A Novel, Expert-Endorsed, Neurocognitive Digital Assessment Tool for Addictive Disorders: Development and Validation Study.

BACKGROUND: Many people with harmful addictive behaviors may not meet formal diagnostic thresholds for a disorder. A dimensional approach, by contrast, including clinical and community samples, is potentially key to early detection, prevention, and intervention. Importantly, while neurocognitive dysfunction underpins addictive behaviors, established assessment tools for neurocognitive assessment are lengthy and unengaging, difficult to administer at scale, and not suited to clinical or community needs. The BrainPark Assessment of Cognition (BrainPAC) Project sought to develop and validate an engaging and user-friendly digital assessment tool purpose-built to comprehensively assess the main consensus-driven constructs underpinning addictive behaviors. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to psychometrically validate a gamified battery of consensus-based neurocognitive tasks against standard laboratory paradigms, ascertain test-retest reliability, and determine their sensitivity to addictive behaviors (eg, alcohol use) and other risk factors (eg, trait impulsivity). METHODS: Gold standard laboratory paradigms were selected to measure key neurocognitive constructs (Balloon Analogue Risk Task [BART], Stop Signal Task [SST], Delay Discounting Task [DDT], Value-Modulated Attentional Capture [VMAC] Task, and Sequential Decision-Making Task [SDT]), as endorsed by an international panel of addiction experts; namely, response selection and inhibition, reward valuation, action selection, reward learning, expectancy and reward prediction error, habit, and compulsivity. Working with game developers, BrainPAC tasks were developed and validated in 3 successive cohorts (total N=600) and a separate test-retest cohort (N=50) via Mechanical Turk using a cross-sectional design. RESULTS: BrainPAC tasks were significantly correlated with the original laboratory paradigms on most metrics (r=0.18-0.63, P<.05). With the exception of the DDT k function and VMAC total points, all other task metrics across the 5 tasks did not differ between the gamified and nongamified versions (P>.05). Out of 5 tasks, 4 demonstrated adequate to excellent test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.72-0.91, P<.001; except SDT). Gamified metrics were significantly associated with addictive behaviors on behavioral inventories, though largely independent of trait-based scales known to predict addiction risk. CONCLUSIONS: A purpose-built battery of digitally gamified tasks is sufficiently valid for the scalable assessment of key neurocognitive processes underpinning addictive behaviors. This validation provides evidence that a novel approach, purported to enhance task engagement, in the assessment of addiction-related neurocognition is feasible and empirically defensible. These findings have significant implications for risk detection and the successful deployment of next-generation assessment tools for substance use or misuse and other mental disorders characterized by neurocognitive anomalies related to motivation and self-regulation. Future development and validation of the BrainPAC tool should consider further enhancing convergence with established measures as well as collecting population-representative data to use clinically as normative comparisons.

Habitual versus affective motivations in obsessive-compulsive disorder and alcohol use disorder.

OBJECTIVE: To (1) confirm whether the Habit, Reward, and Fear Scale is able to generate a 3-factor solution in a population of obsessive-compulsive disorder and alcohol use disorder (AUD) patients; (2) compare these clinical groups in their habit, reward, and fear motivations; and (3) investigate whether homogenous subgroups can be identified to resolve heterogeneity within and across disorders based on the motivations driving ritualistic and drinking behaviors. METHODS: One hundred and thirty-four obsessive-compulsive disorder (n = 76) or AUD (n = 58) patients were assessed with a battery of scales including the Habit, Reward, and Fear Scale, the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, the Alcohol Dependence Scale, the Behavioral Inhibition/Activation System Scale, and the Urgency, (lack of ) Premeditation, (lack of ) Perseverance, Sensation Seeking, and Positive Urgency Impulsive Behavior Scale. RESULTS: A 3-factor solution reflecting habit, reward, and fear subscores explained 56.6% of the total variance of the Habit, Reward, and Fear Scale. Although the habit and fear subscores were significantly higher in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and the reward subscores were significantly greater in AUD patients, a cluster analysis identified that the 3 clusters were each characterized by differing proportions of OCD and AUD patients. CONCLUSIONS: While affective (reward- and fear-driven) and nonaffective (habitual) motivations for repetitive behaviors seem dissociable from each other, it is possible to identify subgroups in a transdiagnostic manner based on motivations that do not match perfectly motivations that usually described in OCD and AUD patients.

