Schema therapy for patients with borderline personality disorder and comorbid alcohol dependence: A multiple-baseline case series design study.

This study tested the effectiveness of schema therapy (ST) for borderline personality disorder (BPD) and comorbid alcohol dependence (AD). Twenty patients participated in a case series study with multiple baselines. The baseline phase consisted of treatment as usual. It was followed by a case conceptualization phase, an experiential techniques phase and a behavioural change phase. Patients showed a significant decrease in BPD and AD symptoms; change was mainly accomplished in the experiential techniques phase, with medium to large effect sizes. Three months after termination of therapy, 68% of the patients had remitted from BPD, and the number of drinking days decreased clearly. This study shows that, although treatment is challenging in this group of patients, meaningful change can be obtained in patients with BPD and AD using ST.

Early life stress and behavior problems in early childhood: Investigating the contributions of child temperament and executive functions to resilience.

This preregistered study examined whether child temperament and executive functions moderated the longitudinal association between early life stress (ELS) and behavior problems. In a Dutch population-based cohort (n = 2803), parents reported on multiple stressors (age 0-6 years), child temperament (age 5), and executive functions (age 4), and teachers rated child internalizing and externalizing problems (age 7). Results showed that greater ELS was related to higher levels of internalizing and externalizing problems, with betas reflecting small effects. Lower surgency buffered the positive association of ELS with externalizing problems, while better shifting capacities weakened the positive association between ELS and internalizing problems. Other child characteristics did not act as moderators. Findings underscore the importance of examining multiple protective factors simultaneously.

Characteristics and stability of hallucinations and delusions in patients with borderline personality disorder.

BACKGROUND: Psychotic features have been part of the description of the borderline personality disorder (BPD) ever since the concept "borderline" was introduced. However, there is still much to learn about the presence and characteristics of delusions and about the stability of both hallucinations and delusions in patients with BPD. METHODS: A follow-up study was conducted in 326 BPD outpatients (median time between baseline and follow-up = 3.16 years). Data were collected via telephone (n = 267) and face-to-face interviews (n = 60) including the Comprehensive Assessment of Symptoms and History interview, Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale and the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scale. RESULTS: The point prevalence of delusions was 26%, with a median strong delusion conviction. For the group as a whole, the presence and severity of both hallucinations and delusions was found to be stable at follow-up. Participants with persistent hallucinations experienced more comorbid psychiatric disorders, and they differed from those with intermittent or sporadic hallucinations with their hallucinations being characterized by a higher frequency, causing a higher intensity of distress and more disruption in daytime or social activities. CONCLUSIONS: Delusions in patients with BPD occur frequently and cause distress. Contrary to tenacious beliefs, hallucinations and delusions in participants with BPD are often present in an intermittent or persistent pattern. Persistent hallucinations can be severe, causing disruption of life. Overall, we advise to refrain from terms such as "pseudo", or assume transience when encountering psychotic phenomena in patients with BPD, but rather to carefully assess these experiences and initiate a tailor-made treatment plan.

Sensation seeking and its relationship with psychopathic traits, impulsivity and aggression: a validation of the Dutch Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (BSSS).

Sensation seeking is a personality trait that manifests as a preference for change, variety and novelty. Sensation seeking has been positively associated with different externalising behaviours. However, its associations with psychopathic traits, impulsivity and aggression are unclear. These associations were examined via the psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (BSSS) using individuals from the general population and forensic patients. The results show that the BSSS has good psychometric properties, including test-retest reliability and a four-factor structure. Additionally, the results support associations between sensation seeking and psychopathic traits, impulsivity and total scores of aggression but revealed no specific associations with different types of aggression (e.g. proactive and reactive). The Dutch BSSS is a valuable tool for assessing sensation seeking in both the general population and forensic patients. Future research should further examine its utility and explore the role of sensation seeking in antisocial conduct.

Alcohol use and brain morphology in adolescence: A longitudinal study in three different cohorts.

