http://people.qc.cuny.edu/Faculty/Jin.Fan/Documents/Liu_in_press.pdf

Common and distinct networks underlying reward valence and processing stages: A meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies

Emotion dysregulation, a major contributor to impairment throughout life, is common in ADHD and may arise from deficits in orienting toward and processing emotional stimuli, implicating dysfunction within the prefrontal cortical network. Understanding the nature of the overlap between emotional dysregulation and ADHD can stimulate novel treatment approaches.

/pdf/emotion-dysregulation-in-attention-deficit-hyperactivity-4bmwklzffc.pdf

Emotion dysregulation in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

‘Anticipatory affect’ refers to emotional states that people experience while anticipating significant outcomes. Historically, technical limitations have made it difficult to determine whether anticipatory affect influences subsequent choice. Recent advances in the spatio-temporal resolution of functional magnetic resonance imaging, however, now allow researchers to visualize changes in neural activity seconds before choice occurs. We review evidence that activation in specific brain circuits changes during anticipation of monetary incentives, that this activation correlates with affective experience and that activity in these circuits may influence subsequent choice. Specifically, an activation likelihood estimate meta-analysis of cued response studies indicates that nucleus accumbens (NAcc) activation increases during gain anticipation relative to loss anticipation, while anterior insula activation increases during both loss and gain anticipation. Additionally, anticipatory NAcc activation correlates with self-reported positive arousal, whereas anterior insula activation correlates with both self-reported negative and positive arousal. Finally, NAcc activation precedes the purchase of desirable products and choice of high-risk gambles, whereas anterior insula activation precedes the rejection of overpriced products and choice of low-risk gambles. Together, these findings support a neurally plausible framework for understanding how anticipatory affect can influence choice.

/pdf/anticipatory-affect-neural-correlates-and-consequences-for-1syx9znmfw.pdf

Anticipatory affect: neural correlates and consequences for choice

Context Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—characterized by symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity—is the most prevalent childhood psychiatric disorder that frequently persists into adulthood, and there is increasing evidence of reward-motivation deficits in this disorder. Objective To evaluate biological bases that might underlie a reward/motivation deficit by imaging key components of the brain dopamine reward pathway (mesoaccumbens). Design, Setting, and Participants We used positron emission tomography to measure dopamine synaptic markers (transporters and D 2 /D 3 receptors) in 53 nonmedicated adults with ADHD and 44 healthy controls between 2001-2009 at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Main Outcome Measures We measured specific binding of positron emission tomographic radioligands for dopamine transporters (DAT) using [ 11 C]cocaine and for D 2 /D 3 receptors using [ 11 C]raclopride, quantified as binding potential (distribution volume ratio −1). Results For both ligands, statistical parametric mapping showed that specific binding was lower in ADHD than in controls (threshold for significance set at P  2 /D 3 receptors, the mean accumbens for controls was 2.85 vs 2.68 for those with ADHD (95% CI, 0.06-0.30, P = .004); and in the midbrain, it was for controls 0.28 vs 0.18 for those with ADHD (95% CI, 0.02-0.17, P = .01). The analysis also corroborated differences in the left caudate: the mean DAT for controls was 0.66 vs 0.53 for those with ADHD (95% CI, 0.04-0.22; P = .003) and the mean D 2 /D 3 for controls was 2.80 vs 2.47 for those with ADHD (95% CI, 0.10-0.56; P = .005) and differences in D 2 /D 3 in the hypothalamic region, with controls having a mean of 0.12 vs 0.05 for those with ADHD (95% CI, 0.02-0.12; P = .004). Ratings of attention correlated with D 2 /D 3 in the accumbens (r = 0.35; 95% CI, 0.15-0.52; P = .001), midbrain (r = 0.35; 95% CI, 0.14-0.52; P = .001), caudate (r = 0.32; 95% CI, 0.11-0.50; P = .003), and hypothalamic (r = 0.31; CI, 0.10-0.49; P = .003) regions and with DAT in the midbrain (r = 0.37; 95% CI, 0.16-0.53; P ≤ .001). Conclusion A reduction in dopamine synaptic markers associated with symptoms of inattention was shown in the dopamine reward pathway of participants with ADHD.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/articlepdf/184547/jpc90005_1084_1091.pdf

