Poor Inhibitory Control Research Articles

Interparental Conflict and Korean Children's Inhibitory Control: Testing Emotional Insecurity as a Mediator.

This study examined the association between interparental conflict and inhibitory control of Korean children, and it investigated whether this relationship is mediated by the single latent variable of emotional insecurity or by three dimensions of emotional insecurity (i.e., involvement, emotional reactivity, and avoidance). A total of 166 mother–father dyads with Korean children aged 3–5 years participated in a short-term longitudinal survey at two-time points. Both parents completed measures of interparental conflict and emotional insecurity, and, 6 months later, they completed a measure of the inhibitory control of children. The structural equation modeling results suggested that interparental conflict was related to poor inhibitory control in Korean children. Emotional insecurity did not mediate the association between interparental conflict and inhibitory control. Of the three emotional insecurity dimensions, the involvement partially mediated the relationship. Interestingly, although interparental conflict predicted poor inhibitory control, the involvement of children in the conflict, which was associated with a greater interparental conflict, predicted a subsequent increase in inhibitory control 6 months later. These findings were interpreted in terms of sensory processing patterns, the reformulation of emotional security theory, and the influence of Confucianism on Korean culture.

Childhood Maltreatment, Emotional Response Inhibition, and Suicide in Psychiatric Inpatients

Childhood abuse and/or neglect adversely influences development of neurocognitive systems that regulate affect and behavior. Poor inhibitory control over emotional reactions is thus one potential pathway from maltreatment to suicide. Adult psychiatric inpatients completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and an emotional stop-signal task indexing negative emotional action termination (NEAT): the ability to inhibit ongoing motor reactions to aversive stimuli triggered by negative affect. Clinical interviews assessed suicidal thoughts and behaviors during hospitalization (n = 131) and at follow-up assessments 6 months later (n = 87). Our primary aim was to examine whether maltreatment history and NEAT explain overlapping variance in suicidal behaviors (1) retrospectively and (2) 6 months following hospital discharge. Contrary to prediction, childhood maltreatment was unrelated to history of suicidal behaviors. However, NEAT was consistently associated with prior suicidal acts, even controlling for suicidal ideation and demographic covariates. NEAT similarly contributed to the prediction of post-discharge suicidal behaviors, whereas we found no effect of maltreatment history. The present study suggests that NEAT captures suicide risk independently of childhood maltreatment. Results implicated NEAT impairment specifically, rather than broader response inhibition deficits (e.g., to positive stimuli), in past and future suicidal behaviors. These findings provide preliminary support for NEAT as a behavioral vulnerability marker for suicide, with implications for understanding links between maltreatment history and suicidal acts.

The effect of television advertising on soft drink consumption: Individual vulnerabilities in approach bias and inhibitory control

Continual exposure to soft drink cues in the environment is thought to be a major contributor to the rising consumption of soft drinks. This study investigated the effect of one such cue, television advertising, on soft drink choice and intake. Within the context of dual-process models, we examined whether any such effects would be stronger for individuals with an automatic tendency to reach for soft drinks (approach bias) or a difficulty resisting soft drinks (poor inhibitory control). Participants (N = 127; 18–25 years) viewed television advertisements for either soft drinks or control (non-sweetened) beverages. Approach bias and inhibitory control were assessed by soft drink versions of the approach-avoidance and go/no-go tasks, respectively. Participants who had viewed the soft drink advertisements were more likely to choose a soft drink as their first drink than those who had viewed the control advertisements. This effect was stronger for participants with an approach bias for soft drinks. In addition, participants with poorer inhibitory control chose more soft drinks overall following the soft drink advertisements. Although exposure to soft drink advertisements did not affect soft drink intake in the taste test, participants with poorer inhibitory control consumed more of the soft drinks. In line with dual-process models, individuals with strong automatic tendencies or poor self-regulatory control were more responsive to television advertising for soft drinks. At a practical level, these cognitive vulnerabilities provide potential targets for intervention to help resist soft drink cues.

Neural correlates of inhibitory control are associated with stimulant-like effects of alcohol.