Alcohol consumption is commonly initiated during adolescence, but the effects on human brain development remain unknown. In this multisite study, we investigated the longitudinal associations of adolescent alcohol use and brain morphology. Three longitudinal cohorts in the Netherlands (BrainScale n = 200, BrainTime n = 239 and a subsample of the Generation R study n = 318) of typically developing participants aged between 8 and 29 years were included. Adolescent alcohol use was self-reported. Longitudinal neuroimaging data were collected for at least two time points. Processing pipelines and statistical analyses were harmonized across cohorts. Main outcomes were global and regional brain volumes, which were a priori selected. Linear mixed effect models were used to test main effects of alcohol use and interaction effects of alcohol use with age in each cohort separately. Alcohol use was associated with adolescent's brain morphology showing accelerated decrease in grey matter volumes, in particular in the frontal and cingulate cortex volumes, and decelerated increase in white matter volumes. No dose-response association was observed. The findings were most prominent and consistent in the older cohorts (BrainScale and BrainTime). In summary, this longitudinal study demonstrated differences in neurodevelopmental trajectories of grey and white matter volume in adolescents who consume alcohol compared with non-users. These findings highlight the importance to further understand underlying neurobiological mechanisms when adolescents initiate alcohol consumption. Therefore, further studies need to determine to what extent this reflects the causal nature of this association, as this longitudinal observational study does not allow for causal inference.

Diminished error-related negativity and error positivity in children and adults with externalizing problems and disorders: a meta-analysis on error processing.

BACKGROUND: Deficits in error processing are reflected in an inability of people with externalizing problems to adjust their problem behaviour. The present study contains 2 meta-analyses, testing whether error processing - indexed by the event-related potentials error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe) - is reduced in children and adults with externalizing problems and disorders compared to healthy controls. METHODS: We conducted a systematic search in PubMed (1980 to December 2018), PsycInfo (1980 to December 2018) and Scopus (1970 to December 2018), identifying 328 studies. We included studies that measured error processing using the Eriksen flanker task, the go/no-go task or the stop-signal task in healthy controls and in adults or children with clearly described externalizing behavioural problems (e.g., aggression) or a clinical diagnosis on the externalizing spectrum (e.g., addiction). RESULTS: Random-effect models (ERN: 23 studies, 1739 participants; Pe: 27 studies, 1456 participants) revealed a reduced ERN amplitude (Hedges' g = 0.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.29 to 0.58) and a reduced Pe amplitude (Hedges' g = -0.27, 95% CI -0.44 to -0.09) during error processing in people with externalizing problems or disorders compared to healthy controls. Type of diagnosis, age and the presence of performance feedback or comorbidity did not moderate the results. The employed cognitive task was a moderator for Pe but not for ERN. The go/no-go task generated a greater amplitude difference in Pe than the Eriksen flanker task. Small-sample assessment revealed evidence of publication bias for both event-related potentials. However, a p curve analysis for ERN showed that evidential value was present; for Pe, the p curve analysis was inconclusive. LIMITATIONS: The moderators did not explain the potential heterogeneity in most of the analysis, suggesting that other disorder- and patient-related factors affect error processing. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate the presence of compromised error processing in externalizing psychopathology, suggesting diminished activation of the prefrontal cortex during performance monitoring.

Goal-Directed and Habitual Control in Smokers.

INTRODUCTION: Harmful behavior such as smoking may reflect a disturbance in the balance of goal-directed and habitual control. Animal models suggest that habitual control develops after prolonged substance use. In this study, we investigated whether smokers (N = 49) differ from controls (N = 46) in the regulation of goal-directed and habitual behavior. It was also investigated whether individual differences in nicotine dependence levels were associated with habitual responding. METHODS: We used two different multistage instrumental learning tasks that consist of an instrumental learning phase, subsequent outcome devaluation, and a testing phase to measure the balance between goal-directed and habitual responding. The testing phases of these tasks occurred after either appetitive versus avoidance instrumental learning. The appetitive versus aversive instrumental learning stages in the two different tasks modeled positive versus negative reinforcement, respectively. RESULTS: Smokers and nonsmoking controls did not differ on habitual versus goal-directed control in either task. Individual differences in nicotine dependence within the group of smokers, however, were positively associated with habitual responding after appetitive instrumental learning. This effect seems to be due to impaired stimulus-outcome learning, thereby hampering goal-directed task performance and tipping the balance to habitual responding. CONCLUSIONS: The current finding highlights the importance of individual differences within smokers. For future research, neuroimaging studies are suggested to further unravel the nature of the imbalance between goal-directed versus habitual control in severely dependent smokers by directly measuring activity in the corresponding brain systems. IMPLICATIONS: Goal-directed versus habitual behavior in substance use and addiction is highly debated. This study investigated goal-directed versus habitual control in smokers. The findings suggest that smokers do not differ from controls in goal-directed versus habitual control. Individual differences in nicotine dependence within smokers, however, were positively associated with habitual responding after appetitive instrumental learning. This effect seems to be due to impaired stimulus-outcome learning, thereby hampering goal-directed task performance and tipping the balance to habitual responding. These findings add to the ongoing debate on habitual versus goal-directed control in addiction and emphasize the importance of individual differences within smokers.

