Momentary Fluctuations Research Articles

An event-contingent method to track disfluency effects on the relationship and the self.

BackgroundTheoretically, reductions of self‐esteem among people who stutter (PWS) are often explained by individual negative cognitions or emotions of the PWS or their conversation partners. We propose that the flow of a conversation can be seen as a representation of the relationship between speakers, and that by disrupting this flow, a stutter may directly threaten this relationship, and in turn affect self‐esteem. Methodologically, we present a new, event‐contingent, method that assesses fluctuations in self‐esteem over time and thereby allows one to assess the predictive value of specific conversational experiences.AimsTo have both a theoretical and a methodological contribution on conversational disfluency.Methods & ProceduresOur focus is not on stable individual factors, but we expect that fluctuations within the flow of everyday conversations predict changes in self‐esteem. We studied these fluctuations with an experience sampling method which prompted participants to answer a brief survey after each of 10 conversations in a 2‐week period. Self‐identified PWS (n = 58) and people who do not stutter (PWNS; n = 53) reported on their individual negative cognitions and emotions and experienced relational quality and state self‐esteem in more than 1000 conversations. By assessing fluctuations in self‐esteem over time, this method allows one to assess the predictive value of specific conversational experiences.Outcomes & ResultsCorrelational evidence demonstrates that flow disruptions are associated with temporary reductions in self‐esteem. This association is mediated by increased individual negative cognitions and emotions, as well as threatened social relationships. This appeared to be true for both PWS and PWNS, although PWS experienced on average less conversational flow and lower state self‐esteem. On average, PWS did not experience lower relational quality than PWNS.Conclusions & ImplicationsAn event‐contingent recording method is a useful way to assess momentary fluctuations in self‐esteem. Findings are consistent with the notion that people monitor their relationship by attending to fluctuations in conversational flow; whereas a smooth conversational flow indicates a strong relationship, disruptions of flow (e.g., as caused by a stutter or other factors) signal a threat to the relationship.What this paper addsWhat is already known on the subject Even though adverse effects of stuttering on the experience of self‐esteem have been reported, the evidence for this relation is equivocal. Because the evidence is mixed, it becomes interesting to examine the processes that provide insight in how stuttering may affect self‐esteem. Theoretically, reductions of self‐esteem among PWS are often explained by individual negative cognitions or emotions of the PWS or their conversation partners. Methodologically, studies examine this relation by single self‐report measures, or by laboratory studies. What this paper adds to existing knowledge Our theoretical model shows that the flow of a conversation can be seen as a representation of the relationship between speakers, and that by disrupting this flow, a stutter directly threatens this relationship, and in turn, affects self‐esteem. Methodologically, we present a new, event‐contingent, method that assesses fluctuations in self‐esteem over time and thereby allows one to assess the predictive value of specific conversational experiences. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Going beyond the study of stable individual cognitions and emotions of PWS and listeners, our findings show that a close examination of between‐conversation fluctuations in flow can teach us about the day‐to‐day reality of people living with speech disorders, and the way they develop relationships and self‐esteem.

Automaticity and depression: Daily mood-reactive rumination in people with and without depression history.

Depressive rumination has been conceptualized as a mental habit that is initiated automatically without conscious awareness, intent, or control in response to negative mood. However, it is unknown whether depression vulnerability is characterized by elevated levels of mood-reactive rumination at the level of short-term dynamics. Using mobile ecological momentary assessment, formerly depressed individuals with a recurrent history of depression (n = 94) and nonclinical controls (n = 55) recorded in-the-moment affect and rumination 10 times daily over 6 days, after completing baseline measures of trait ruminative brooding, early life stress, and habitual characteristics of negative thinking (e.g., automaticity, lack of conscious awareness, intent, and control). Momentary fluctuations in negative affect were prospectively associated with greater rumination at the next sampling occasion in formerly depressed participants whereas this pattern of mood-reactive rumination was not observed in nonclinical controls. In formerly depressed participants, habitual characteristics of negative thinking was associated with greater mood-reactivity of rumination, particularly among those with a history of early life stress. Mood-reactive rumination was not, however, associated with depression course nor with the frequency of trait ruminative brooding. Rumination may be triggered in response to negative affect with a high degree of automaticity, making it difficult to control. Greater mood-reactivity of rumination might be associated with increased depression risk, independent of the depressive course and may be exacerbated by early life stress. Future studies may need to go beyond frequency and focus on the role of mood-reactivity and automaticity of ruminative thinking in depression vulnerability. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Adaptive Text Messaging for Postpartum Risky Drinking: Conceptual Model and Protocol for an Ecological Momentary Assessment Study.