The role of psychological distress in the relationship between lifestyle and compulsivity: An analysis of independent, bi-national samples.

BACKGROUND: Poor mental health is a state of psychological distress that is influenced by lifestyle factors such as sleep, diet, and physical activity. Compulsivity is a transdiagnostic phenotype cutting across a range of mental illnesses including obsessive-compulsive disorder, substance-related and addictive disorders, and is also influenced by lifestyle. Yet, how lifestyle relates to compulsivity is presently unknown, but important to understand to gain insights into individual differences in mental health. We assessed (a) the relationships between compulsivity and diet quality, sleep quality, and physical activity, and (b) whether psychological distress statistically contributes to these relationships. METHODS: We collected harmonized data on compulsivity, psychological distress, and lifestyle from two independent samples (Australian n = 880 and US n = 829). We used mediation analyses to investigate bidirectional relationships between compulsivity and lifestyle factors, and the role of psychological distress. RESULTS: Higher compulsivity was significantly related to poorer diet and sleep. Psychological distress statistically mediated the relationship between poorer sleep quality and higher compulsivity, and partially statistically mediated the relationship between poorer diet and higher compulsivity. CONCLUSIONS: Lifestyle interventions in compulsivity may target psychological distress in the first instance, followed by sleep and diet quality. As psychological distress links aspects of lifestyle and compulsivity, focusing on mitigating and managing distress may offer a useful therapeutic approach to improve physical and mental health. Future research may focus on the specific sleep and diet patterns which may alter compulsivity over time to inform lifestyle targets for prevention and treatment of functionally impairing compulsive behaviors.

Fear driven compulsive behaviour is associated with worse long-term outcome in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

OBJECTIVES: In this retrospective study of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), we assessed the relationship between different motivational drivers of compulsive behaviours and the response to naturalistic treatments (based mostly on high dose serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SRIs]). METHODS: Seventy-six OCD patients were assessed with a structured diagnostic interview; the Habit, Reward and Fear Scale-Revised (HRFS-R); the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS); the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI); and the OCD Retrospective Assessment of Treatment Response (RATS), which includes information on SRIs administration (e.g., dose and duration of their use), augmentation strategies (such as antipsychotic use or exposure and response prevention intervention), and pre-treatment YBOCS scores. Patients were naturalistically followed up for a mean of 7.28 (SD 5.51) years. RESULTS: Analysis revealed that the fear subscore of the HRFS was the only significant predictor (among a detailed battery of demographic, clinical and treatment factors) independently associated with greater delta (pre-treatment minus post-treatment) YBOCS scores. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to predictions (based on existing models), poorer treatment response was not associated with increased habit scores in the HRFS. Future longitudinal studies are needed to confirm whether increased fear as a driver for ritualistic behaviours is able to predict worse outcomes in OCD samples.

A Systematic Meta-Review of Impulsivity and Compulsivity in Addictive Behaviors.

It is well established that poor inhibitory control confers both a vulnerability to, and maintenance of, addictive behaviors across the substance and behavioral spectrums. By comparison, the role of compulsivity in addictive behaviors has received less research focus. The neurocognitive literature to date is vast, and it is unclear whether there are any convincing lines of systematic evidence delineating whether and how aspects of impulsivity and compulsivity are shared and unique across different substance and behavioral addictive disorders. Such information has significant implications for our understanding of underlying mechanisms and clinical implications for assessing and treating neurocognitive deficits across addictions. Here, we conducted a systematic meta-review of the quantitative meta-analyses to date, specifically examining the neurocognitive functions central to impulsive-compulsive behaviors transdiagnostically across addictive behaviors. Out of 1186 empirical studies initially identified, six meta-analyses met inclusion criteria examining alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, MDMA, methamphetamine, opioid and tobacco use, as well as gambling and internet addiction. The pooled findings across the systematic meta-analyses suggest that impulsivity is a core process underpinning both substance and behavioral addictive disorders, although it is not equally implicated across all substances. Compulsivity-related neurocognition, by comparison, is important across alcohol and gambling disorders, but has yet to be examined systematically. The gestalt of findings to date suggests that both impulsivity and compulsivity are core constructs linked to addictive behaviors and may not be solely the secondary sequelae associated with the effects of prolonged substance exposure.