Putamen functional connectivity during inhibitory control in smokers and non-smokers.

The putamen has been shown to play a key role in inhibitory control and addiction, and consists of distinct subregions associated with distinct functions. The anterior putamen is thought to be specialized in goal-directed control or response-monitoring in connection with frontal regions, whereas the posterior part is specialized in habitual or automatic responding in connection with sensorimotor regions. The present study is the first to delineate functional networks of the anterior and posterior putamen in a Go-NoGo response inhibition task, and to examine differences between smokers (n = 25) and non-smokers (n = 23) within these networks. Functional connectivity analyses were conducted on fMRI data from a Go-NoGo study, using the generalized form of psychophysiological interaction with anterior and posterior putamen seed regions. In the context of inhibition, the anterior putamen exhibited connectivity with the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and precuneus (pFWE < .05), which was in line with previous literature. Conversely, the posterior putamen showed connectivity with regions implicated in sensorimotor processing. When we compared smokers to non-smokers, we did not observe the expected weaker connectivity between the anterior putamen and ACC during inhibition in smokers. Instead, our study revealed stronger inhibition-related connectivity between the anterior putamen and right insula in smokers. This finding highlights the involvement of putamen - insula interactions in addiction and impulse control.

Schema Modes and Personality Disorder Symptoms in Alcohol-Dependent and Cocaine-Dependent Patients.

Substance use disorders (SUD) and personality disorders co-occur frequently. This relationship might be understood by studying schema modes (a key concept in Schema therapy), which explain the dysfunctions characterizing personality disorder patients. In the present study, we compared the schema modes and personality disorder symptoms between alcohol-dependent patients, cocaine-dependent patients and healthy controls. We found indications that specific schema modes are specific for SUD patients. However, no differences between specific subtypes of SUD patients (alcohol- vs. cocaine-dependent patients) could be found regarding schema modes. Further, it is suggested that borderline personality disorder symptoms are highly relevant for SUD patients. A first step is made in understanding the relationship between schema modes and SUD, which may contribute to the understanding of the problematic behaviour seen in patients with personality disorders and SUD (and may possibly contribute to the improvement of the treatment of this group of patients).

The Relation Between Trait Anger and Impulse Control in Forensic Psychiatric Patients: An EEG Study.

Inhibitory control is considered to be one of the key factors in explaining individual differences in trait anger and reactive aggression. Yet, only a few studies have assessed electroencephalographic (EEG) activity with respect to response inhibition in high trait anger individuals. The main goal of this study was therefore to investigate whether individual differences in trait anger in forensic psychiatric patients are associated with individual differences in anger-primed inhibitory control using behavioral and electrophysiological measures of response inhibition. Thirty-eight forensic psychiatric patients who had a medium to high risk of recidivism of violent and/or non-violent behaviors performed an affective Go/NoGo task while EEG was recorded. On the behavioral level, we found higher scores on trait anger to be accompanied by lower accuracy on NoGo trials, especially when anger was primed. With respect to the physiological data we found, as expected, a significant inverse relation between trait anger and the error related negativity amplitudes. Contrary to expectation, trait anger was not related to the stimulus-locked event related potentials (i.e., N2/P3). The results of this study support the notion that in a forensic population trait anger is inversely related to impulse control, particularly in hostile contexts. Moreover, our data suggest that higher scores on trait anger are associated with deficits in automatic error-processing which may contribute the continuation of impulsive angry behaviors despite their negative consequences.

