The interactive effects of peers and alcohol on functional brain connectivity in young adults.

Alcohol and peer influence are known to have independent effects on risky decision making. We investigated combined influences of peers and alcohol on functional brain connectivity and behavior. Young adults underwent fMRI while completing response inhibition (Go/No-Go) and risky driving (Stoplight) tasks. Intoxicated participants made more mistakes on Go/No-Go, and showed diminished connectivity between the anterior insular cortex (AIC) and regions implicated in executive function (e.g., dorsal anterior cingulate). During the Stoplight game, peer observation was associated with increased connectivity between the AIC and regions implicated in social cognition (e.g., ventromedial prefrontal cortex). Alcohol and peers also exerted interactive influences, such that some connectivity changes only occurred when participants were observed by peers and under the influence of alcohol. These findings suggest that brain systems underlying decision making function differently under the combined influence of alcohol and peers, and highlight mechanisms through which this combination of factors is particularly risky for youth.

At risk of being risky: The relationship between "brain age" under emotional states and risk preference.

Developmental differences regarding decision making are often reported in the absence of emotional stimuli and without context, failing to explain why some individuals are more likely to have a greater inclination toward risk. The current study (N=212; 10-25y) examined the influence of emotional context on underlying functional brain connectivity over development and its impact on risk preference. Using functional imaging data in a neutral brain-state we first identify the "brain age" of a given individual then validate it with an independent measure of cortical thickness. We then show, on average, that "brain age" across the group during the teen years has the propensity to look younger in emotional contexts. Further, we show this phenotype (i.e. a younger brain age in emotional contexts) relates to a group mean difference in risk perception - a pattern exemplified greatest in young-adults (ages 18-21). The results are suggestive of a specified functional brain phenotype that relates to being at "risk to be risky."

Amygdala hyperactivation to angry faces in intermittent explosive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with intermittent explosive disorder (IED) were previously found to exhibit amygdala hyperactivation and relatively reduced orbital medial prefrontal cortex (OMPFC) activation to angry faces while performing an implicit emotion information processing task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This study examines the neural substrates associated with explicit encoding of facial emotions among individuals with IED. METHOD: Twenty unmedicated IED subjects and twenty healthy, matched comparison subjects (HC) underwent fMRI while viewing blocks of angry, happy, and neutral faces and identifying the emotional valence of each face (positive, negative or neutral). We compared amygdala and OMPFC reactivity to faces between IED and HC subjects. We also examined the relationship between amygdala/OMPFC activation and aggression severity. RESULTS: Compared to controls, the IED group exhibited greater amygdala response to angry (vs. neutral) facial expressions. In contrast, IED and control groups did not differ in OMPFC activation to angry faces. Across subjects amygdala activation to angry faces was correlated with number of prior aggressive acts. CONCLUSIONS: These findings extend previous evidence of amygdala dysfunction in response to the identification of an ecologically-valid social threat signal (processing angry faces) among individuals with IED, further substantiating a link between amygdala hyperactivity to social signals of direct threat and aggression.

Emotion regulation deficits in intermittent explosive disorder.

Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by repeated acts of affective aggression. Despite the diagnostic emphasis on the failure to control aggressive impulses, there is little research on affective processes and emotion regulation in IED; however, this research suggests possible dysfunctions in experiences of emotional intensity and lability. The hypothesis in the present study was that compared to individuals with other psychiatric disorders, and psychologically healthy individuals, individuals with IED experience greater negative affect intensity and emotional lability. Participants (N = 373) consisted of 202 individuals diagnosed with IED, 68 non-IED psychiatric controls (PC), and 103 healthy volunteers (HV). Emotion regulation was assessed using the General Behavior Inventory, the Affective Lability Scale, and the Affect Intensity Measure. Results showed that IED participants reported greater negative affect intensity and greater emotional lability across several emotion domains (e.g., anger, anxiety, depression) than PC and HV participants. These findings suggest that IED is characterized by more global emotion regulation deficits than those associated with anger alone. Aggr. Behav. 41:25-33 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Loneliness mediates the relationship between emotion dysregulation and bulimia nervosa/binge eating disorder psychopathology in a clinical sample.

Emotion dysregulation has been linked to binge eating disorder (BED) and bulimia nervosa (BN) although the mechanisms by which it affects BN/BED psychopathology are unclear. This study tested loneliness as a mediator between emotion dysregulation and BN/BED psychopathology. A treatment-seeking sample of 107 women with BN or BED was assessed for loneliness (UCLA Loneliness Scale), emotion dysregulation (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale), and BN/BED psychopathology (Eating Disorder Examination) before treatment. Hierarchical linear regressions and bootstrapping mediation models were run. Greater overall emotion dysregulation was associated with greater BN/BED psychopathology, mediated by loneliness (95 % CI 0.03, 0.09). Emotion dysregulation, however, did not mediate between loneliness and BN/BED psychopathology (95 % CI −0.01, 0.01). Targeting loneliness may effectively treat emotional aspects of BN/BED in women.

Factors associated with suicide ideation in severely obese bariatric surgery-seeking individuals.

There are high rates of suicide ideation and/or behavior in severely obese individuals. The potential contributors to suicide ideation in a sample of 334 severely obese bariatric surgery candidates was explored. Lack of college education, a history of suicide ideation and/or behavior, psychological distress, hopelessness, loneliness, history of physical and/or sexual abuse, and lifetime major depression were associated with current suicide ideation. Some of the correlates of suicide ideation in severely obese bariatric surgery-seeking samples are similar to those found in the general community and this knowledge may serve to improve the psychological assessment and care for this group.

Coping with obesity stigma affects depressed mood in African-American and white candidates for bariatric surgery.

Depressed mood in severely obese, bariatric surgery-seeking candidates is influenced by obesity stigma, yet the strategies for coping with this stigma are less well understood. This study hypothesized that coping strategies are significantly associated with depressed mood above and beyond demographic factors and frequency of weight-related stigma, with specific coping strategies differing between racial groups. Severely obese, bariatric surgery-seeking adults (N = 234; 91 African Americans) completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Stigmatizing Situations Inventory (SSI). Two hierarchical linear regressions were conducted separately for African Americans and whites. For both racial groups, age, sex, BMI, years overweight, annual income, and education level did not account for a significant portion of the variance in BDI scores. The frequency of stigmatizing situations and coping strategies significantly explained 16.4% and 33.2%, respectively, of the variance for whites, and 25.9% and 25%, respectively, for African Americans (P < 0.001). Greater depressed mood in whites was associated with older age, lower education, fewer positive self-statements, and less self-love and more crying; while in African Americans greater depressed mood was associated only with ignoring the situation (P < 0.05). The study found that regardless of race, depressed mood in severely obese, bariatric surgery-seeking clients is related to the frequency of stigmatizing experiences and associated coping strategies. This suggests that efforts to reduce the deleterious effects of weight-related stigma need to focus both on reducing the frequency of stigmatization and on teaching effective coping strategies. These efforts also need to take into account the client's racial background.