A study on the correlates of habit-, reward-, and fear-related motivations in alcohol use disorder.

OBJECTIVE: We assessed self-reported drives for alcohol use and their impact on clinical features of alcohol use disorder (AUD) patients. Our prediction was that, in contrast to "affectively" (reward or fear) driven drinking, "habitual" drinking would be associated with worse clinical features in relation to alcohol use and higher occurrence of associated psychiatric symptoms. METHODS: Fifty-eight Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) alcohol abuse patients were assessed with a comprehensive battery of reward- and fear-based behavioral tendencies. An 18-item self-report instrument (the Habit, Reward and Fear Scale; HRFS) was employed to quantify affective (fear or reward) and non-affective (habitual) motivations for alcohol use. To characterize clinical and demographic measures associated with habit, reward, and fear, we conducted a partial least squares analysis. RESULTS: Habitual alcohol use was significantly associated with the severity of alcohol dependence reflected across a range of domains and with lower number of detoxifications across multiple settings. In contrast, reward-driven alcohol use was associated with a single domain of alcohol dependence, reward-related behavioral tendencies, and lower number of detoxifications. CONCLUSION: These results seem to be consistent with a shift from goal-directed to habit-driven alcohol use with severity and progression of addiction, complementing preclinical work and informing biological models of addiction. Both reward-related and habit-driven alcohol use were associated with lower number of detoxifications, perhaps stemming from more benign course for the reward-related and lack of treatment engagement for the habit-related alcohol abuse group. Future work should further explore the role of habit in this and other addictive disorders, and in obsessive-compulsive related disorders.

The relationship between obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety disorders: A question of diagnostic boundaries or simply severity of symptoms?

BACKGROUND: A growing number of studies are questioning the validity of current DSM diagnoses, either as "discrete" or distinct mental disorders and/or as phenotypically homogeneous syndromes. In this study, we investigated how symptom domains in patients with a main diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder (PD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD) coaggregate. We predicted that symptom domains would be unrelated to DSM diagnostic categories and less likely to cluster with each other as severity increases. METHODS: One-hundred eight treatment seeking patients with a main diagnosis of OCD, SAD or PD were assessed with the Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS), the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN), the Panic and Agoraphobia Scale (PAS), the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-Revised (ASI-R), and the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories (BDI and BAI, respectively). Subscores generated by each scale (herein termed "symptom domains") were used to categorize individuals into mild, moderate and severe subgroups through K-means clusterization and subsequently analysed by means of multiple correspondence analysis. RESULTS: Broadly, we observed that symptom domains of OCD, SAD or PD tend to cluster on the basis of their severities rather than their DSM diagnostic labels. In particular, symptom domains and disorders were grouped into (1) a single mild "neurotic" syndrome characterized by multiple, closely related and co-occurring mild symptom domains; (2) two moderate (complicated and uncomplicated) "neurotic" syndromes (the former associated with panic disorder); and (3) severe but dispersed "neurotic" symptom domains. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that symptoms domains of treatment seeking patients with OCD and anxiety disorders tend to be better conceptualized in terms of severity rather than rigid diagnostic boundaries.

A Psychophysiological and Behavioural Study of Slot Machine Near-Misses Using Immersive Virtual Reality.