Poor inhibitory control and heightened feelings of stimulation after alcohol are two well-established risk factors for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Although these risk factors have traditionally been viewed as orthogonal, recent evidence suggests that the two are related and may share common neurobiological mechanisms. Here we examined the degree to which neural activity during inhibition was associated with subjective reports of stimulation following alcohol. To assess neural changes during inhibition, moderate alcohol drinkers performed a stop signal task during fMRI without drug. To assess subjective responses to alcohol they ingested alcohol (0.8 g/kg) or placebo beverages under double-blind conditions and provided subjective reports of stimulation and sedation. Feelings of stimulation following alcohol were inversely associated with activity in the supplementary motor area, insula, and middle frontal gyrus during inhibition (successful stop trials compared to go trials). Feelings of sedation did not correlate with brain activation. These results extend previous findings suggesting that poor inhibitory control is associated with more positive subjective responses to alcohol. These interrelated risk factors may contribute to susceptibility to future excessive alcohol use, and ultimately lead to neurobiological targets to prevent or treat AUD.

A Dual-Pathway Perspective on Food Choices in Adolescents: The Role of Loss of Control Over Eating.

IntroductionOne in three adolescents frequently consume unhealthy snacks, which is associated with negative developmental outcomes. To date, it remains unclear how intrapersonal factors account for food choices in adolescents. Guided by the dual-pathway model, the current study aimed to: (1) examine the joint contribution of inhibitory control and attentional bias in predicting unhealthy food choices in adolescents, and (2) determine whether this mechanism is more pronounced in adolescents who experience loss of control over eating (LOC).Materials and MethodsA community sample of 80 adolescents (65% female; 10–17 years old, Mage = 13.28, SD = 1.94) was recruited. Based on a self-report questionnaire, 28.7% of this sample reported at least one episode of LOC over the past month. Food choice was assessed using a computerized food choice task. Both inhibitory control and attentional bias were measured with behavioral tasks (go/no-go and dot probe task, respectively). Binary logistic regressions were conducted to address the research questions.ResultsInhibitory control and attentional bias did not significantly interact to predict unhealthy food choices. However, there was a significant three-way interaction between inhibitory control, attentional bias and LOC. For adolescents without LOC, the combination of poor inhibitory control and low attentional bias was significantly associated with unhealthy food choice. Surprisingly, for adolescents with LOC, there was no significant association between unhealthy food choice and inhibitory control or attentional bias.DiscussionDual-pathway processes do not seem to add to the explanation of food choice behavior for adolescents with LOC. For adolescents who do not experience LOC, those with poor inhibitory control combined with low attentional bias might be at particular risk for making unhealthy food choices.

A Review of Cognitive Disorders in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder with Emphasis on Executive Functions and Brain Structures

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is one of the most common childhood neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by levels of attention deficit disorder, irregularity, or hyperactivity/impulsivity. Some research has shown that only a fraction of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and not all of them, suffer from performance-related impairments; but recently it has become clear that all people with this disorder are impaired in executive functions. In other words attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is fundamentally a developmental disorder of executive functions. Poor inhibitory control, continuous attention deficit, problem-solving, and behavioral inhibition are cognitive deficits in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder that they are exhibit in tests related to executive functions. Evidences suggest differences in some executive functions, such as behavioral inhibition between boys and girls. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has its neurobiological basis and most empirical evidence indicates delayed frontal lobe development in children with this disorder. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to review cognitive disorders in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with an emphasis on executive functions.

Top-down and bottom-up attentional biases for smoking-related stimuli: Comparing dependent and non-dependent smokers