Behavioral Outcome Effects of Serious Gaming as an Adjunct to Treatment for Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: The need for accessible and motivating treatment approaches within mental health has led to the development of an Internet-based serious game intervention (called "Plan-It Commander") as an adjunct to treatment as usual for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). OBJECTIVE: The aim was to determine the effects of Plan-It Commander on daily life skills of children with ADHD in a multisite randomized controlled crossover open-label trial. METHODS: Participants (N=170) in this 20-week trial had a diagnosis of ADHD and ranged in age from 8 to 12 years (male: 80.6%, 137/170; female: 19.4%, 33/170). They were randomized to a serious game intervention group (group 1; n=88) or a treatment-as-usual crossover group (group 2; n=82). Participants randomized to group 1 received a serious game intervention in addition to treatment as usual for the first 10 weeks and then received treatment as usual for the next 10 weeks. Participants randomized to group 2 received treatment as usual for the first 10 weeks and crossed over to the serious game intervention in addition to treatment as usual for the subsequent 10 weeks. Primary (parent report) and secondary (parent, teacher, and child self-report) outcome measures were administered at baseline, 10 weeks, and 10-week follow-up. RESULTS: After 10 weeks, participants in group 1 compared to group 2 achieved significantly greater improvements on the primary outcome of time management skills (parent-reported; P=.004) and on secondary outcomes of the social skill of responsibility (parent-reported; P=.04), and working memory (parent-reported; P=.02). Parents and teachers reported that total social skills improved over time within groups, whereas effects on total social skills and teacher-reported planning/organizing skills were nonsignificant between groups. Within group 1, positive effects were maintained or further improved in the last 10 weeks of the study. Participants in group 2, who played the serious game during the second period of the study (weeks 10 to 20), improved on comparable domains of daily life functioning over time. CONCLUSIONS: Plan-It Commander offers an effective therapeutic approach as an adjunct intervention to traditional therapeutic ADHD approaches that improve functional outcomes in daily life. TRIAL REGISTRATION: International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN): 62056259; http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN62056259 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6eNsiTDJV).

Anger Assessment in Clinical and Nonclinical Populations: Further Validation of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2.

OBJECTIVE: The most commonly used instrument for measuring anger is the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2; Spielberger, 1999). This study further examines the validity of the STAXI-2 and compares anger scores between several clinical and nonclinical samples. METHOD: Reliability, concurrent, and construct validity were investigated in Dutch undergraduate students (N = 764), a general population sample (N = 1211), and psychiatric outpatients (N = 226). RESULTS: The results support the reliability and validity of the STAXI-2. Concurrent validity was strong, with meaningful correlations between the STAXI-2 scales and anger-related constructs in both clinical and nonclinical samples. Importantly, patients showed higher experience and expression of anger than the general population sample. Additionally, forensic outpatients with addiction problems reported higher Anger Expression-Out than general psychiatric outpatients. CONCLUSION: Our conclusion is that the STAXI-2 is a suitable instrument to measure both the experience and the expression of anger in both general and clinical populations.

Validation of the cocaine versions of the Obsessive Compulsive Drug Use Scale and the Desires for Drug Questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: The Obsessive Compulsive Drug Use Scale (OCDUS) and the Desires for Drug Questionnaire (DDQ) are two frequently used drug craving questionnaires. Although both heroin and cocaine versions of the questionnaires exist, only the heroin versions have been psychometrically evaluated. The present study was conducted to evaluate the psychometric qualities of the cocaine versions of the OCDUS (OCDUS-C) and DDQ (DDQ-C). METHODS: Cocaine-dependent inpatients (n = 101) completed both scales as well as a Visual Analogue Craving Scale (VACS), an alternative, one-item index for assessing momentary craving. We examined the reliability (internal consistency), construct validity (factor structure), and concurrent validity (correlations among both questionnaires, the VACS, and indicators of severity of dependence). A subsample also completed the OCDUS-C and DDQ-C for a second time, one week after the initial administration to obtain a preliminary investigation of the test-retest reliability. RESULTS: In general, both questionnaires displayed good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and concurrent validity. Further, the construct validity of both the DDQ and OCDUS was demonstrated by means of confirmatory factor analyses showing the expected three-factor models. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the OCDUS and DDQ for cocaine are both easy to administer and reliable instruments to assist the clinical practitioner or researcher to measure craving in cocaine dependent subjects. Moreover, the factor structure for the cocaine versions were similar to the heroin versions, indicating the OCDUS and the DDQ can be reliably used to measure craving for both substances, enabling a direct comparison between heroin and cocaine craving.