BackgroundRisky drinking is prevalent among women of childbearing age. Although many women reduce their drinking during pregnancy, more than half return to prepregnancy levels during the early postpartum period. Risky drinking in new mothers may be associated with negative child and maternal health outcomes; however, new mothers are unlikely to seek treatment for risky drinking because of stigma and fear of child protective service involvement. SMS text messaging is a promising approach for reaching non–treatment-seeking new mothers at risk because of risky drinking. SMS text messaging interventions (TMIs) are empirically supported for alcohol use, but a tailored intervention for new mothers does not exist. This study aims to fill this gap by developing a just-in-time adaptive TMI for postpartum risky drinking.ObjectiveThe objectives of this paper are to present a preliminary conceptual model of postpartum risky drinking and describe the protocol for conducting an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study with new mothers to inform the refinement of the conceptual model and development of the TMI.MethodsThis paper presents a preliminary conceptual model of postpartum risky drinking based on the motivational model of alcohol use, social cognitive theory, and temporal self-regulation theory. The model proposes three primary intervention targets: motivation, self-efficacy, and self-regulation. Theoretical and empirical literature in support of the conceptual model is described. The paper also describes procedures for a study that will collect EMA data from 30 participants recruited via social media and the perinatal Central Intake system of New Jersey. Following the baseline assessment, EMA surveys will be sent 5 times per day for 14 days. The assessment instruments and data analysis procedures are described.ResultsRecruitment is scheduled to begin in January 2022 and is anticipated to conclude in March 2022. Study results are estimated to be published in July 2022.ConclusionsThe study findings will enhance our understanding of daily and momentary fluctuations in risk and protective factors for risky drinking during the early postpartum period. The findings will be used to refine the conceptual model and inform the development of the TMI. The next steps for this work include the development of intervention components via an iterative participatory design process and testing of the resulting intervention in a pilot microrandomized trial.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/36849

Sistem Auto Resume Pada 3D Printer

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology has progressed rapidly and is very popular in the manufacturing industry. 3D printing is a tool that can print three-dimensional objects from a three-dimensional design that has volume. Sudden power outages or momentary fluctuations in power supply (flicker) are a serious problem when 3D printing is in operation, so one cannot know where and how to restart it when the power goes out for a moment. Mini UPS is a mini-sized UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) that functions as temporary electrical power to continue the performance process of a device. In this research, we will discuss the use of a mini UPS for the Auto Resume system on a 3D Printer so that it can continue the printing process without having to restart when the power goes out for a moment.

Contributions of Parasympathetic Arousal–Related Activity to Cognitive Performance in Patients With First-Episode Psychosis and Control Subjects