IntroductionSubstance use causes attentional biases for substance-related stimuli. Both bottom-up (preferential processing) and top-down (inhibitory control) processes are involved in attentional biases. We explored these aspects of attentional bias by using dependent and non-dependent cigarette smokers in order to see whether these two groups would differ in terms of general inhibitory control, bottom-up attentional bias, and top-down attentional biases. This enables us to see whether consumption behaviour would affect these cognitive responses to smoking-related stimuli. MethodsSmokers were categorised as either dependent (N = 26) or non-dependent (N = 34) smokers. A further group of non-smokers (N = 32) were recruited to act as controls. Participants then completed a behavioural inhibition task with general stimuli, a smoking-related eye tracking version of the dot-probe task, and an eye-tracking inhibition task with smoking-related stimuli. ResultsResults indicated that dependent smokers had decreased inhibition and increased attentional bias for smoking-related stimuli (and not control stimuli). By contrast, a decreased inhibition for smoking-related stimuli (in comparison to control stimuli) was not observed for non-dependent smokers. ConclusionsPreferential processing of substance-related stimuli may indicate usage of a substance, whereas poor inhibitory control for substance-related stimuli may only emerge if dependence develops. The results suggest that how people engage with substance abuse is important for top-down attentional biases.

The relationships between prolonged sedentary time, physical activity, cognitive control, and P3 in adults with overweight and obesity.

To assess the relationships between daily sedentary time (ST), prolonged ST, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and behavioral and neuroelectric indices of cognitive control in adults with overweight and obesity (OW/OB). A cross-sectional design was used. Overall, 89 adults (BMI = 31.9 ± 4.9 kg/m2) provided measures of ST, prolonged ST (i.e., ST accumulated in ≥20 min), and MVPA from a hip-worn accelerometer worn over 7 days. Inhibitory control was measured with a modified Eriksen flanker task and cognitive flexibility with task switching. The amplitude and the latency of the P3 component of event-related potentials during each task were used as measures of attentional resource allocation and information processing speed, respectively. After adjusting for ST and MVPA, prolonged ST was related to greater interference (i.e., a larger decrement in accuracy between congruent and incongruent trials of the flanker task) indicative of a specific relationship between prolonged ST and poorer inhibitory control. Before adjusting for ST, MVPA was related to a smaller Global Switch Cost expressed as larger (more positive) amplitude of the P3 difference wave (mixed-task minus single-task condition of the switch task). Adjustment for ST attenuated this association to non-significance. Our findings suggest that future interventions focused on improving inhibitory control in adults with OW/OB should target restructuring ST in addition to current efforts to increase MVPA.

Inhibitory control and impulsive responses in neurodevelopmental disorders.

The impairment of inhibitory control is often assumed to be the core deficit of several neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by poor impulse control. However, could the same deficit explain different clinical phenotypes? Evidence from behavioural studies is very mixed. This is partly because inhibition is a highly complex executive function. Thus, the different types of tasks that generically tap into inhibitory control are likely to provide different outcomes. Additionally, sample inhomogeneity in terms of age, comorbidity, and medical treatment are confounding factors. Therefore, to make a reliable assessment of the deficit of inhibitory control in a given disorder, the same task and samples with similar characteristics must be employed. This article reviews and discusses studies on five neurodevelopmental disorders with impaired impulse control where these criteria have been used: Tourette syndrome; obsessive-compulsive disorder; attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; primary motor stereotypies; and autism spectrum disorder. Overall, they suggest that the mechanisms underlying the inability to control urges are extremely heterogeneous and cannot be ascribed to a general impairment of inhibition. These findings do not support the hypothesis that inhibitory deficits represent a transdiagnostic feature of neurodevelopmental disorders with poor impulse control. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: The mechanisms underlying the inability to control urges in neurodevelopmental disorders are heterogeneous. Inhibition impairments cannot generally explain all neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by poor urge control.

Increasing collaboration and translation in epidemiology and intervention research.

Epidemiologic research serves as an important foundation for intervention research. In this way, it can contribute to vast improvements in public health. However, to fully capitalize on what is learned through epidemiology, collaborations must ensure the translation of epidemiologic findings into both treatment and prevention interventions. This commentary suggests some ways in which epidemiology can inform intervention research and how intervention research can be backtranslated so that epidemiological studies are designed to better inform intervention design. The commentary does this by using as examples the original contributions in this special section on the intergenerational transmission of cannabis use. These studies identify several ways in which epidemiology can inform intervention and discuss mechanisms of risk transmission from one generation to the next, such as parental monitoring, parent norms around substance use or parenting strategies, poor inhibitory control, or perceptions of harm from substance use. Targeting these mechanisms could be important for effective intervention. The papers further explore factors that might mitigate or amplify the association between parental and offspring use of cannabis, such as active coping or harsh parenting. Finally, to ensure bridging between substance abuse epidemiology and intervention research, this article considers research training practices. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Age-Related Deficits in Binocular Vision Are Associated With Poorer Inhibitory Control in Healthy Older Adults.