During slot machine gambling, near-miss outcomes occur when the final winning icon lands one position off the pay-line. To understand how near-misses promote gambling behaviour in healthy populations, autonomic arousal is often used to index outcome response valence. Findings remain equivocal, possibly owing to the limited ecological validity of computer simulations. Relevant psychological traits, such as impulsivity, which increase the risk of problem gambling, are often not examined. Here, we used immersive virtual reality (VR) to investigate near-miss-induced changes in physiological arousal and VR gambling behaviour. Sixty adult participants with no history of problem gambling were immersed in a VR casino-bar where they engaged with a self-selected slot machine. Real-time heart rate (HR) data were acquired during immersion. Within-subjects analyses were conducted on HR and post-reinforcement pauses (PRPs; i.e., time taken to initiate next-spin) across wins, losses and near-misses. Significant HR acceleration occurred for both near-misses and losses compared to wins, indexing an initial orientation response. Both types of losses were associated with faster next-spin responses. Near-misses did not apparently have unique HR or PRP profiles from losses, although this may reflect our loss control condition, which in itself may have been a subtler near-miss outcome. Impulsivity measured by the SUPPS-P was not associated with near-miss responses. Losses may encourage gambling as participants experience more immediate HR acceleration (indexing arousal unique to losing) and initiate faster responses. Future studies should clarify this effect by investigating problem gambling cohorts and develop VR paradigms taking into consideration the current findings and limitations.

In vivo imaging of oxidative stress and fronto-limbic white matter integrity in young adults with mood disorders.

Fronto-limbic connectivity is compromised in mood disorders, as reflected by impairments in white matter (WM) integrity revealed by diffusion tensor imaging. Although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, disruption to normal myelination due to oxidative stress is thought to play a key role. We aimed to determine whether fronto-limbic WM integrity is compromised, and associated with in vivo antioxidant levels (indexed by glutathione; GSH), in young adults with unipolar depression (DEP) and bipolar (BD) disorders. Ninety-four patients with DEP, 76 with BD and 59 healthy controls (18-30 years) underwent diffusion tensor and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging. Fractional anisotropy (FA) was calculated from the cingulum bundle (cingulate, hippocampus), fornix, stria terminalis (ST) and uncinate fasciculus tracts. GSH concentration was measured in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and hippocampus (HIPP). Compared to controls, DEP showed significantly reduced FA in ST, whereas BD did not significantly differ in FA across the five tracts. There were significant positive correlations between ST-FA and HIPP-GSH across groups. Regression analysis revealed that having DEP or BD and reduced HIPP-GSH were significantly associated with reduced ST-FA. Similarly, decreased ST-FA was associated with poorer neuropsychological performance in conjunction with having DEP. Our findings suggest a structural disconnectivity specific to the limbic region of young adults with DEP. Decreased WM integrity was associated with depleted levels of hippocampal GSH suggesting that this particular disruption may be linked to oxidative stress at early stages of illness. Young adults with BD do not have the same degree of impairment.

Sleep-wake profiles predict longitudinal changes in manic symptoms and memory in young people with mood disorders.

Mood disorders are characterized by disabling symptoms and cognitive difficulties which may vary in intensity throughout the course of the illness. Sleep-wake cycles and circadian rhythms influence emotional regulation and cognitive functions. However, the relationships between the sleep-wake disturbances experienced commonly by people with mood disorders and the longitudinal changes in their clinical and cognitive profile are not well characterized. This study investigated associations between initial sleep-wake patterns and longitudinal changes in mood symptoms and cognitive functions in 50 young people (aged 13-33 years) with depression or bipolar disorder. Data were based on actigraphy monitoring conducted over approximately 2 weeks and clinical and neuropsychological assessment. As part of a longitudinal cohort study, these assessments were repeated after a mean follow-up interval of 18.9 months. No significant differences in longitudinal clinical changes were found between the participants with depression and those with bipolar disorder. Lower sleep efficiency was predictive of longitudinal worsening in manic symptoms (P = 0.007). Shorter total sleep time (P = 0.043) and poorer circadian rhythmicity (P = 0.045) were predictive of worsening in verbal memory. These findings suggest that some sleep-wake and circadian disturbances in young people with mood disorders may be associated with less favourable longitudinal outcomes, notably for subsequent manic symptoms and memory difficulties.

