Personlige livsbarrierer blandt unge i Nuuk

I forskning knyttes psykisk trivsel typisk til internaliserendeproblemer såsom angst, depression og ensomhed, hvorimodeksternaliserende problemer såsom manglende selvkontrol,impulsivitet og konfliktsøgende adfaerd ofte overses. Fælles fordem er dog, at disse problemer begraenser individets samfundsmæssige tilknytning og muligheder og kan derved betragtessom personlige livsbarrierer. Centralt i denne artikel er koblingenmellem sådanne livsbarrierer, stressfyldte/traumatiskeoplevelser og brug af alkohol og cannabis blandt grønlandskeunge i alderen 15-17 år. Resultaterne baseres på en anonymskolebaseret survey (UngMap) fra 2014, der inkluderede 101tiendeklasseselever fra fire kommunale skoler i Nuuk. Resultaterneviste, at 8,91 % af de unge havde brugt cannabis indenfor den sidste måned, mens 10,89 % havde haft et regelmaessigtbrug af alkohol. Disse fund diskuteres i forhold til eksternaliserendeog internaliserende adfaerd, stressfyldte/traumatiskeoplevelser samt begreberne anhedoni og anomi. Det konkluderes,at anhedoni er saerligt karakteristisk for unge i Nuuk, og isaerlig grad kan knyttes til selvmordsforsøg. Kraenkende ogtraumatiske oplevelser kan ikke forklare den staerke anhedoni.Brug af cannabis er derimod overvejende relateret til eksternaliserendeadfaerdsproblemer og til stressfyldte/traumatiskeoplevelser

Impulsivity traits and addiction-related behaviors in youth.

Background and aims Impulsivity is a risk factor for addictive behaviors. The UPPS-P impulsivity model has been associated with substance addiction and gambling disorder, but its role in other non-substance addiction-related behaviors is less understood. We sought to examine associations between UPPS-P impulsivity traits and indicators of multiple substance and non-substance addiction-related behaviors in youth with varying involvement in these behaviors. Methods Participants (N = 109, aged 16-26 years, 69% males) were selected from a national survey based on their level of externalizing problems to achieve a broad distribution of involvement in addiction-related behaviors. Participants completed the UPPS-P Questionnaire and standardized questionnaires assessing problematic use of substances (alcohol, cannabis, and other drugs) and non-substances (Internet gaming, pornography, and food). Regression analyses were used to assess associations between impulsivity traits and indicators of addiction-related behaviors. Results The UPPS-P model was positively associated with indicators of all addiction-related behaviors except problematic Internet gaming. In the fully adjusted models, sensation seeking and lack of perseverance were associated with problematic use of alcohol, urgency was associated with problematic use of cannabis, and lack of perseverance was associated with problematic use of other drugs than cannabis. Furthermore, urgency and lack of perseverance were associated with binge eating and lack of perseverance was associated with problematic use of pornography. Discussion and conclusions We emphasize the role of trait impulsivity across multiple addiction-related behaviors. Our findings in at-risk youth highlight urgency and lack of perseverance as potential predictors for the development of addictions and as potential preventative therapeutic targets.The project was supported by Aarhus University Research Foundation (AUFF), Assistant Professor Starting Grant - R46-A4016 (K.R.T., M.B.C., V.V., M.U.P.); Danish Ministry for Social Affairs and the Interior - 9173-0003 (K.R.T., M.B.C., M.U.P., M.M.P., T.L.K.); and Medical Research Council (MRC), Senior Clinical Fellowship - MR/P008747/1 (V.V.)

