Unique and Transdiagnostic Dimensions of Reward Functioning in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Alcohol Use Disorder Symptoms

Aims Contemporary theories of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) emphasize core dysfunctions in reward-related processes and behaviors as pathognomonic characteristics. However, to date, it is unclear which domains of reward functioning are unique to ADHD versus AUD symptom dimensions, and which represent underlying shared correlates. Methods The current study employed secondary data analyses from a large community sample of emerging adults (N = 602; 57.3% female) and novel transdiagnostic modeling (i.e. bi-factor confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling) of ADHD, AUD and shared symptom dimensions to identify unique and common reward-related dimensions: environmental suppressors, reward probability, hedonic capacity, proportionate substance-related reinforcement and delay discounting. Results The presence of environmental suppressors was the only reward-related construct that correlated with the underlying ADHD-AUD shared dimension. The AUD symptom dimension was uniquely associated with proportionate substance-related reinforcement, whereas the ADHD symptom dimension was uniquely associated with limited reward probability. No significant associations were found for delay discounting or hedonic capacity. Conclusions These novel findings highlight specific aspects of reward-related functioning in ADHD, AUD and shared symptom dimensions. In so doing, this work meaningfully advances theoretical conceptualizations of these two commonly co-occurring presentations and suggests future directions for research on transdiagnostic correlates. Future longitudinal studies should include clinical samples with diagnoses of AUD and ADHD to further identify underlying correlates over time.

State Anhedonia in Young Healthy Adults: Psychometric Properties of the German Dimensional Anhedonia Rating Scale (DARS) and Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Healthy reward processing is a complex interplay of several components. Recent self-report measures of anhedonia, the decrease or loss of hedonic capacity, take this complexity into account. The Dimensional Anhedonia Rating Scale (DARS) measures interest, motivation, effort and consummatory pleasure across four domains: hobbies, food/drink, social activities and sensory experiences. In the present cross-sectional survey study, we validated the German version of the DARS in a sample of 557 young healthy adults. Factor structure as well as convergent and divergent validity were assessed. As a secondary aim, we examined the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on state anhedonia and depression severity. Our results suggest good convergent and divergent validity and high internal consistency of the German DARS. The original differentiation of four factors mapping onto the four domains was confirmed and measurement invariance before and during the COVID-19 pandemic was established. We conclude that the DARS is a valid instrument to comprehensively assess state anhedonia in healthy German samples. Future studies should further assess the utility of the German DARS in clinical contexts. In line with many previous studies, participants during the pandemic reported significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms compared to participants in the months before. We found no indication that the COVID-19 pandemic affected state hedonic capacity.

State anhedonia in young healthy adults: psychometric properties of the German Dimensional Anhedonia Rating Scale (DARS) and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

Healthy reward processing is a complex interplay of several components. Recent self-report measures of anhedonia, the decrease or loss of hedonic capacity, take this complexity into account. The Dimensional Anhedonia Rating Scale (DARS) measures interest, motivation, effort and consummatory pleasure across four domains: hobbies, food/drink, social activities and sensory experiences. In the present cross-sectional survey study, we validated the German version of the DARS in a sample of 557 young healthy adults. Factor structure as well as convergent and divergent validity were assessed. As a secondary aim, we examined the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on state anhedonia and depression severity. Our results suggest good convergent and divergent validity and high internal consistency of the German DARS. The original differentiation of four factors mapping onto the four domains was confirmed. We conclude that the DARS is a valid instrument to comprehensively assess state anhedonia in German samples. Future studies should further assess the utility of the German DARS in clinical contexts. In line with many previous reports, there were significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms during the pandemic. We found no indication that the COVID-19 pandemic affected state hedonic capacity.

Impaired odor identification ability and olfactory hedonic capacity in children with elevated autistic traits

The authors have requested that this preprint be withdrawn due to a need to make corrections.