BackgroundCognitive impairment is integral to the pathophysiology of psychosis. Recent findings implicate autonomic arousal–related activity in both momentary fluctuations and individual differences in cognitive performance. Although altered autonomic arousal is common in patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP), its contribution to cognitive performance is unknown. MethodsA total of 24 patients with FEP (46% male, age = 24.31 [SD 4.27] years) and 24 control subjects (42% male, age = 27.06 [3.44] years) performed the Multi-Source Interference Task in-scanner with simultaneous pulse oximetry. First-level models included the cardiac-blood oxygen level–dependent regressor, in addition to task (congruent, interference, and error) and nuisance (motion and CompCor physiology) regressors. The cardiac-blood oxygen level–dependent regressor reflected parasympathetic arousal–related activity and was created by convolving the interbeat interval at each heartbeat with the hemodynamic response function. Group models examined the effect of group or cognitive performance (reaction times × error rate) on arousal-related and task activity, while controlling for sex, age, and framewise displacement. ResultsParasympathetic arousal–related activity was robust in both groups but localized to different regions for patients with FEP and healthy control subjects. Within both groups, arousal-related activity was significantly associated with cognitive performance across occipital and temporal cortical regions. Greater arousal-related activity in the bilateral prefrontal cortex (Brodmann area 9) was related to better performance in healthy control subjects but not patients with FEP. ConclusionsAutonomic arousal circuits contribute to cognitive performance and the pathophysiology of FEP. Arousal-related functional activity is a novel indicator of cognitive ability and should be incorporated into neurobiological models of cognition in psychosis.

Watching the world from my screen: A longitudinal evaluation of the influence of a problematic use of the internet on depressive symptomatology

Previous research has found a consistent association between depressive symptomatology and a problematic use of the Internet, however, the causal pathways responsible for this association are not well known. Following emotion regulation theory, the present study aimed to explore the longitudinal dynamics between using the Internet to distract oneself, difficulties controlling Internet use, and depressive symptoms. A sample of 163 adults from Chile completed intensive self-reports about Internet use and depressive symptoms over 35 days. Using growth curve models, we predicted depressive symptoms both by a person's average tendency (between-subjects) to use the internet for distraction and having problems controlling internet use, and by momentary fluctuations (within-subjects). We also tested a model with reversed paths.Results indicate that momentary increases in distraction are not associated with depressive symptoms, however, increases in the latter were associated with more distraction. The relationship between distraction and depressive symptoms was mediated by difficulties controlling internet use, but only at the between-subjects level. This suggests that a higher average tendency to use the internet to distract oneself may work as an emotional buffer, with negative emotional consequences in the long run, an effect that takes time to completely unfold. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Testing Whether Suicide Capability Has a Dynamic Propensity: The Role of Affect and Arousal on Momentary Fluctuations in Suicide Capability.

To prevent suicidal behaviors, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms and processes that enable an individual to act on suicidal thoughts. Suicide capability, which involves an increased pain tolerance and fearlessness of death, is a critical factor that enables an individual to endure the physical pain necessary to make a lethal suicide attempt. Extant research has largely conceptualized suicide capability as developing linearly in response to painful and provocative experiences, but the emerging literature on the temporal dynamics of suicide has been challenging the notion of linearity in suicide risk. Few studies have directly measured and compared changes in suicide capability in response to rumination on different affective states. We sought to experimentally test if rumination in the context of low vs. high arousal emotions will prompt distinct changes in two core components of suicide capability: pain tolerance and fearlessness of death on two undergraduate student samples. In both studies, participants provided measures of subjective emotional state as well as pain threshold, tolerance, and persistence before and after completing experimental manipulations which included both emotion and rumination induction procedures. In the second study, measures of fearlessness about death and physiological arousal (heart rate) were added to the experimental procedures. We found significant decreases in pain threshold, tolerance, and persistence following the experimental manipulations but found no main effects of rumination or suicide risk. These findings suggest that suicide capability can fluctuate but these changes may occur through a different mechanism and/or differ between individuals at varying levels of suicide risk.

Do daily mood fluctuations activate ruminative thoughts as a mental habit? Results from an ecological momentary assessment study

It has been suggested that mental habits may underpin a heightened disposition to engage in rumination in response to negative mood. The aim of the current study was to assess the role of habit in the dynamic interplay between affect and ruminative thinking in the flow of daily life experiences. Using mobile ecological momentary assessment, 97 participants recorded affect and rumination ten times daily over six days, after completing measures of trait ruminative brooding and habitual characteristics of negative thinking (e.g. automaticity, lack of conscious awareness, intent and control). Momentary fluctuations in negative (increased) and positive (decreased) affect was prospectively associated with greater rumination-levels at the next sampling occasion. The degree to which affect triggered a subsequent ruminative response was moderated by habitual characteristics of negative thinking in a theoretically consistent way. Stronger temporal pairing of negative affect and rumination was also associated with greater emotional inertia but less carry-over of rumination from one moment to the next. Depression vulnerability may be in the form of rumination being habitually triggered in response to momentary fluctuations in affect, with deleterious effect on mood. The findings may have clinical implications, as targeting the habitual nature of rumination might help reduce depression vulnerability.

