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Summary | Full Text | PDF (878 kb) - Neurocognitive endophenotypes of impulsivity and compulsivity: towards dimensional psychiatry
Neurocognitive endophenotypes of impulsivity and compulsivity: towards dimensional psychiatry
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AbstractA key criticism of the main diagnostic tool in psychiatry, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM-IV), is that it lacks a biological footing. In this article, we argue for a biological approach to psychiatry based on ‘neurocognitive endophenotypes’, whereby changes in behavioural or cognitive processes are associated with discrete deficits in defined neural systems. We focus on the constructs of impulsivity and compulsivity as key examples of the approach and discuss their possible cross-diagnostic significance, applying them to co-morbidities and commonalities across a range of disorders (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, substance dependence, obsessive-compulsive disorder and eating disorders). We argue that this approach has important implications for the future classification of psychiatric disorders, genetics and therapeutics.
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Decision making, impulsivity and time perception
Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Volume 12, Issue 1, 1 January 2008, Pages 7-12
Marc Wittmann and Martin P. Paulus
AbstractTime is an important dimension when individuals make decisions. Specifically, the time until a beneficial outcome can be received is viewed as a cost and is weighed against the benefits of the outcome. We propose that impulsive individuals experience time differently, that is with a higher cost. Impulsive subjects, therefore, overestimate the duration of time intervals and, as a consequence, discount the value of delayed rewards more strongly than do self-controlled individuals. The literature on time perception and impulsivity, however, is not clear cut and needs a better theoretical foundation. Here, we develop the theoretical background on concepts of time perception, which could lead to an empirically based notion of the association between an altered sense of time and impulsivity.
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Copyright © 2008 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.
Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, Volume 29, Issue 4, 192-199, 1 April 2008
doi:10.1016/j.tips.2008.01.002
Review
Special issue: Pharmacology in The Netherlands
The neuropharmacology of impulsive behaviour
Tommy Pattij1, and Louk J.M.J. Vanderschuren2
1 Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, VU University Medical Center, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2 Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
Abstract
Impulsivity is a heterogenous phenomenon encompassing several behavioural phenomena that can be dissociated neuroanatomically as well as pharmacologically. Impulsivity is pathological in several psychiatric disorders including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), drug addiction and personality disorders. Pharmacological agents alleviating impulsivity therefore might substantially aid the treatment of these disorders. The availability of preclinical models that measure various forms of impulsivity has greatly increased our understanding of its neuropharmacological substrates. Historically, deficits in central serotonin neurotransmission are thought to underlie impulsivity. Accumulating evidence also points towards an important role of brain dopamine and noradrenaline systems in impulsive behaviour, consistent with the therapeutic efficacy of amphetamine, methylphenidate and atomoxetine in ADHD. However, recent findings also implicate glutamate and cannabinoid neurotransmission in impulsivity. In this review, we will discuss some of the recent developments in the neuropharmacological manipulation of impulsive behaviour.