scholarly journals Decision making: effects of methylphenidate on temporal discounting in nonhuman primates

2015 ◽  
Vol 114 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail Z. Rajala ◽  
Rick L. Jenison ◽  
Luis C. Populin
Keyword(s):  
Intertemporal Choice ◽  
Dopaminergic System ◽  
Temporal Discounting ◽  
Primary Treatment ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Low Doses ◽  
Impulsive Behavior ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Delayed Reward

Decisions are often made based on which option will result in the largest reward. When given a choice between a smaller but immediate reward and a larger delayed reward, however, humans and animals often choose the smaller, an effect known as temporal discounting. Dopamine (DA) neurotransmission is central to reward processing and encodes delayed reward value. Impulsivity, the tendency to act without forethought, is associated with excessive discounting of rewards, which has been documented in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Both impulsivity and temporal discounting are linked to the dopaminergic system. Methylphenidate (MPH), which blocks the DA transporter and increases extracellular levels of DA in the basal ganglia and prefrontal cortex, is a primary treatment for ADHD and, at low doses, ameliorates impulsivity in both humans and animals. This study tested the hypothesis that low doses of MPH would decrease the discounting rate of rhesus monkeys performing an intertemporal choice task, suggesting a reduction in impulsivity. The results support this hypothesis and provide further evidence for the role of DA in temporal discounting and impulsive behavior.

scholarly journals Increased Capacity to Delay Reward in Anorexia Nervosa

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 773-780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna E. Steinglass ◽  
Bernd Figner ◽  
Staci Berkowitz ◽  
H. Blair Simpson ◽  
Elke U. Weber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Food Restriction ◽  
Intertemporal Choice ◽  
Temporal Discounting ◽  
Choice Task ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Neuropsychological Characteristics ◽  
Secondary Analyses

AbstractIndividuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) are often characterized as possessing excessive self-control and are unusual in their ability to reduce or avoid the consumption of palatable foods. This behavior promotes potentially life-threatening weight loss and suggests disturbances in reward processing. We studied whether individuals with AN showed evidence of increased self-control by examining the tendency to delay receipt of a monetary, non-food related, reward. Underweight AN (n = 36) and healthy controls (HC, n = 28) completed a monetary intertemporal choice task measuring delay discounting factor. Individuals with AN reduced the value of a monetary reward over time significantly less than HC (F[1,61] = 5.03; p = 0.029). Secondary analyses indicated that the restricting subtype of AN, in particular, showed significantly less discounting than HC (F[1,46] = 8.3; p = 0.006). These findings indicate that some individuals with AN show less temporal discounting than HC, suggestive of enhanced self-control that is not limited to food consumption. This is in contrast to other psychiatric disorders, for example, substance abuse, which are characterized by greater discounting. Though preliminary, these findings suggest that excessive self-control may contribute to pathological processes and individuals with AN may have neuropsychological characteristics that enhance their ability to delay reward and thereby may help to maintain persistent food restriction. (JINS, 2012, 18, 1–8)

Neurobiological Correlates of Learning and Decision-making in Alcohol Dependence

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S11-S11
Author(s):  
M. Sebold ◽  
S. Nebe ◽  
M. Garbusow ◽  
D. Schad ◽  
C. Sommer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Alcohol Dependence ◽  
Dopaminergic System ◽  
Cue Reactivity ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Learning Mechanisms ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
Alcohol Dependent

The mesolimbic dopaminergic system has been implicated in two kinds of reward processing, one in reinforcement learning (e.g prediction error) and another in incentive salience attribution (e.g. cue-reactivity). Both functions have been implicated in alcohol dependence with the former contributing to the persistence of chronic alcohol intake despite severe negative consequences and the latter playing a crucial role in cue-induced craving and relapse. The bicentric study “Learning in alcohol dependence (LeAD)” aims to bridge a gap between these processes by investigating reinforcement learning mechanisms and the influence that Pavlovian cues exert over behavior. We here demonstrate that alcohol dependent subjects show alterations in goal-directed, model-based reinforcement learning (Sebold et al., 2014) and demonstrate that prospective relapsing patients show reductions in the medial prefrontal cortex activation during goal-directed control. Moreover we show that in alcohol dependent patients compared to healthy controls, Pavlovian cues exert pronounced control over behavior (Garbusow et al., 2016). Again, prospective relapsing patients showed increased Nucleus accumbens activation during these cue-induced responses. These findings point to an important role of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system as a predictor of treatment outcome in alcohol dependence.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals The Decimal Effect: Behavioral and Neural Bases for a Novel Influence on Intertemporal Choice in Healthy Individuals and in ADHD