Social Elements of Agri-Expo Strategies Because of Momentary Fluctuation in Key Family and Network Prosperity Measures in Bangladesh and Pakistan

High-return social information accumulation can encourage improved review, progressively comprehensive detailing, and improved inconstancy catch over a period. In spite of the fact that there are instances of little investigations that catch explicit high recurrence factors in the sociology writing, there is so far no noteworthy exertion to gather a wide scope of high recurrence factors. We tried our first such endeavors with a deliberately fluctuating cell phone-based information accumulation approach the return of the investigation task and the update time frame, which enables one to dissect the general advantage of high recurrence information gathering for different key factors in family unit overviews. This overview of 482 ranchers from northwesterly Bangladesh for roughly 1 year of persistent information on key examination for family unit and network prosperity can be especially valuable in planning and assessing improvement intercessions and strategies. While the information talked about here give a concise review of what is conceivable, we likewise stress their capacity to give interdisciplinary research in family unit agribusiness, rehearses, regular yearning, and so forth., in a low-salary rural society.

Uninterruptible Power Supply Improves Precision of Telomere Length Measurement via qPCR

Epidemiological literature has produced robust associations between telomere length (TL) and health, wherein individuals with shorter TL are at increased risk for chronic disease and death. Even so, technical challenges associated with TL measurement have led some to question their utility as a biomarker of aging. Several pre-analytical factors influence TL assessment via qPCR including tissue source, sample storage, and DNA extraction method. Additional work has investigated how conditions within the PCR run (e.g. mastermix reagents) influences precision and reproducibility of TL measurements. However, the impact of power supply remains unclear. Momentary fluctuations in power supply can affect the functioning of high-performance electronics, including real-time thermocylers. These fluctuations can be mitigated by using an uninterruptible power source (UPS), an electronic apparatus capable of supplying constant, uninterrupted voltage to high-performance electronics. The current study investigated how using a UPS influenced TL assessment via qPCR. Standard deviation and coefficient of variation across replicates were compared for samples assessed with or without the use of a UPS. Samples run with a UPS had significantly lower standard deviation (p<0.001) and coefficient of variation (p=0.002) than those run without a UPS. Notably, neither the efficiency of exponential amplification (p=0.674) nor the standard curve R2 (p=0.638) varied as a function of UPS status. Thus, UPS status decreases variability within sample replicates while maintaining the overall quality of the qPCR assay. *The work presented was supported by the Telomere Research Network, an NIH-sponsored working-group recently established to coordinate best practices for measuring telomere length in population-based research.

The Resting Brain Sets Support-Giving in Motion: Dorsomedial Prefrontal Cortex Activity During Momentary Rest Primes Supportive Responding.

Humans give support, care, and assistance to others on a daily basis. However, the brain mechanisms that set such supportive behavior in motion are unknown. Based on previous findings demonstrating that activity in a portion of the brain’s default network—the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC)—during brief rest primes social thinking and behavior, momentary fluctuations in this brain region at rest may prime supportive responding. To test this hypothesis, 26 participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while they alternated between deciding whether to give support to a close other in financial need, receive support for themselves, and make arbitrary decisions unrelated to support. Decisions were interleaved with brief periods of rest. Results showed that, within participants, spontaneous activity in the DMPFC during momentary periods of rest primed supportive-responding: greater activity in this region at the onset of a brief period of rest predicted, on a trial-by-trial basis, faster decisions to give support to the close other. Thus, activating the DMPFC as soon as our minds are free from external demands to attention may help individuals “default” to support-giving. Implications for understanding the prosocial functions of the resting brain are discussed.