A robust association between reduced visual acuity and cognitive function in older adults has been revealed in large population studies. The aim of this work was to assess the relation between stereoacuity, a key aspect of binocular vision, and inhibitory control, an important component of executive functions. Inhibition was tested using the antisaccade task in older adults with normal or reduced stereopsis (study 1), and in young adults with transiently reduced stereopsis (study 2). Older adults with reduced stereopsis made significantly more errors on the antisaccade task in comparison to those with normal stereopsis. Specifically, there was a significant correlation between stereoacuity and antisaccade errors (r = 0.27, p = 0.019). In contrast, there were no significant differences in antisaccade errors between the normal and reduced stereopsis conditions in the young group. Altogether, results suggest that the association between poorer stereopsis and lower inhibitory control in older adults might arise due to central nervous system impairment that affects the processing of binocular disparity and antisaccades. These results add to a growing body of literature, which highlights the interdependence of sensory and cognitive decline in older adults.

Brief Report: Associations Between Cognitive Control Processes and Traits of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Anxiety in Children at Elevated and Typical Familial Likelihood for ASD.

Shared difficulties with cognitive control may play a role in co-occurring mental health problems frequently observed in autistic children. We investigated how different cognitive control processes (inhibitory control, conflict resolution, cognitive flexibility) associated with traits of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety in 7-year-old children at elevated (n = 44) and typical (n = 37) familial likelihood for ASD. Poor inhibitory control was associated with higher ADHD traits. Better inhibitory control and poorer cognitive flexibility predicted higher anxiety traits. Cognitive control processes were not associated dimensionally with autistic traits, though better conflict resolution predicted greater likelihood of meeting diagnostic criteria for ASD in categorical analysis. These findings suggest that different cognitive control alterations are associated with ASD, ADHD and anxiety.

Performance on Daily Life Activities and Executive Functioning in Parkinson Disease

Purpose: This study aimed to know the impact of executive functions on the performance of instrumental activities of daily living in Parkinson disease (PD). Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 94 participants (64 PD and 30 controls). Results: The poor inhibitory control and verbal fluency in PD could be related to their performance on instrumental activities of daily living as poorer executive performance directly influences the motor and process skills needed to perform instrumental activities of daily living. Conclusion: Our results suggest that rehabilitation activities for these executive tasks could be of interest for the performance of PD patients.

Inhibitory control and negative affect in relation to food intake among youth

Negative affect and poor inhibitory control are related to disinhibited eating behaviors in youth and may contribute to the development and/or maintenance of obesity. Although few studies have jointly examined these constructs in youth, it has been theorized that poor inhibitory control may be driven by negative affect. If supported, impaired inhibitory control, driven by negative affect, could represent a modifiable neurocognitive treatment target for disinhibited eating. The current study examined whether inhibitory control mediates the relationship between negative affect and eating among youth. Youth (8–17 years) participated in a Food Go/No-Go neurocognitive task to measure inhibitory control as the percentage of commission errors. A composite negative affect score was created from self-report measures of anxiety and depression. A laboratory buffet meal modeled to simulate disinhibited eating was used to measure total and snack food intake. Cross-sectional mediation models with bias-corrected bootstrap confidence intervals (CI) were conducted using negative affect as the independent variable, inhibitory control as the mediator, and intake patterns as dependent variables. One-hundred-eighty-one youths (13.2 ± 2.7y; 55% female; BMIz 0.6 ± 1.0) were studied. Total Go/No-Go commission errors mediated the relationship between negative affect and total intake (95%CI = [0.3, 31.6]), but not snack intake (95%CI = [-2.5, 7.3]). Commission errors for Food-Go blocks significantly mediated the relationship between negative affect and total intake (95%CI = [7.7, 44.4]), but not snack intake (95%CI = [-3.4, 9.5]). Commission errors on Neutral-Go blocks did not significantly mediate any of these relationships. Negative affect may lead to poorer inhibitory control as well as a stronger approach tendency toward food, increasing the likelihood of engaging in disinhibited eating. Future research should determine if, in combination with approaches to reduce negative affect, improved inhibitory control could help prevent overeating in youths with depressive or anxiety symptoms.

