Active clinical trials for "Impulsive Behavior"

The goal of this pilot feasibility and utility study is to develop and validate a method that is reproducible over time for assessing biobehavioral and autonomic markers of impulsivity and their utility in assessing treatment outcome in preschool children with ADHD.

The objective of this prospective observational cohort study is to answer the following clinically important questions: In patients with a pre-operative history of ICBs, what is the likelihood of improvement or deterioration in ICBs post-operatively? What is the risk of developing post-operative de novo ICBs after Subthalamic Nucleus DBS (STN DBS)? Which factors are important in predicting changes in ICBs after STN DBS? What is the impact of ICBs on carer's quality of life QoL and burden?

Introduction: Impulsivity is present in a range of mental disorders and has been associated with suicide. Traditional measures of impulsivity have certain limitations, such as the time required for administration or the lack of ecological validity. Virtual Reality (VR) may overcome these issues. This study aims to validate the VR assessment tool "Spheres & Shield Maze Task" and speech analysis by comparing them with traditional measures. The hypothesis is that these innovative tools will be reliable and acceptable by patients, potentially improving the simultaneous assessment of impulsivity, decision-making, and jumping to conclusions. Methods and analysis: The sample consisted of adults divided into three groups: psychiatric outpatients with a history of suicidal thoughts and/or behaviors, psychiatric outpatients without such a history, and healthy volunteers. The sample size required was estimated at 300 participants (100 per group). Participants will complete the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale 11; the Urgency, Premeditation, Perseverance, Sensation Seeking, Positive Urgency, Impulsive Behavior Scale; Iowa Gambling Task; Continuous Performance Test; Stop signal Task, and Go/no-go task, three questions of emotional affect, the Spheres & Shield Maze Task and two satisfaction surveys. During these tasks, participant speech will be recorded. External and internal consistency of the VR environment will be calculated. The association between VR-assessed impulsivity and history of suicidal thoughts and/or behavior, and the association between speech and impulsivity and decision-manking will also be explored. Ethics and dissemination: This study will result in a series of manuscripts that will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals for publication. It is hoped that this VR assessment tool combined with speech analysis can be used regularly in research and/or clinical settings in the near future.

Psychiatric nurses face a huge challenge in predicting and preventing suicide behaviour in their patients with bipolar disorders, but it may also be one of the most accurate measures of how well their clinical care is working. In addition to, high impulsivity scores are associated with increased overall functional impairment, a higher number of episodes with early onset, and a higher number of past suicide attempts, as well as increased substance intake. Thus, this study aimed at evaluating the efficacy acceptance and commitment therapy on impulsivity and suicidality among bipolar clients. research hypnosis Clients who engaged in acceptance and commitment therapy had less impulsivity than the control group. Clients who engaged in acceptance and commitment therapy had less suicidality than the control group.

The purpose of this study is to determine how the dopamine and opioid system is involved in reward processing, specifically in cue-induced reward responding and reward impulsivity, using dopamine and opioid receptor antagonists in healthy participants. The investigators predict that particularly the dopamine challenge should alter cue-induced reward responding and reward impulsivity. Such effects would be of high interest for the treatment of disorders which involve impairments of reward processing such as addiction.

This research investigates obesity and associated psychiatric symptoms and disorders in a wide range of perspectives, to demonstrate the effects of obesity on the brain. The 1st aim is to assess the psychiatric symptom profiles in the group of obese patients applying for bariatric surgery and to determine the associated environmental stress factors. While, it is known that eating disorders, mood disorders and psychiatric drugs can cause obesity, obesity can also cause many psychiatric complications such as depression and cognitive disorders. There are no multi-centered studies that are conducted in this respect, and the guidelines on pre-evaluation and follow-up of patients are also lacking. The 2nd aim is to evaluate and monitor cognitive characteristics before and after bariatric surgery in obese patients. Obese people are at increased risk of dementia and are more likely to have cognitive deficits, especially executive function problems, that can affect everyday life. For this reason, obese individuals should be examined and monitored in more detail in terms of their cognitive characteristics and the change of cognitive functions during the weight loss process. The 3rd aim is to examine the relationship between obesity, bariatric surgery and reward processing system. Studies have been limited in determining whether addiction in these people is due to a search of a continuous substance as a cognitive feature or whether it is difficult to terminate it as an impulsive behavior when encountered with a pleasurable substance, even though there is no reward seeking or reward dependence. The 4th aim is the determination of the neuroanatomical and molecular components of cognitive changes observed after bariatric surgery. During the dynamic process following bariatric surgery, a variety of metabolites, chemokines, and microbiota changes may also affect the brain health and cognition. The 5th aim is to determine factors of eating, emotional regulation, reward system, addiction and impulsivity, and other psychopathologies that cause suboptimal weight loss or weight gain after bariatric surgery. Understanding the psychological and neurobiological factors involved in these processes can improve surgical interventions and significantly increase the quality of life for patients.