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 2455-2468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Fassbender ◽  
Sebastien Houde ◽  
Shayla Silver-Balbus ◽  
Kacey Ballard ◽  
Bokyung Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intertemporal Choice ◽  
Temporal Discounting ◽  
Behavioral Effect ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Intertemporal Preferences ◽  
Reward Bias ◽  
Deliberative Processes ◽  
Intertemporal Choices

We identify a novel contextual variable that alters the evaluation of delayed rewards in healthy participants and those diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). When intertemporal choices are constructed of monetary outcomes with rounded values (e.g., $25.00), discount rates are greater than when the rewards have nonzero decimal values (e.g., $25.12). This finding is well explained within a dual system framework for temporal discounting in which preferences are constructed from separate affective and deliberative processes. Specifically, we find that round dollar values produce greater positive affect than do nonzero decimal values. This suggests that relative involvement of affective processes may underlie our observed difference in intertemporal preferences. Furthermore, we demonstrate that intertemporal choices with rounded values recruit greater brain responses in the nucleus accumbens to a degree that correlates with the size of the behavioral effect across participants. Our demonstration that a simple contextual manipulation can alter self-control in ADHD has implications for treatment of individuals with disorders of impulsivity. Overall, the decimal effect highlights mechanisms by which the properties of a reward bias perceived value and consequent preferences.

scholarly journals The Potential Role of Dopamine in Mediating Motor Function and Interpersonal Synchrony

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 382
Author(s):  
Hila Z. Gvirts Probolovski ◽  
Anat Dahan
Keyword(s):  
Potential Role ◽  
Dopaminergic System ◽  
Predictive Coding ◽  
Motor Planning ◽  
Motor Functioning ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Interpersonal Synchrony ◽  
Dopamine Modulation

Motor functions in general and motor planning in particular are crucial for our ability to synchronize our movements with those of others. To date, these co-occurring functions have been studied separately, and as yet it is unclear whether they share a common biological mechanism. Here, we synthesize disparate recent findings on motor functioning and interpersonal synchrony and propose that these two functions share a common neurobiological mechanism and adhere to the same principles of predictive coding. Critically, we describe the pivotal role of the dopaminergic system in modulating these two distinct functions. We present attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as an example of a disorder that involves the dopaminergic system and describe deficits in motor and interpersonal synchrony. Finally, we suggest possible directions for future studies emphasizing the role of dopamine modulation as a link between social and motor functioning.

Neural Hyporesponsiveness and Hyperresponsiveness During Immediate and Delayed Reward Processing in Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

2009 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael M. Plichta ◽  
Nenad Vasic ◽  
Robert Christian Wolf ◽  
Klaus-Peter Lesch ◽  
Dagmar Brummer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Delayed Reward

Novelty-seeking trait predicts the effect of methylphenidate on creativity

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 599-605 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hila Z Gvirts ◽  
Naama Mayseless ◽  
Aviv Segev ◽  
D Yael Lewis ◽  
Kfir Feffer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dopaminergic System ◽  
Novelty Seeking ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Personality Differences ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Individual Personality ◽  
The Cost ◽  
To Receive

In recent years the use of psychostimulants for cognitive enhancement in healthy individuals with no psychiatric disorders has been on the rise. However, it is still unclear whether psychostimulants improve certain cognitive functions at the cost of others, and how these psychostimulants interact with individual personality differences. In the current study, we investigated whether the effect of one common stimulant, methylphenidate (MPH), on creativity is associated with novelty seeking. Thirty-six healthy adults, without attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptomology, were assigned randomly in a double-blind fashion to receive MPH or placebo. We found that the effect of MPH on creativity was dependent on novelty-seeking (NS) personality characteristics of the participants. MPH increased creativity in individuals with lower NS, while it reduced creativity levels in individuals with high NS. These findings highlight the role of the dopaminergic system in creativity, and indicate that among healthy individuals NS can be seen as a predictor of the effect of MPH on creativity.

scholarly journals Age Differences in Intertemporal Choice: The Role of Task Type, Outcome Characteristics, and Covariates