The underlying neurobiology of key functional domains in young people with mood and anxiety disorders: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Mood and anxiety disorders are leading causes of disability and mortality, due largely to their onset during adolescence and young adulthood and broader impact on functioning. Key factors that are associated with disability and these disorders in young people are social and economic participation (e.g. education, employment), physical health, suicide and self-harm behaviours, and alcohol and substance use. A better understanding of the objective markers (i.e. neurobiological parameters) associated with these factors is important for the development of effective early interventions that reduce the impact of disability and illness persistence. METHODS: We systematically reviewed the literature for neurobiological parameters (i.e. neuropsychology, neuroimaging, sleep-wake and circadian biology, neurophysiology and metabolic measures) associated with functional domains in young people (12 to 30 years) with mood and/or anxiety disorders. RESULTS: Of the one hundred and thirty-four studies selected, 7.6 % investigated social and economic participation, 2.1 % physical health, 15.3 % suicide and self-harm behaviours, 6.9 % alcohol and substance use, whereas the majority (68.1 %) focussed on clinical syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the predominance of studies that solely examine the clinical syndrome of young people the literature also provides evidence of distinct associations among objective measures (indexing various aspects of brain circuitry) and other functional domains. We suggest that a shift in focus towards characterising the mechanisms that underlie and/or mediate multiple functional domains will optimise personalised interventions and improve illness trajectories.

A prospective cohort study of depression course, functional disability, and NEET status in help-seeking young adults.

PURPOSE: To examine the associations between depression course, functional disability, and Not in Education or Training (NEET) status in a clinical sample of young adults with mental health problems. METHODS: Young adults aged 15-25 years seeking help from four primary mental health services were invited to participate in a prospective cohort study evaluating the course of psychiatric disorders in youth. Demographic and clinical characteristics, including depressive symptomatology and functioning, were evaluated through clinical interview and self-report at baseline and 12 month follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 448 young adults participated (70 % female; M: 20.05 years, SD = 2.85). A significant interaction effect for time and depression course was found, such that those who became depressed reported an increase in functional disability and those whose depression remitted reported a significant reduction in functional disability. Developing depression was not a significant predictor of becoming NEET and vice versa: remitted depression did not make a person more likely to reengage in employment or education. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to examine the course of depression, functional disability, and NEET rates among help-seeking young adults. This study confirms the importance of symptom reduction for improved functioning; however, functional disability remained greater than that seen in young people in the community and there was no association between a change in depression and a change in NEET status. These results argue that services need to address functional outcomes and reengagement with education and employment in addition to symptom reduction.

Cognitive dysfunction and functional disability in alcohol-dependent adults with or without a comorbid affective disorder.

INTRODUCTION: Little is known about the relationship between cognitive dysfunction and functional disability in alcohol dependence with comorbid affective disorders. We investigated the neuropsychology of alcohol dependence in detoxified adults with and without affective comorbidity and examined the factors associated with prolonged functional disability. METHODS: From a total of 42 participants (age range = 18-44 years), 12 out of 21 alcohol-dependent participants had a comorbid affective disorder, 12 had an affective disorder only, and 9 were healthy controls. Participants completed a semi-structured clinical interview, questionnaires and comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. RESULTS: Following detoxification (median = 35 days; M = 41.2 days, SD = 17.9), visual learning and memory functioning was worse in alcohol-dependent individuals. Comorbid affective disorders did not appear to exacerbate cognitive dysfunction. Psychiatric comorbidity and current depressive symptoms were predictive of poorer functional disability. Furthermore, learning and memory, and response inhibition, contributed significantly and independently to predicting functional disability over and above clinical and demographic factors. CONCLUSIONS: Psychiatric comorbidity does not appear to be associated with more pronounced neuropsychological dysfunction in alcohol dependence. Conversely, both comorbid affective disorders and cognitive factors were critical in determining the functional outcomes of alcohol-dependent adults recently undergoing medically supervised inpatient detoxification.

Cognitive inflexibility moderates the relationship between relief-driven drinking motives and alcohol use.