Impaired odor identification ability and olfactory hedonic capacity in children with elevated autistic traits

Background: Atypical olfactory function in autism spectrum disorder has been documented in numerous studies, but little is known about its occurrence in individuals with autistic traits. The aim of the current study was to investigate odor identification ability and olfactory hedonic capacity in children with autistic traits. Methods: The study included 91 children in a high autistic trait group, and 128 children in a low autistic trait group, as determined based on Short Autism Spectrum Quotient scores. The Universal Sniff (U-Sniff) test was used to measure odor identification ability and olfactory hedonic capacity. Olfactory hedonic capacity was also measured using the child’s version of the Chemosensory Pleasure Scale (CPS-C). Results: Children in the high autistic trait group exhibited significantly impaired odor identification and olfactory hedonic capacity measured by CPS-C than those in the low autistic trait group, but there was no significant difference in olfactory hedonic capacity measured by U-Sniff between the two groups. Impaired odor identification was significantly correlated with olfactory hedonic capacity measured by CPS-C. Limitations: Only a self-reporting questionnaire was used to screen children for autistic trait. The combination of a self-reporting scale and diagnosis by a clinical expert would result in more accurate screening of individuals for autistic trait.Conclusions: Children with high autistic trait exhibited poorer odor identification ability and olfactory trait hedonic capacity than children without high autistic trait. These results pertaining to odor identification and olfactory hedonic capacity may be the endophenotypic markers for autism spectrum disorder.

Beyond Self-Control: Mechanisms of Hedonic Goal Pursuit and Its Relevance for Well-Being

Self-control helps to align behavior with long-term goals (e.g., exercising to stay fit) and shield it from conflicting hedonic goals (e.g., relaxing). Decades of research have shown that self-control is associated with numerous positive outcomes, such as well-being. In the present article, we argue that hedonic goal pursuit is equally important for well-being, and that conflicting long-term goals can undermine it in the form of intrusive thoughts. In Study 1, we developed a measure of trait hedonic capacity, which captures people’s success in hedonic goal pursuit and the occurrence of intrusive thoughts. In Studies 2A and 2B, people’s trait hedonic capacity relates positively to well-being. Study 3 confirms intrusive thoughts as major impeding mechanism of hedonic success. Studies 4 and 5 demonstrate that trait hedonic capacity predicts successful hedonic goal pursuit in everyday life. We conclude that hedonic goal pursuit represents a largely neglected but adaptive aspect of self-regulation.

The Chemosensory Pleasure Scale: A New Assessment for Measuring Hedonic Smell and Taste Capacities

Anhedonia, or the inability to experience pleasure, is a key clinical feature of many mental disorders such as depression and schizophrenia. Although various valid measurements of anhedonia and pleasure experience exist, no scales exist that quantify smell and taste pleasure experiences. The Chemosensory Pleasure Scale (CPS) was therefore designed to assess the hedonic capacity for smell and taste pleasure. We examined the reliability and validity of the CPS in our study. First, we conducted exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to identify and examine the structure of the CPS. Second, the CPS’s validity and test-retest stability were investigated. The CPS was correlated with other measurements of anhedonia and pleasure experience. Furthermore, the empirical validity of CPS was also examined in our study. The results indicated that the CPS is a reliable and valid measure for assessing an individual’s hedonic capacity for smell and taste pleasure in nonclinical samples. Further application of the CPS for various populations is also discussed herein, especially for patients with mental disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, and autism.

A Neurophysiological Measure of Reward Sensitivity and its Limited Association with Anhedonia in Adolescents and Young Adults

Anhedonia (i.e., the attenuated ability to enjoy pleasurable stimuli) characterizes multiple mood disorders, but its neurophysiological underpinnings are not yet clear. Here, we measured event-related potentials in 116 adolescents and young adults engaged in a signal detection task designed to objectively characterize the anhedonic phenotype. In line with previous studies, the behavioral results showed that approximately 35% of the sample did not develop a response bias towards the more frequently rewarded stimuli (a sign of low hedonic capacity). The event-related potentials (ERPs) evoked by the reward feedback stimuli delivered during the task showed that individuals that did not develop a response bias had significantly less cortical positivity at Fz from 224 ms to 316 ms post feedback onset compared to those that developed a response bias during the task. However, further analyses showed that this between groups difference was relatively weak, as it disappeared when we controlled for response-locked ERPs. Furthermore, the response bias observed in the signal detection task was not strongly associated with self-reported ratings of hedonic capacity. We conclude that even though the signal detection task may be used as a reward sensitivity measure in neurotypical adolescents and young adults, this task may only be able to detect clinically significant levels of anhedonia in this particular population.