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corinna E Löckenhoff ◽  
Gregory R Samanez-Larkin
Keyword(s):  
Age Differences ◽  
Time Perspective ◽  
Intertemporal Choice ◽  
Temporal Discounting ◽  
Subjective Health ◽  
Task Type ◽  
Age Effects ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Outcome Valence

Abstract Objectives Prior research has revealed age differences in the preferred timing of monetary outcomes, but results are inconsistent across studies. The present study examined the role of task type, outcome characteristics, and a range of theoretically implicated covariates that may contribute to variations in age effects. Method Two types of intertemporal choice paradigms (temporal discounting and sequence construction) were administered to a diverse life-span sample (n = 287, aged 18–87). The design experimentally manipulated outcome delay (months vs years), amount (hundreds vs thousands), and valence (gain vs loss) while statistically controlling for a range of potential covariates including demographics, affect, personality, time perspective, subjective health, and numeracy. Results In the temporal discounting task, no significant age differences were observed and this pattern did not differ by outcome delay, amount, or valence. In the sequence-construction task, age was associated with a preference for sequences of decreasing impact in the gain condition but not in the loss condition, whereas outcome delay and amount did not moderate age effects. Age patterns in discounting and sequences preferences remained unchanged after controlling for covariates. Discussion These findings converge with prior studies reporting weak or null effects of age in temporal discounting tasks and suggest that inconsistent results are not due to variations in outcome valence, delay, or amount across studies. Findings also add to the scarce evidence for age differences sequence-preferences. After discussing methodological limitations, we consider implications for future research and practice.

Current Classification of Impulse Control Disorders: Neurocognitive and Behavioral Models of Impulsivity and the Role of Personality

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashwini K. Padhi ◽  
Ali M. Mehdi ◽  
Kevin J. Craig ◽  
Naomi A. Fineberg
Keyword(s):  
Impulse Control ◽  
Impulse Control Disorders ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Impulsive Behavior ◽  
Behavioral Models ◽  
Current Classification ◽  
Motor Impulsivity ◽  
Compulsive Disorders

Impulse control disorders (ICDs) are common disabling disorders that have impulsive behavior as a core feature. They emerge early in life and run a chronic lifelong course. They are assumed to lie at the severest end of a continuum of impulsivity that connects normal with pathological states. People with ICDs experience a drive to undertake repetitive acts. Although the consequences are damaging, performance of the impulsive act may be experienced as rewarding, or alternatively may relieve distress, implicating dysfunction of the neural circuitry involved in reward processing and/or behavioral inhibition. Clinical data are increasingly pointing toward an etiological association between some ICDs, such as pathological gambling and addiction, and others, such as trichotillomania and compulsive disorders. Comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders is also common, and hints at overlapping psychobiological processes across several diagnostic groups. The results of neurocognitive studies suggest that impulsivity is multidimensional and comprises dissociable cognitive and behavioral indices governed by separate underlying neural mechanisms. For example, trichotillomania may primarily involve motor impulsivity, whereas problem gambling may involve reward impulsivity and reflection impulsivity. Exploring neurocognitive changes in individuals with ICDs and other mental disorders characterized by poor impulse control, and among their family members, may help to elucidate the underpinning neurocircuitry and clarify their nosological status.

scholarly journals Neural basis of reward anticipation and its genetic determinants

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (14) ◽  
pp. 3879-3884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianye Jia ◽  
Christine Macare ◽  
Sylvane Desrivières ◽  
Dante A. Gonzalez ◽  
Chenyang Tao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Activity ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Genetic Determinants ◽  
Response Preparation ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Functional Connections ◽  
Reward Anticipation ◽  
Vacuolar Protein

Dysfunctional reward processing is implicated in various mental disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and addictions. Such impairments might involve different components of the reward process, including brain activity during reward anticipation. We examined brain nodes engaged by reward anticipation in 1,544 adolescents and identified a network containing a core striatal node and cortical nodes facilitating outcome prediction and response preparation. Distinct nodes and functional connections were preferentially associated with either adolescent hyperactivity or alcohol consumption, thus conveying specificity of reward processing to clinically relevant behavior. We observed associations between the striatal node, hyperactivity, and the vacuolar protein sorting-associated protein 4A (VPS4A) gene in humans, and the causal role of Vps4 for hyperactivity was validated in Drosophila. Our data provide a neurobehavioral model explaining the heterogeneity of reward-related behaviors and generate a hypothesis accounting for their enduring nature.

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