n = 71, ≥6 binge drinking episodes, defined as 5/7 standard drinks per occasion in the last 180 days) and controls (n = 80, <6 binge drinking episodes in the last 180 days) performed a beverage Go/NoGo task (pictures of alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks were presented according to the condition as Go or NoGo stimuli; Go probability = 0.75) during event-related potential recording. In binge drinkers but not controls, the amplitude of the anterior N2-NoGo was larger in response to nonalcohol than in response to alcohol pictures. No behavioural difference in task performance was observed. In terms of dual-process models, binge drinkers may require increased activation to monitor conflict in order to compensate for overactivation of the affective-automatic system caused by alcohol-related bias.

Male and female cichlid fish show cognitive inhibitory control ability

Inhibitory control is a way to infer cognitive flexibility in animals by inhibiting a behavioral propensity to obtain a reward. Here we tested whether there are differences in inhibitory control between females and males of the fish Nile tilapia owing to their distinct reproductive roles. Individuals were tested under a detour-reaching paradigm, consisting of training fish to feed behind an opaque barrier and, thereafter, testing them with a transparent one. Fish is expected to avoid trying to cross through the transparent barrier to achieve food (reward), thus showing inhibitory control by recovering the learned detour with the opaque apparatus. Both males and females learned to detour the transparent barrier with similar scores of correct responses, whereas females reached the food faster. This result is probably associated to their different sex roles in reproduction: females care for the eggs and fry inside their mouth (thus requiring a high inhibitory control not to swallow them), whereas males have to stay inside the territory defending it against intruder males, which also demands some inhibitory ability not to leave the spawning site and take the risk of losing it. Furthermore, this evidence of cognitive flexibility can enable social fish to deal with unpredictable interactions.

Imaging of brain glucose uptake by PET in obesity and cognitive dysfunction: life-course perspective.

The prevalence of obesity has reached epidemic proportions and keeps growing. Obesity seems implicated in the pathogenesis of cognitive dysfunction, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, and vice versa. Growing scientific efforts are being devoted to the identification of central mechanisms underlying the frequent association between obesity and cognitive dysfunction. Glucose brain handling undergoes dynamic changes during the life-course, suggesting that its alterations might precede and contribute to degenerative changes or signaling abnormalities. Imaging of the glucose analog 18F-labeled fluorodeoxyglucose (18FDG) by positron emission tomography (PET) is the gold-standard for the assessment of cerebral glucose metabolism in vivo. This review summarizes the current literature addressing brain glucose uptake measured by PET imaging, and the effect of insulin on brain metabolism, trying to embrace a life-course vision in the identification of patterns that may explain (and contribute to) the frequent association between obesity and cognitive dysfunction. The current evidence supports that brain hypermetabolism and brain insulin resistance occur in selected high-risk conditions as a transient phenomenon, eventually evolving toward normal or low values during life or disease progression. Associative studies suggest that brain hypermetabolism predicts low BDNF levels, hepatic and whole body insulin resistance, food desire and an unfavorable balance between anticipated reward from food and cognitive inhibitory control. Emerging mechanistic links involve the microbiota and the metabolome, which correlate with brain metabolism and cognition, deserving attention as potential future prevention targets.

Preschoolers' self‐regulation and developmental trajectories of sleep problems in early childhood

AbstractPresent study explores developmental trajectories of sleep problems and its associations with self‐regulation. Sleep problems, emotional, and behavioural problems were reported by mothers of 128 children aged 2 and 4 years, and children's self‐regulatory abilities were laboratory tested with “hot” (e.g., delay of gratification) and “cool” (e.g., cognitive control and anticipation) tasks at age 4. Two latent class mixture models for trajectories of sleep problems were built with separately incorporated “hot” and “cool” self‐regulation as the distal variables. In both models, nearly two thirds of children developed a stable low sleep problems trajectory, while 19.5% with distal variable of “hot” self‐regulation and 32% with distal variable of “cool” self‐regulation displayed a decreasing sleep problems trajectory. These children scored highly on emotional and behavioural problems and moderately on inhibitory control. With regard to “hot” self‐regulation as a distal variable, 17% of children had very low self‐regulatory abilities and high scores on emotional and behavioural problems yet remained good sleepers at preschool age. Conversely, with regard to “cool” self‐regulation, 14% of children displayed an increasing sleep problems trajectory. They scored high on emotional and behavioural problems at age 4 and obtained the highest scores on “cool” self‐regulation and medium scores on “hot” self‐regulation. To conclude, hot and cool systems of self‐regulation could provide distinct interactional effects with sleep problems throughout early childhood.Highlights The study analyzes mother‐reported sleep problems trajectories from toddlerhood to preschool age and preschoolers' laboratory tested self‐regulation. High cognitive inhibitory control is linked with increasing sleep problems, and low affective inhibitory control is related with medium or decreasing sleep problems in considerable number of children. Parents and clinicians should help young children with high cognitive control and anticipation cope with anxious thoughts, especially before bedtime.

Disrupted brain functional networks in drug-naïve children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder assessed using graph theory analysis.

Neuroimaging studies have revealed functional brain network abnormalities in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but the results have been inconsistent, potentially related to confounding medication effects. Furthermore, specific topological alterations in functional networks and their role in behavioral inhibition dysfunction remain to be established. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed on 51 drug-naïve children with ADHD and 55 age-matched healthy controls. Brain functional networks were constructed by thresholding the partial correlation matrices of 90 brain regions, and graph theory was used to analyze network topological properties. The Stroop test was used to assess cognitive inhibitory abilities. Nonparametric permutation tests were used to compare the topological architectures in the two groups. Compared with healthy subjects, brain networks in ADHD patients demonstrated altered topological characteristics, including lower global (FDR q = 0.01) and local efficiency (p = 0.032, uncorrected) and a longer path length (FDR q = 0.01). Lower nodal efficiencies were found in the left inferior frontal gyrus and anterior cingulate cortex in the ADHD group (FDR both q < 0.05). Altered global and nodal topological efficiencies were associated with the severity of inhibitory cognitive control deficits and hyperactivity symptoms in ADHD (p <0 .05). Alterations in network topologies in drug-naïve ADHD patients indicate weaker small-worldization with decreased segregation and integration of functional brain networks. Deficits in the cingulo-fronto-parietal attention network were associated with inhibitory control deficits.