Who becomes addicted and to what? psychosocial predictors of substance and behavioral addictive disorders.

A multitude of psychological and social factors likely contribute to the development and maintenance of addictive disorders. As different people develop different addictions, it is important to understand whether psychosocial factors are related differently to different types of addictive disorders. In this study, we examined the unique interaction of personality traits, family environment, and life events in predicting substance (drugs, alcohol) and behavioral (gambling, sex) addictive disorders, among 207 participants suffering from an addictive disorder and 79 controls. Results identified several psychosocial factors, including impulsivity and reported negative life events, that predicted all types of addictive disorders. There was also a unique prediction model for each addiction. Drug and alcohol use disorders were predicted by lower agreeableness and less intellectual-cultural family orientation, with alcohol use disorder further predicted by lower extraversion and higher family organization. Gambling disorder was predicted by a family with lower intellectual-cultural orientation and higher organization and control, whereas compulsive sexual behavior was predicted by lower extraversion and agreeableness and higher neuroticism, and by higher family control. These findings suggest that the complex interplay among psychosocial factors is manifested differently across addictive disorders and may thus have important implications for research, prevention, and intervention.

Negative and positive life events and their relation to substance and behavioral addictions.

BACKGROUND: Research has shown that negative life events (LEs) may be connected to the development and maintenance of addictions. However, few studies have examined the potential relationship between positive events and addictive disorders, and even fewer studies evaluated the subjective perception of LEs that may underlie these relationships. Importantly, addictive disorders include both substance-related and behavioral addictions, but the relative relationship of each type of addiction with LEs remains unclear. METHODS: The present study compared 212 participants suffering from an addiction (drugs, alcohol, gambling, and sex) and 79 controls on self-report measures of negative and positive LEs. RESULTS: Compared with controls, individuals with an addiction reported experiencing a larger number of both negative and positive LEs and also tended to be more influenced by negative LEs. Findings also demonstrated differential patterns across addiction types, such that participants with compulsive sexual behavior (CSB) reported experiencing less negative events than those with drug use disorders (DUD) and were less influenced by these events than participants with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Finally, analyses within each group further revealed differences in the way each group experienced negative compared to positive events. Controls and participants with CSB reported experiencing a similar number of positive and negative events, whereas participants with DUD, AUD, and gambling disorder reported more negative events in their lives. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest a unique profile among different types of addictions, which should be taken into account when planning personalized prevention and intervention approaches.

Qualitative review and quantitative effect size meta-analyses in brain regions identified by cue-reactivity addiction studies.

OBJECTIVE: Various brain regions have been identified as involved in addictions, yet inconsistencies remain regarding the primary regions that may underlie addictive behaviors. To address this, we conducted a meta-analysis investigating cue-reactivity functional MRI studies for different addictions. METHOD: We explored 8 different addiction-related brain regions in 27 studies (29 samples) using homogeneity tests of effect sizes. RESULTS: An initial qualitative review failed to identify consistent activations in any brain region. We subsequently explored possible moderators related to either the addiction, participants, or study design, and found addiction type to be a relevant moderator, suggesting that different addictions may not necessarily involve the same brain regions. Successive quantitative analyses found that internet gaming addiction and heroin dependence modulated neural activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and heroin dependence further in the right orbitofrontal cortex. Our analyses also demonstrated the expected mean effect sizes in each region when conducting cue-reactivity experiments on addictions. CONCLUSIONS: It appears that distinct addiction types may manifest differently in the brain and may moderate cue reactivity to a greater extent than previously suggested factors. This study underscores the need for additional research comparing the neural mechanisms underlying different addiction types. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Evidence for a differential visual M300 brain response in gamblers.

OBJECTIVE: Gambling disorder is the first behavioral addiction recognized in the DSM-5. This marks the growing realization that both behavioral and substance-related addictions are manifestations of an 'addicted brain', displaying similar altered neurophysiological mechanisms. A decreased electrophysiological visual P300 is considered a hallmark effect of substance-related addictions, but has not yet been shown in behavioral addictions. METHODS: Magnetoencephalographic recordings of 15 gamblers and 17 controls were taken as they performed a cue-reactivity paradigm in which they passively viewed addiction- and non-addiction-related cues. RESULTS: The main finding of the study is a reduction in the magnetic counterpart of P300 (M300) for gamblers beyond cue condition over frontal regions. Additionally, we found a significant group by cue-type interaction. Gamblers exhibited heightened sensitivity to addiction-related cues in regions corresponding to the frontoparietal attentional network, whereas controls exhibited an opposite effect localized to the right insula. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that a reduced P300 characterizes addictions in general, not just substance-related addictions, thus providing important neurophysiological support for the inclusion of behavioral addictions in the DSM-5 and in the incentive-sensitization theory. SIGNIFICANCE: The study offers important insights into neural mechanisms underlying behavioral addictions, and may assist in developing better prevention and intervention strategies.

Personality profiles of substance and behavioral addictions.

Substance-related and behavioral addictions are extremely prevalent and represent a major public health concern. In the ongoing attempt to understand the addictive personality, contradictory results have arisen from studies that have explored personality traits in different addiction populations. The diversity across addiction types suggests that some of these inconsistencies stem from distinct personalities underlying each addiction. The present study compares the personality profiles of several addictions, representing both substance (drugs and alcohol) and behavioral (gambling and sex) subtypes. 216 addicted individuals and 78 controls completed personality and sociodemographic questionnaires. Notable personality distinctions were found among different types of addiction. Whereas impulsivity and neuroticism were higher across all addiction populations, as compared to controls, people with alcohol use disorders also scored significantly lower on the traits of extraversion, agreeableness, and openness to experience. People with drug use disorders and those with compulsive sexual behavior were surprisingly similar, scoring lowest on the traits of agreeableness and conscientiousness. Finally, people with gambling disorder demonstrated a personality profile similar to that of the control group. Of note, personality profiles were also related to several demographic characteristics, including socioeconomic status and religiosity. Our findings support a potential role for personality in distinguishing among different types of addiction. This study suggests that different addictions may, to some extent, stem from distinct processes that are involved in personality development. These findings may provide a useful framework for understanding why different people develop different addictions.

Amh and Dmrta2 genes map to tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) linkage group 23 within quantitative trait locus regions for sex determination.

Recent studies have revealed that the major genes of the mammalian sex determination pathway are also involved in sex determination of fish. Several studies have reported QTL in various species and strains of tilapia, regions contributing to sex determination have been identified on linkage groups 1, 3, and 23. Genes contributing to sex-specific mortality have been detected on linkage groups 2, 6, and 23. To test whether the same genes might control sex determination in mammals and fishes, we mapped 11 genes that are considered putative master key regulators of sex determination: Amh, Cyp19, Dax1, Dmrt2, Dmrta2, Fhl3l, Foxl2, Ixl, Lhx9, Sf1, and Sox8. We identified polymorphisms in noncoding regions of these genes and genotyped these sites for 90 individuals of an F2 mapping family. Mapping of Dax1 joined LG16 and LG21 into a single linkage group. The Amh and Dmrta2 genes were mapped to two distinct regions of LG23. The Amh gene was mapped 5 cM from UNH879 within a QTL region for sex determination and 2 cM from UNH216 within a QTL region for sex-specific mortality. Dmrta2 was mapped 4 cM from UNH848 within another QTL region for sex determination. Cyp19 was mapped to LG1 far from a previously reported QTL region for sex determination on this chromosome. Seven other candidate genes mapped to LG4, -11, -12, -14, and -17.