Introduction: Drinking motives and neurocognition play significant roles in predicting alcohol use. There is limited research examining how relief-driven drinking motives interact with neurocognition in alcohol use, which would help to elucidate the neurocognitive-motivational profiles most susceptible to harmful drinking. This study investigated the interactions between neurocognition (response inhibition and cognitive flexibility) and relief-driven drinking, in predicting problem drinking. Methods: Participants completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test - Consumption items (AUDIT-C) to measure drinking behaviour, and online cognitive tasks, including the Value-Modulated Attentional Capture and Reversal Task (VMAC-R) and the Stop Signal Task (SST). The sample (N = 368) were individuals who drink alcohol, which included a subsample (N = 52) with problematic drinking, as defined by self-identifying as having a primary drinking problem. Drinking motives were assessed using a binary coping question in the overall sample, and the Habit, Reward, and Fear Scale (HRFS) in the subsample. Moderation analyses were conducted to investigate whether cognitive flexibility and response inhibition moderated relationships between relief-driven motives and drinking. Results: Cognitive flexibility moderated the relationship between relief-driven motives and drinking (overall sample: ß = 13.69, p = 0.017; subsample: ß = 1.45, p = 0.013). Greater relief-driven motives were associated with heavier drinking for individuals with low cognitive flexibility. There was no significant interaction between response inhibition and relief-driven motives. Conclusions: Relief-driven drinking motives interact with cognitive inflexibility to drive heavier drinking. Greater understanding of these neurocognitive-motivational mechanisms may help to develop more targeted and effective interventions for reducing harmful drinking.

Examining the unique relationships between problematic use of the internet and impulsive and compulsive tendencies: network approach.

BACKGROUND: Both impulsivity and compulsivity have been identified as risk factors for problematic use of the internet (PUI). Yet little is known about the relationship between impulsivity, compulsivity and individual PUI symptoms, limiting a more precise understanding of mechanisms underlying PUI. AIMS: The current study is the first to use network analysis to (a) examine the unique association among impulsivity, compulsivity and PUI symptoms, and (b) identify the most influential drivers in relation to the PUI symptom community. METHOD: We estimated a Gaussian graphical model consisting of five facets of impulsivity, compulsivity and individual PUI symptoms among 370 Australian adults (51.1% female, mean age = 29.8, s.d. = 11.1). Network structure and bridge expected influence were examined to elucidate differential associations among impulsivity, compulsivity and PUI symptoms, as well as identify influential nodes bridging impulsivity, compulsivity and PUI symptoms. RESULTS: Results revealed that four facets of impulsivity (i.e. negative urgency, positive urgency, lack of premeditation and lack of perseverance) and compulsivity were related to different PUI symptoms. Further, compulsivity and negative urgency were the most influential nodes in relation to the PUI symptom community due to their highest bridge expected influence. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings delineate distinct relationships across impulsivity, compulsivity and PUI, which offer insights into potential mechanistic pathways and targets for future interventions in this space. To realise this potential, future studies are needed to replicate the identified network structure in different populations and determine the directionality of the relationships among impulsivity, compulsivity and PUI symptoms.

Neurocognitive predictors of addiction-related outcomes: A systematic review of longitudinal studies.

It is well-established that addiction is typically associated with a distinct pattern of neurocognitive functioning with a consensus that it is typified by impaired top-down executive control and aberrant risk-reward processing. Despite a consensus that neurocognition plays an important role in characterizing and maintaining addictive disorders, there is a lack of systematic, bottom-up synthesis of quantitative evidence showing that neurocognition predicts addictive behaviors, and which neurocognitive constructs have the best predictive validity. This systematic review aimed to assess whether cognitive control and risk-reward processes as defined by the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) predict the development and maintenance of addictive behaviors specifically, consumption, severity, and relapse. The findings from this review expose the substantial lack of evidence for neurocognition predicting addiction outcomes. However, there is evidence that suggests reward-related neurocognitive processes may be important for the detection of early risk for addiction, as well as a potentially viable target for designing novel, more effective interventions.

Distress-driven impulsivity interacts with trait compulsivity in association with problematic drinking: A two-sample study.