Dopaminergic and clinical correlates of pathological gambling in Parkinson's disease: A case report

Dopaminergic medication for motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease recently has been linked with impulse control disorders, including pathological gambling, which affects up to 8% of patients. Pathological gambling often is considered a behavioral addiction associated with disinhibition, risky decision-making, and altered striatal dopaminergic neurotransmission. Using [11C]raclopride with positron emission tomography, we assessed dopaminergic neurotransmission during Iowa Gambling Task performance. Here we present data from a single patient with Parkinson’s disease and concomitant pathological gambling. We noted a marked decrease in [11C]raclopride binding in the left ventral striatum upon gambling, indicating a gambling-induced dopamine release. The results imply that pathological gambling in Parkinson’s disease is associated with a high dose of dopaminergic medication, pronounced motor symptomatology, young age at disease onset, high propensity for sensation seeking, and risky decision-making. Overall, the findings are consistent with the hypothesis of medication-related pathological gambling in Parkinson’s disease and underscore the importance of taking clinical variables, such as age and personality, into account when patients with Parkinson’s disease are medicated, to reduce the risk of pathological gambling

Distraction towards contextual alcohol cues and craving are associated with levels of alcohol use among youth

Abstract Background Controlling drinking behaviour requires the ability to block out distracting alcohol cues in situations in which drinking is inappropriate or harmful. However, at present few studies have investigated whether distraction and response inhibition to contextual alcohol cues are related to alcohol use in adolescents and young adults. We aimed to investigate whether tendencies towards distraction and failures of response inhibition in the presence of contextual alcohol cues, and alcohol craving were associated with higher levels of alcohol consumption, beyond what could be explained by demographic variables. Methods To test this, 108 participants (Mean age = 21.7, range = 16–27), whom were both drinkers and non-drinkers performed a modified Go/NoGo task tailored to measure distraction and response inhibition in the presence of alcohol cues relative to neutral stimuli. Alcohol craving was assessed using a visual analogue scale of craving for different types of alcohol cues. Levels of alcohol use and problematic alcohol use were assessed using a self-report measure of number of drinking days in the previous month and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. Data were analysed using sequential multiple regression using a zero-inflated negative binomial distribution model. Results Drinking days correlated with distraction but not response inhibition to contextual alcohol cues. Sequential regression analyses revealed that the inclusion of distraction bias accounted for 11% additional variance (significant) in alcohol use, in addition to that explained by demographics alone (17%). Craving for alcohol explained an additional 30% variance (significant) in alcohol use. Conclusions The results reported here support the idea that both biased distraction towards alcohol cues and alcohol craving are associated with preceding drinking days, but not necessarily drinking status. Further studies are warranted that address whether cognitive distraction to alcohol-related cues cause or is an effect of alcohol use among youth

The myeloarchitecture of impulsivity: premature responding in youth is associated with decreased myelination of ventral putamen.

Impulsivity has been suggested as a neurocognitive endophenotype conferring risk across a number of neuropsychiatric conditions, including substance and behavioural addictions, eating disorders, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. We used a paradigm with interspecies translation validity (the four-choice serial reaction time task, 4CSRTT) to assess 'waiting' impulsivity in a youth sample (N = 99, aged 16-26 years). We collected magnetization prepared two rapid acquisition gradient echo (MP2RAGE) scans, which enabled us to measure R1, the longitudinal relaxation rate, a parameter closely related to tissue myelin content, as well as quantify grey matter volume. We also assessed inhibitory control (commission errors) on a Go/NoGo task and measured decisional impulsivity (delay discounting) using the Monetary Choice Questionnaire (MCQ). We found R1 of the bilateral ventral putamen was negatively correlated with premature responding, the index of waiting impulsivity on the 4CSRTT. Heightened impulsivity in youth was significantly and specifically associated with lower levels of myelination in the ventral putamen. Impulsivity was not associated with grey matter volume. The association with myelination was specific to waiting impulsivity: R1 was not associated with decisional impulsivity on the MCQ or inhibitory control on the Go/NoGo task. We report that heightened waiting impulsivity, measured as premature responding on the 4CSRTT, is specifically associated with lower levels of ventral putaminal myelination, measured using R1. This may represent a neural signature of vulnerability to diseases associated with excessive impulsivity and demonstrates the added explanatory power of quantifying the mesoscopic organization of the human brain, over and above macroscopic volumetric measurements