Reduced Activation in the Pallidal-Thalamic-Motor Pathway Is Associated With Deficits in Reward-Modulated Inhibitory Control in Adults With a History of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

BackgroundAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms persist into adulthood and are associated with functional impairments. Neuroimaging studies of reward-modulated inhibitory control can identify potential objective markers of impairment and may deepen our understanding of why probands engage in costly behaviors leading to adverse outcomes. The study aimed to identify reward-modulated inhibitory control neural circuitries, their association with ADHD symptoms, and real-world implications of a decreased capacity to engage in reward-modulated inhibitory control. MethodsA total of 106 adults (90% male) with rigorous childhood diagnoses of ADHD were scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging during the Monetary Incentive Go/NoGo task. Adulthood symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity based on self- and informant report were assessed. The number of lifetime attempts taken to quit smoking were also assessed as an exemplar real-world outcome. ResultsHyperactivity/impulsivity was negatively associated with activation in the pallidum and primary motor cortex when inhibiting a previously rewarded Go stimulus that yielded a small immediate reward in order to obtain a larger reward later on. Reduced recruitment of the pallidal-thalamic-motor circuit mediated the negative association between hyperactivity/impulsivity and reward-modulated inhibitory control accuracy. Reduced pallidum activation, in response to reward-modulated inhibitory control, was also associated with more attempts made to successfully quit smoking. ConclusionsProbands with persistent hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms have alterations in brain regions that calculate the value of inhibiting an action that yields an immediate reward in order to obtain delayed larger rewards. This deficit results in poor inhibitory control on basic tasks and during real-world behaviors that rely on similar processes.

Indiscriminate friendliness in foster children: Associations with attachment security, foster parents’ sensitivity, and child inhibitory control

Indiscriminate friendliness (IF) is atypical behavior often seen in postinstitutionalized and foster children. The current exploratory study examined the associations of children’s attachment security, parental sensitivity, and child inhibitory control with reported and observed IF in 60 family-reared, never-institutionalized foster children. IF was measured with a parent-report questionnaire (Indiscriminate Friendliness Questionnaire) and an observational measure (adapted version of the Stranger at the Door procedure; Bucharest Early Intervention Project). Attachment security and inhibitory control were related to reported IF (i.e., a secure attachment and poor inhibitory control were associated with higher levels of IF), but parental sensitivity was not. No associations were found between observed IF and attachment security, parental sensitivity, or inhibitory control. Thus, foster children with a secure attachment relationship may be more prone to socially interact with others including strangers, whereas better inhibitory control may serve as a buffer against IF but these results were found for reported IF only. More research is needed to gain more knowledge about different measures, other possible correlates, and underlying mechanisms of IF.

Aggressive behavior during toddlerhood: Interrelated effects of prenatal risk factors, negative affect, and cognition

ABSTRACT Prenatal risk, temperamental negative affect, and specific cognitive abilities have all individually been identified as predictors of behavior problems during early childhood, but less is known about their interplay in relation to aggression during toddlerhood. This study examined the main and interaction effects of prenatal risk, negative affect, inhibitory control, attention, and vocabulary in the prediction of aggression in 150 children (75 boys). During pregnancy, a cumulative risk index was calculated based on the presence of 10 well-established maternal risk factors, such as prenatal substance use, maternal psychiatric disorder, and financial problems. Negative affect was measured at 6 and 20 months using maternal report. Child cognition was examined at 30 months using laboratory tasks for inhibitory control and attention, and a questionnaire was administered to assess vocabulary. In addition, mothers reported on their children’s aggressive behavior at 30 months. Higher prenatal risk and negative affect at 20 months and, to a lesser extent, at 6 months were related to more aggression at 30 months. Poorer inhibitory control and, to a lesser extent, vocabulary at 30 months also predicted higher levels of aggressive behavior. Two-way interaction effects were found for cumulative risk and inhibitory control, negative affect (at 20 months) and inhibitory control, and negative affect (at 6 months) and vocabulary: aggressive behavior was most pronounced when combinations of high prenatal risk, high negative affect, and poor cognition were present. These results suggest that the impact of prenatal risk and child temperament depends in part on child’s cognitive development during toddlerhood.