There is a series of well designed studies that have reported, in those with a history of anti-social behavior, that supplementation with vitamins / minerals, omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 FA), or both, reduces the incidence of aggressive behavior. Although there is evidence that all these nutrients have a role, to date the relative contribution of fatty acids and vitamins / minerals has not been considered: for example the possibility of a synergistic interaction has not yet been examined. In addition the topic has to date been studied under real-life condition, such as a prison, making the topic difficult to study. The major aim of the present study was to develop a paradigm that would allow the study of the topic in a sample from the general population without a history of anti-social behavior. Subjects received either a vitamin/mineral supplement, a fatty acid supplement, both or neither for three months, Measures of impulsivity and aggression were assessed before and after supplementation. Although in the past measures of actual behaviour have proved to be sensitive to supplementation, questionnaire measures have not. The second major objective was therefore to consider whether such phenomena can be studied in a sample without a history of anti-social behavior, using standardized, sensitive laboratory based measures and to compare these with questionnaire measures. POLYMORPHISMS AND THE RESPONSE TO MICRO-NUTRIENT SUPPLLMENTATION The data set were subsequently used to test an a priori hypothesis not related to the initial hypothesis. A meta-analysis found a consistent pattern that micro-nutrient supplementation improved mood (Long SJ, Benton D. Effects of vitamin and mineral supplementation on stress, mild psychiatric symptoms, and mood in nonclinical samples: a meta-analysis. Psychosom Med 2013; 75: 144-153). To produce evidence of possible mechanisms the extent was determined, to which the impact of micro-nutrient supplementation was influenced by a range of polymorphisms associated with neurotransmitter systems known to modulate mood. The primary outcome measure was the General Health Questionnaire, a 30-item self-report questionnaire that was developed to detect, in a community sample, those who would benefit from seeing a psychiatrist. Given the literature that relates polymorphisms to mood disorders, and the known pharmacology of anti-depressant drugs, a range of polymorphisms were chosen associated with serotonin and catecholamines. Dopamine The SNPs associated with the metabolism and functioning of dopamine were: Dopamine beta hydroxylase (DBH, rs16111115); Dopamine transporter (DAT1, rs2550946); Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT, rs4680, rs6269). Dopamine receptor D1 (DRD1, rs4532); Dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2, rs1079598, rs1800497); Dopamine receptor D3 (DRD3, rs6280); Dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4, rs1800955). Serotonin Ten SNPs associated with different aspects of serotonin metabolism were also considered. Rs1843809 is a SNP of the TPH2 gene that encodes Tryptophan hydroxylase. Rs1050565 is a SNP in the BLMH gene that influences the activity of 5HTT (SLC6A4), the serotonin transporter. SNPs associated with various serotonin receptors were also examined: genetic variations of the HTR1A gene (5-HT1A receptor, rs6295); HTR1B gene (5-HT1B receptor, rs6296); HTR2A gene (5-HT2A receptor, rs6311); HTR2B gene (5-HT2B receptor, rs1549339); HTR2C gene (5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2C, rs518147); HTR3A gene (5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 3A, rs1150226); HTR3B (5-HT3B receptor, rs1672717); HTR4 gene (5-HT4 receptor, rs2278392). Adrenergic mechanisms Finally six SNPs associated with adrenergic receptors were considered: ADRA2A (adrenoceptor alpha 2A, rs553668); ADRB1 (adrenoceptor alpha B1, rs1801253); ADRB2 (adrenoceptor alpha B2, rs1042713; ADRB3 (adrenoceptor alpha B3, rs4994); SLC6AC (noradrenaline transporter, rs5569 and rs2242447). Analysis The data will be analyzed using analysis of variance with a change in GHQ from before to after supplementation as the dependent variable: Micronutrient/placebo X Polymorphism.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of tolcapone on decision making and alcohol intake using a laboratory bar (on-site alcohol self-administration) in alcohol drinkers.

Psychological disorders characterized by impulsivity often show alterations in dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) activity. Recent research has therefore focused on non-invasive neurostimulation therapies for the modulation of functional activity in the dACC. To date there has only been one proof-of-concept study providing evidence for modulating dACC activity with non-invasive electrical neurostimulation (e.g. transcranial electrical stimulation). Since transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is relatively safe, tolerable, and mobile as compared to other neurostimulation techniques, it is worthwhile looking further into the effects of tDCS on functional dACC activity. The aim of the present research is to explore whether HD-tDCS can induce changes in the dACC in individuals with high trait impulsivity (N=20) in a double-blind cross-over study. Functional changes in dACC activity will be measured by the error related negativity (ERN), which is an event related potential generated by the dACC. The ERN is less pronounced in people that score high on impulsivity. It is therefore expect enhanced ERN amplitudes after HD-tDCS over the dACC. In addition, performance on the multisource interference task will be used as measure of dACC activity. It is hypothesize that increased dACC activity will be related to decreased impulsivity in high impulsive individuals as shown by improved inhibitory control on the Go/NoGo task. The results of the study may have implications for patient populations that are characterized by impulsivity.

In this study, we seek to understand the effects of tolcapone, an FDA-approved COMT inhibitor, on reward choice and response inhibition, two measures we have previously shown to be altered in subjects with alcoholism. We now plan to test the hypothesis that COMT regulation of cortical dopamine levels is critical for regulation financial choices. Specifically, we propose that the lower levels of cortical dopamine present in individuals with the val158val COMT genotype reduces the inhibitory effect of frontal cortical areas on impulsive choice; an idea that extends previous hypotheses about the negative consequences of decreased prefrontal dopamine levels on inhibitory control. Moreover, this hypothesis suggests that inhibiting COMT may slow the degradation of dopamine and thereby decrease impulsivity.