Objective: Problematic drinking is highly prevalent among the general population, oftentimes leading to significant negative consequences, including physical injury, psychological problems and financial hardship. In order to design targeted early interventions for problematic drinking, it is important to understand the mechanisms that render individuals at risk for and/or maintain this behavior. Two candidate drivers of problematic drinking are distress-driven impulsivity and trait compulsivity, with recent research suggesting these constructs may interact to enhance risk for addictive behaviors. The current study examined whether individual differences in distress-driven impulsivity and trait compulsivity interact in relation to problematic drinking. Method: Distress-driven impulsivity (indexed by the S-UPPS-P negative urgency subscale), trait compulsivity (indexed by the CHIT scale) and problematic drinking (indexed by the BATCAP alcohol scale) were assessed in two independent online samples (Sample 1, n = 117; Sample 2, n = 474). Bootstrapped moderation analysis was conducted to examine whether trait compulsivity moderated the relationship between distress-driven impulsivity and problematic drinking. Results: In both samples, there was a significant interaction between distress-driven impulsivity and trait compulsivity in relation to problematic drinking. Follow-up tests revealed that, in both samples, higher distress-driven impulsivity was associated with more problematic drinking behaviors among participants with high trait compulsivity only. Conclusions: The current findings add to the growing literature supporting an interactive relationship between impulsivity and compulsivity-related traits in relation to addictive behaviors and have implications for informing early detection of risk and targeted early interventions.

Transdiagnostic phenotypes of compulsive behavior and associations with psychological, cognitive, and neurobiological affective processing.

Compulsivity is a poorly understood transdiagnostic construct thought to underlie multiple disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, addictions, and binge eating. Our current understanding of the causes of compulsive behavior remains primarily based on investigations into specific diagnostic categories or findings relying on one or two laboratory measures to explain complex phenotypic variance. This proof-of-concept study drew on a heterogeneous sample of community-based individuals (N = 45; 18-45 years; 25 female) exhibiting compulsive behavioral patterns in alcohol use, eating, cleaning, checking, or symmetry. Data-driven statistical modeling of multidimensional markers was utilized to identify homogeneous subtypes that were independent of traditional clinical phenomenology. Markers were based on well-defined measures of affective processing and included psychological assessment of compulsivity, behavioral avoidance, and stress, neurocognitive assessment of reward vs. punishment learning, and biological assessment of the cortisol awakening response. The neurobiological validity of the subtypes was assessed using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Statistical modeling identified three stable, distinct subtypes of compulsivity and affective processing, which we labeled "Compulsive Non-Avoidant", "Compulsive Reactive" and "Compulsive Stressed". They differed meaningfully on validation measures of mood, intolerance of uncertainty, and urgency. Most importantly, subtypes captured neurobiological variance on amygdala-based resting-state functional connectivity, suggesting they were valid representations of underlying neurobiology and highlighting the relevance of emotion-related brain networks in compulsive behavior. Although independent larger samples are needed to confirm the stability of subtypes, these data offer an integrated understanding of how different systems may interact in compulsive behavior and provide new considerations for guiding tailored intervention decisions.

The Moderating Role of Psychological Flexibility on the Association between Distress-Driven Impulsivity and Problematic Internet Use.

BACKGROUND: Problematic internet use is receiving increasing attention in the addiction field, yet the mechanisms driving such behaviours remain unclear. Previous research has shown that impulsivity- and compulsivity-related constructs may interactively contribute to a range of problematic behaviours. The current study examined whether distress-driven impulsivity and psychological flexibility may interactively contribute to problematic internet use, which has not been addressed in prior literature. METHOD: Two hundred and one participants completed an online survey. Bootstrapped moderation analysis was conducted to examine the collected data on distress-driven impulsivity, psychological flexibility, and their interaction in relation to problematic internet use. RESULTS: The interaction between distress-driven impulsivity and psychological flexibility was significantly related to problematic internet use. Simple slope tests confirmed that distress-driven impulsivity was associated with problematic internet use among individuals with low flexibility levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the moderating role of psychological inflexibility in the association between distress-driven impulsivity and problematic internet use. Prevention and/or early interventions for problematic internet use should consider targeting psychological inflexibility and distress-driven impulsivity.