Exploring daily mediating pathways of religious identity in the associations between maternal religious socialization and Muslim American adolescents' civic engagement.

Despite its implications for positive youth development, factors and processes that promote civic engagement are critically understudied, particularly among Muslim American adolescents for whom opportunities for civic engagement could be hindered by Islamophobia and hate crimes. Prior work has proposed that parents can strengthen adolescents' group belonging and motivate their civic engagement, but this mediating link has not been empirically tested. Moreover, parents' religious socialization and adolescents' religious identity remain understudied, especially with respect to possible daily fluctuations. We used experience sampling methods to: (a) explore momentary fluctuations and temporal relations between two dimensions of Muslim American adolescents' religious identity (i.e., private regard and centrality) over the course of 14 days (Phase 2), and (b) examine if Muslim American adolescents' momentary religious identity (Phase 2) mediated associations between their stable perceptions of maternal religious socialization (Phase 1) and subsequent civic engagement (Phase 3). Dynamic structural equation modeling revealed positive autoregressive and cross-lagged relations between religious private regard and centrality. Moreover, adolescents' momentary religious identities differentially mediated the associations between maternal religious socialization and civic attitudes and behaviors, suggesting specificity in these developmental processes. Our findings have important implications for programs and policies to support the self-empowerment and positive development of Muslim American adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Mood and Stress Evaluation of Adult Patients With Moyamoya Disease in Korea: Ecological Momentary Assessment Method Using a Mobile Phone App.

BackgroundMoyamoya disease (MMD) is a known progressive obstructive cerebrovascular disorder. Monitoring and managing mood and stress are critical for patients with MMD, as they affect clinical outcomes. The ecological momentary assessment (EMA) method is a longitudinal study design by which multiple variable assessments can be performed over time to detect momentary fluctuations and changes in psychological dimensions such as mood and stress over time.ObjectiveThis study aimed to identify predicting factors associated with momentary mood and stress at both the within-person and between-person levels and to examine individual fluctuation of mood over time in the short term using an EMA method combined with a mobile phone app.MethodsParticipants aged older than 18 years were recruited from a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea, between July 2018 and January 2019. The PsyMate scale for negative affect (NA) and positive affect (PA) and the Trier Inventory for Chronic Stress Scale were uploaded on patient mobile phones. Using a mobile app, data were collected four times a day for 7 days. Pearson correlations and mixed modeling were used to predict relationships between repeatedly measured variables at both the between-person and within-person levels.ResultsThe mean age of the 93 participants was 40.59 (SD 10.06) years, 66 (71%) were female, and 71 (76%) were married. Participants provided 1929 responses out of a possible 2604 responses (1929/2604, 74.08%). The mean momentary NA and PA values were 2.15 (SD 1.12) and 4.70 (SD 1.31) out of 7, respectively. The momentary stress value was 2.03 (SD 0.98) out of 5. Momentary NA, PA, and stress were correlated (P<.001) and varied over time in relation to momentary variables. Common momentary variables associated with momentary mood and stress at both the within-person (level 1) and between-person (level 2) levels were identified. Momentary NA increased when being alone and being at the hospital at both levels, whereas momentary PA increased when eating or drinking, resting, being at a café, restaurant or a public place but decreased when being alone at both levels. Momentary stress increased when being at the office, at a public place, or as the time of the day went by but decreased when resting or during the weekend. Different factors affecting mood and stress at different levels were identified. Fluctuations in individual momentary mood over time at the within-person level were captured.ConclusionsThe EMA method using a mobile phone app demonstrated its ability to capture changes in mood and stress in various environmental contexts in patients with MMD. The results could provide baseline information for developing interventions to manage negative mood and stress of patients with MMD based on the identified predictors affecting mood and stress at two different levels.