Evaluating Dopamine Reward Pathway in ADHD: Clinical Implications

Conduct disorder is a childhood behaviour disorder that is characterized by persistent aggressive or antisocial behaviour that disrupts the child's environment and impairs his or her functioning. A proportion of children with conduct disorder have psychopathic traits. Psychopathic traits consist of a callous-unemotional component and an impulsive-antisocial component, which are associated with two core impairments. The first is a reduced empathic response to the distress of other individuals, which primarily reflects reduced amygdala responsiveness to distress cues; the second is deficits in decision making and in reinforcement learning, which reflects dysfunction in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and striatum. Genetic and prenatal factors contribute to the abnormal development of these neural systems, and social-environmental variables that affect motivation influence the probability that antisocial behaviour will be subsequently displayed.

/pdf/the-neurobiology-of-psychopathic-traits-in-youths-3nvx5z5mpc.pdf

The neurobiology of psychopathic traits in youths

Reward anticipation and outcomes in adult males with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Background: In children with pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD), a consistent pattern of elevations in inattention/hyperactivity, depression/anxiety, and aggression has been identified on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL-PBD profile). In Germany, no epidemiological study has included PBD to date.



Objectives:  To estimate the six-month prevalence of the CBCL-PBD profile in Germany in a large normative general population sample, and to examine subjects with CBCL-PBD profile with regard to symptoms assumed to coexist with PBD (e.g., suicidality, decreased need for sleep, and hypersexuality).



Methods:  We studied a nationwide representative general population sample of 2,856 children and adolescents aged 4–18 years.



Results:  A total of 21 subjects [0.7% of the sample; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.5–1.1] met the criteria for the CBCL-PBD phenotype. CBCL-PBD subjects were more pervasively disturbed than clinical controls (n = 118; 4.1% of total sample; 95% CI = 3.4–4.9), demonstrated in significantly more social problems and delinquent behavior, and showed significantly higher rates of suicidality, decreased need for sleep and hypersexual behavior.



Conclusions:  The prevalence of CBCL-PBD subjects in the general German population compares to rates of PBD in US and Dutch epidemiological samples. Regardless of whether these subjects are affected by ‘real’ PBD or ‘severe, pervasive ADHD’ with pronounced emotional dysregulation, they constitute a group of seriously disturbed children and adolescents. The high rate of suicidality among CBCL-PBD subjects emphasizes the need for the identification and adequate treatment of children meeting this profile.

Prevalence of the Child Behavior Checklist-pediatric bipolar disorder phenotype in a German general population sample.

Zusammenfassung: Fragestellung: Die Studie untersuchte die Wirksamkeit eines verhaltenstherapeutisch orientierten Gruppentrainings fur Eltern hyperkinetischer Kinder. Methode: Eltern 16 hyperkinetischer Kinder bildeten gemeinsam mit ihren Kindern die Experimentalgruppe und nahmen an einem wochentlich stattfindenden zehnwochigen Gruppentraining teil. Die Kinder erhielten eine medikamentose Behandlung mit Methylphenidat. Daneben erfolgte eine Beratung. Als Kontrollgruppe fungierten 17 weitere Kinder mit einer hyperkinetischen Storung nebst ihren Eltern. Die Kinder wurden ebenfalls pharmakotherapeutisch behandelt, profitierten von einer Beratung, ihre Eltern nahmen aber nicht an dem Gruppentraining teil. Bezogen auf die Experimentalgruppe erfolgte vor und nach dem Training die Erhebung der Variablen «Konfliktsituationen zu Hause», «Hausaufgabenprobleme» sowie «Kernsymptomatik der Hyperkinetischen Storung» mittels Fragebogen. Bei den Eltern der Kontrollgruppe wurde mittels Fragebogen lediglich die «Kernsympto...

Michael Huss

Papers

Reward anticipation and outcomes in adult males with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Prevalence of the Child Behavior Checklist-pediatric bipolar disorder phenotype in a German general population sample.

Treatment effects of parent management training for ADHD