Systematic review of ERP and fMRI studies investigating inhibitory control and error processing in people with substance dependence and behavioural addictions.

BACKGROUND: Several current theories emphasize the role of cognitive control in addiction. The present review evaluates neural deficits in the domains of inhibitory control and error processing in individuals with substance dependence and in those showing excessive addiction-like behaviours. The combined evaluation of event-related potential (ERP) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) findings in the present review offers unique information on neural deficits in addicted individuals. METHODS: We selected 19 ERP and 22 fMRI studies using stop-signal, go/no-go or Flanker paradigms based on a search of PubMed and Embase. RESULTS: The most consistent findings in addicted individuals relative to healthy controls were lower N2, error-related negativity and error positivity amplitudes as well as hypoactivation in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), inferior frontal gyrus and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These neural deficits, however, were not always associated with impaired task performance. With regard to behavioural addictions, some evidence has been found for similar neural deficits; however, studies are scarce and results are not yet conclusive. Differences among the major classes of substances of abuse were identified and involve stronger neural responses to errors in individuals with alcohol dependence versus weaker neural responses to errors in other substance-dependent populations. LIMITATIONS: Task design and analysis techniques vary across studies, thereby reducing comparability among studies and the potential of clinical use of these measures. CONCLUSION: Current addiction theories were supported by identifying consistent abnormalities in prefrontal brain function in individuals with addiction. An integrative model is proposed, suggesting that neural deficits in the dorsal ACC may constitute a hallmark neurocognitive deficit under lying addictive behaviours, such as loss of control.

The clinical relevance of attentional bias in substance use disorders.

Individuals with substance use disorders typically show an "attentional bias" for substance-related cues: Those cues are able to grab and hold the attention, in preference to other cues in the environment. We discuss the theoretical context for this work before reviewing the measurement of attentional bias, and its relationship to motivational state and relapse to substance use after a period of abstinence. Finally, we discuss the implications of this research for the treatment of substance use disorders. We conclude that attentional bias is associated with subjective craving, and that moment-by-moment fluctuations in attentional bias may precede relapse to substance use. The evidence regarding the predictive relationship between attentional bias assessed in treatment contexts and subsequent relapse is inconsistent. Furthermore, there is currently insufficient evidence to endorse attentional bias modification as a treatment for substance use disorders. Clinical implications and suggestions for future research are highlighted.

Pharmacological interventions to modulate attentional bias in addiction.

Attentional bias in substance-dependent patients is the tendency to automatically direct attention to substance-related cues in the environment. Preclinical models suggest that attentional bias emerges as a consequence of dopaminergic activity evoked by substance-related cues. The aim of the current review is to describe pharmacological mechanisms underlying attentional bias in humans and to critically review empirical studies that aimed to modulate attentional bias in substance-dependent patients by using pharmacological agents. The findings of the reviewed studies suggest that attentional bias and related brain activation may be modulated by dopamine. All of the reviewed studies investigated acute effects of pharmacological agents, while measurements of chronic pharmacological treatments on attentional bias and clinically relevant measures such as relapse are yet lacking. Therefore, the current findings should be interpreted as a proof of principle concerning the role of dopamine in attentional bias. At the moment, there is too little evidence for clinical applications. While the literature search was not limited to dopamine, there is a lack of studies investigating the role of non-dopaminergic neurotransmitter systems in substance-related attentional bias. A focus on neurotransmitter systems such as acetylcholine and noradrenaline could provide new insights regarding the pharmacology of substance-related attentional bias.