Attention and cardiac phase boost judgments of trust

Fluctuations in mental and bodily states have both been shown to be associated with negative affective experience. Here we examined how momentary fluctuations in attentional and cardiac states combine to regulate the perception of positive social value. Faces varying in trustworthiness were presented during a go/no-go letter target discrimination task synchronized with systolic or diastolic cardiac phase. Go trials lead to an attentional boosting of perceived trust on high trust and ambiguous neutral faces, suggesting attention both boosted existing and generated positive social value. Cardiac phase during face presentation interacted with attentional boosting of trust, enhancing high trust faces specifically during relaxed diastolic cardiac states. Confidence judgments revealed that attentional trust boosting, and its cardiac modulation, did not reflect altered perceptual or response fluency. These results provide evidence for how moment-to moment fluctuations in top-down mental and bottom-up bodily inputs combine to enhance a priori and generate de novo positive social value.

A mother's bond: An ecological momentary assessment study of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and substance craving during pregnancy.

Pregnant women with substance use disorder (SUD) comprise an underserved population with complex treatment needs, including complications from trauma histories and comorbid psychological disorders. Using ecological momentary assessment, we examined momentary fluctuations in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, prenatal bonding, and substance craving, among pregnant women in SUD treatment who had a history of trauma. We hypothesized that (a) PTSD symptoms and prenatal bonding would each be associated with substance craving and (b) PTSD symptoms would be negatively associated with prenatal bonding, and this would at least partially account for the association between PTSD symptoms and substance craving (i.e., indirect effect). Participants (n = 32) were on average 27.1 weeks pregnant (SD = 5.27), 27.8 years old (SD = 4.54), and predominantly Hispanic/Latina (66%). At the within subjects level, higher momentary ratings of PTSD symptoms were associated with lower quality (but not intensity of preoccupation) of prenatal bonding, which in turn was associated with greater craving. Lower quality of prenatal bonding partially mediated the positive association between PTSD symptoms and craving, which remained strong after accounting for prenatal bonding. Our results provide some preliminary support for considering interventions aimed at stabilizing or decreasing PTSD symptoms and stabilizing or increasing prenatal bonding to reduce substance craving and, thus, the risk of perinatal substance use among women with SUD and trauma histories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

The momentary interplay of affect, attention bias, and expectancies as predictors of binge eating in the natural environment.

Affect regulation, eating expectancies, and attention toward food-related cues are interrelated constructs that have been implicated in the maintenance of binge eating. While these processes show considerable temporal variability, the momentary associations between these domains have not been elucidated. This study examined a model that posited momentary fluctuations in affect, eating expectancies, and attention bias (AB) would interact to predict subsequent binge eating. Forty women who endorsed recurrent binge eating completed a 10-day ecological momentary assessment protocol with ambulatory measures of AB (i.e., dot-probe task with palatable food and neutral cues) and self-report assessments of positive and negative affect, eating expectancies (i.e., the belief that eating would improve one's mood), and binge-eating symptoms. Generalized linear mixed models indicated higher momentary AB toward palatable food was associated with increased risk of subsequent binge eating, and a two-way interaction showed that moments of higher eating expectancies and negative affect were associated with increased likelihood of subsequent binge eating. Also, a three-way interaction emerged, in that the association between eating expectancies and subsequent binge eating was strongest at lower levels of positive affect and higher AB. Together, findings partially supported hypotheses and demonstrate meaningful within-person fluctuations in AB that precede binge eating. Further, results demonstrate that the momentary influence of eating expectancies on binge eating depends on both affective state and attentional processes.

Treating destructive behavior reinforced by increased caregiver compliance with the participant's mands.

Functional analyses sometimes do not identify momentary fluctuations in the function of destructive behavior (Bowman, Fisher, Thompson, & Piazza, 1997). In such cases, individuals may mand for the reinforcer that is currently most preferred and display destructive behavior if that mand goes unreinforced. In this study, we conducted a mand analysis to test whether destructive behavior functioned as a precurrent response that increased reinforcement for the participant's mands. We then evaluated a treatment that matched this function of destructive behavior by providing differential or time-based reinforcement of participant mands in accordance with multiple or chained schedules with reinforcement-schedule thinning. Decreases in destructive behavior averaged 97.4% across cases. We discuss these results relative to the importance of matching treatments for destructive behavior to operant functions for both traditional and idiosyncratic functions of destructive behavior.