Media multitasking as an avoidance coping strategy against emotionally negative stimuli

ABSTRACT Background and Objectives: Emotion regulation refers to the way individuals manage and regulate their own emotions in response to negative emotional experiences. This study investigated whether media multitasking serves as an avoidance coping strategy for managing emotionally stressful events. Design and Methods: Using a correlational design, 140 participants completed self-report measures of media multitasking and emotion regulation, and cognitive measures assessing attentional bias for emotionally negative stimuli. Results: Media multitasking was associated with difficulties in accepting emotional responses for participants who showed an attentional bias away from anxiety words, and for participants with poorer inhibitory control over such words. Further, there was a strong association between media multitasking and reduced interference from anxiety words for participants with stronger inhibitory control over such words in the emotional Stroop task. Conclusions: Results support the idea that media multitasking is linked to difficulty dealing with emotionally negative stimuli and serves as an avoidance coping strategy where one deliberately directs attention away from negative stimuli to prevent their further processing. The findings have real-life implications for managing anxiety and depression, as media multitasking may be used as a maladaptive coping strategy that further increases these negative moods.

Adolescent development of inhibitory control and substance use vulnerability: A longitudinal neuroimaging study

Previous research indicates that risk for substance use is associated with poor inhibitory control. However, it remains unclear whether at-risk youth follow divergent patterns of inhibitory control development. As part of the longitudinal National Consortium on Adolescent Neurodevelopment and Alcohol study, participants (N = 113, baseline age: 12–21) completed a rewarded antisaccade task during fMRI, with up to three time points. We examined whether substance use risk factors, including psychopathology (externalizing, internalizing) and family history of substance use disorder, were associated with developmental differences in inhibitory control performance and BOLD activation. Among the examined substance use risk factors, only externalizing psychopathology exhibited developmental differences in inhibitory control performance, where higher scores were associated with lower correct response rates (p = .013) and shorter latencies (p < .001) in early adolescence that normalized by late adolescence. Neuroimaging results revealed higher externalizing scores were associated with developmentally-stable hypo-activation in the left middle frontal gyrus (p < .05 corrected), but divergent developmental patterns of posterior parietal cortex activation (p < .05 corrected). These findings suggest that early adolescence may be a unique period of substance use vulnerability via cognitive and phenotypic disinhibition.

Poor inhibitory control is associated with greater stimulation and less sedation following alcohol.

Poor inhibitory control is a well-established risk factor for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Similarly, greater sensitivity to the stimulant effects and less sensitivity to the sedative effects of alcohol are also strongly linked to risk for AUD. Traditionally, these two risk factors have been considered to be orthogonal, and thus they have been studied independently. However, recent evidence from animal and human studies suggests that they may be related. The current study examined the relationship between inhibitory control and subjective responses to alcohol in a sample of healthy young adults. Moderate social drinkers (N = 69) first completed the stop signal task to assess inhibitory control. They then participated in four sessions in which they received an oral dose of ethanol (0.8g/kg) or placebo in alternating order, providing self-report measures of stimulation and sedation on the Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale (BAES) at regular intervals. Linear mixed effects models showed that poor inhibitory control was associated with greater stimulation and less sedation following alcohol compared with placebo. These findings provide the first direct evidence that individuals with poor inhibitory control experience greater sensitivity to the rewarding, stimulant effects of alcohol, and less sensitivity to the negative, sedative effects. These findings suggest that inhibition and subjective response to alcohol are not independent risk factors, and that together they constitute a heightened profile of risk for AUD.