Heightened sensitivity to punishment and reward in anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate reinforcement sensitivity in anorexia nervosa (AN). It was tested whether self-reported punishment (PS) and reward sensitivity (RS) differed between adolescents with AN and healthy controls, and/or between AN-subtypes. In addition, the predictive validity of PS and RS was examined for AN symptoms one year later. METHOD: In total, 165 female adolescents admitted for treatment of AN or eating disorder not otherwise specified resembling AN and 72 controls participated in the study. Participants completed measurements for eating disorder severity and the Sensitivity to Punishment/Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ). Percentage of underweight and severity of AN symptoms were measured again after one year in individuals with AN. RESULTS: Individuals with AN scored higher on PS and RS than controls. In addition, the AN purging type showed higher PS than the AN restrictive type, whereas there were no differences in RS between AN-subtypes. Regression analyses indicated that PS and RS were independently associated with the degree of eating disorder symptoms, whereas only PS was related to percentage underweight. Yet, neither RS nor PS were related to percentage of underweight and AN symptoms after one year. DISCUSSION: Although the present study clearly demonstrated that heightened punishment and reward sensitivity are both linked to AN, there was no evidence that these characteristics are also involved in the course of AN symptoms.

Getting closer to social interactions using electroencephalography in developmental cognitive neuroscience.

The field of developmental cognitive neuroscience is advancing rapidly, with large-scale, population-wide, longitudinal studies emerging as a key means of unraveling the complexity of the developing brain and cognitive processes in children. While numerous neuroscientific techniques like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), magnetoencephalography (MEG), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have proved advantageous in such investigations, this perspective proposes a renewed focus on electroencephalography (EEG), leveraging underexplored possibilities of EEG. In addition to its temporal precision, low costs, and ease of application, EEG distinguishes itself with its ability to capture neural activity linked to social interactions in increasingly ecologically valid settings. Specifically, EEG can be measured during social interactions in the lab, hyperscanning can be used to study brain activity in two (or more) people simultaneously, and mobile EEG can be used to measure brain activity in real-life settings. This perspective paper summarizes research in these three areas, making a persuasive argument for the renewed inclusion of EEG into the toolkit of developmental cognitive and social neuroscientists.

Parental rearing behavior prospectively predicts adolescents' risky decision-making and feedback-related electrical brain activity.

The present study examined the role of parental rearing behavior in adolescents' risky decision-making and the brain's feedback processing mechanisms. Healthy adolescent participants (n = 110) completed the EMBU-C, a self-report questionnaire on perceived parental rearing behaviors between 2006 and 2008 (T1). Subsequently, after an average of 3.5 years, we assessed (a) risky decision-making during performance of the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART); (b) event-related brain potentials (ERPs) elicited by positive (gain) and negative feedback (loss) during the BART; and (c) self-reported substance use behavior (T2). Age-corrected regression analyses showed that parental rejection at T1 accounted for a unique and significant proportion of the variance in risk-taking during the BART; the more adolescents perceived their parents as rejecting, the more risky decisions were made. Higher levels of perceived emotional warmth predicted increased P300 amplitudes in response to positive feedback at T2. Moreover, these larger P300 amplitudes (gain) significantly predicted risky decision-making during the BART. Parental rearing behaviors during childhood thus seem to be significant predictors of both behavioral and electrophysiological indices of risky decision-making in adolescence several years later. This is in keeping with the notion that environmental factors such as parental rearing are important in explaining adolescents' risk-taking propensities.

Blunted feedback processing during risky decision making in adolescents with a parental history of substance use disorders.

Risky decision making, a hallmark phenotype of substance use disorders (SUD), is thought to be associated with deficient feedback processing. Whether these aberrations are present prior to SUD onset or reflect merely a consequence of chronic substance use on the brain remains unclear. The present study investigated whether blunted feedback processing during risky decision making reflects a biological predisposition to SUD. We assessed event-related potentials elicited by positive and negative feedback during performance of a modified version of the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) among high-risk adolescents with a parental history of SUD (HR; n = 61) and normal-risk controls (NR; n = 91). HR males made significantly more risky and faster decisions during the BART than did NR controls. Moreover, HR adolescents showed significantly reduced P300 amplitudes in response to both positive and negative feedback as compared to NR controls. These differences were not secondary to prolonged substance use exposure. Results are discussed in terms of feedback-specific processes. Reduced P300 amplitudes in the BART may reflect poor processing of feedback at the level of overall salience, which may keep people from effectively predicting the probability of future gains and losses. Though conclusions are tentative, blunted feedback processing during risky decision making may represent a promising endophenotypic vulnerability marker for SUD.