Uninterruptible Power Supply Improves Precision and External Validity of Telomere Length Measurement via qPCR.

Technical challenges associated with telomere length (TL) measurements have prompted concerns regarding their utility as a biomarker of aging. Several factors influence TL assessment via qPCR, the most common measurement method in epidemiological studies, including storage conditions and DNA extraction method. Here, we tested the impact of power supply during the qPCR assay. Momentary fluctuations in power can affect the functioning of high-performance electronics, including real-time thermocyclers. We investigated if mitigating these fluctuations by using an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) influenced TL assessment via qPCR. Samples run with a UPS had significantly lower standard deviation (p < 0.001) and coefficient of variation (p < 0.001) across technical replicates than those run without a UPS. UPS usage also improved exponential amplification efficiency at the replicate, sample, and plate levels. Together these improvements translated to increased performance across metrics of external validity including correlation with age, within-person correlation across tissues, and correlation between parents and offspring.

Momentary fluctuations in impulsivity domains: Associations with a history of childhood ADHD, heavy alcohol use, and alcohol problems

BackgroundThe current study examined if fluctuation in in-the-moment impulsivity was more pronounced for adults with, versus without, a childhood history of ADHD and if ADHD group moderated the association between fluctuation in impulsivity and alcohol use behaviors. MethodsTwo hundred and eleven adult drinkers (52% ADHD) completed a 10-day, 6 times/day, momentary assessment of state impulsivity. Self-reported trait impulsivity, alcohol problems, and frequency of 5+ drinks in the past 12 months were also assessed. ResultsThe ADHD group had more variability in three domains of state impulsivity (negative urgency, positive urgency, sensation seeking) compared to the nonADHD group. After including global trait impulsivity, the ADHD and nonADHD groups only differed on state sensation seeking. Fluctuation in two domains of state impulsivity were related to frequency of 5+ drinks (lack of planning: ADHD RR = 3.60, p < 0.001, nonADHD RR=0.90, p = 0.81; negative urgency: ADHD RR=4.32, p = 0.01, nonADHD RR=0.49, p = 0.24) and number of different alcohol problems (lack of planning: ADHD RR=4.87, p < 0.001, nonADHD RR=0.58, p = 0.29; negative urgency: ADHD RR=4.96, p = 0.01, nonADHD RR=0.24, p = 0.04) for participants with a history of ADHD but were not related (or related to fewer problems) for those without childhood ADHD. Higher variability in positive urgency was related to more alcohol problems for the participants with childhood ADHD but not the nonADHD participants (ADHD RR=3.00, p = 0.03, nonADHD RR=0.50, p = 0.25). ConclusionsFindings highlight the importance of assessing fluctuation in several domains of impulsivity and may elucidate important treatment targets for alcohol problems for adults with ADHD histories.

The wandering mind oscillates: EEG alpha power is enhanced during moments of mind-wandering.

What is your brain doing while your mind is wandering? This study used a within-subjects experience-sampling design to test whether episodes of mind-wandering during a demanding cognitive task are associated with increases in EEG alpha power. Alpha refers to cyclic oscillations in EEG activity at 8-12 Hz, and has been previously correlated with internally rather than externally directed cognition. Participants completed a speeded performance task with more than 800 trials while EEG was recorded. Intermittent experience-sampling probes asked participants to indicate whether their mind was wandering or on-task. Participants reported mind-wandering in response to approximately half of the probes. EEG alpha power was significantly higher preceding probes to which participants reported mind-wandering, compared with probes to which participants reported being on task. These findings imply that dynamic changes in alpha power may prove a valuable tool in studying momentary fluctuations in mind-wandering.