Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Novel Pharmacological Agents for the Treatment of Cocaine Use Disorder
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis narrative review aims to summarize the literature on novel pharmacological agents with potential for the treatment of cocaine use disorder.Recent FindingsAvailable data on several agents suggest a broad range of neurobiological targets and mechanisms. While the mechanisms of several of these agents converge on the regulation of dopamine pathways, several other related or independent mechanisms may explain their potential benefits. For example, cholinergic agents may improve cognition, serotonergic agents like 5HT2C agonists may reduce impulsivity and anxiety, alpha-adrenergic antagonists may r...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - February 28, 2022 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Affect-Related Brain Activity and Adolescent Substance Use: a Systematic Review
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis review aims to summarize the research on brain activity during affective processing (i.e., reward, negative emotional stimuli, loss) and adolescent substance use (SU).Recent FindingsMost research revealed links between altered neural activity in midcingulo-insular, frontoparietal and other network regions and adolescent SU. Increased recruitment of midcingulo-insular regions —particularly the striatum —to positive affective stimuli (e.g., monetary reward) was most often associated with initiation and low-level use of substances, whereas decreased recruitment of these regions was most often...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - January 20, 2022 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Interactions of Emotion and Memory in the Aging Brain: Neural and Psychological Correlates
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis review aims to summarize current research on the psychological and neural substrates of emotion and memory in aging.Recent FindingsEmotional memory remains largely intact with age; however, there are mixed findings regarding what type of information is preserved. Shifts in functional connectivity in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and frontal cortex may underlie emotional memory alterations in aging and are particularly vulnerable to age-related disorders. However, we may be able to harness the interaction between emotion and memory to alleviate memory dysfunction in late life.SummaryThe relati...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - January 13, 2022 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Immersion in Substance-Related and Behavioural Addictions: Neural Systems and Neurochemical Substrates
AbstractPurpose of ReviewProblematic engagement in slot machine gambling has been linked to a state of immersion: heightened attention on the activity (i.e., gambling) at the expense of other mental processing. This review considers the relevance of this state to substance-related addictions, and other behavioural addictions besides disordered gambling. We further evaluate current knowledge on the neural systems and neurochemical substrates implicated in immersion.Recent FindingsPrior research has primarily considered immersive experiences from a lens of either dissociation (clinical symptoms indicating detachment from rea...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - January 11, 2022 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Good Psychiatric Management for Obsessive –Compulsive Personality Disorder
AbstractPurpose of ReviewObsessive –compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is a prevalent personality disorder that frequently presents in health care settings with other psychiatric comorbidities. However, no OCPD treatment guidelines for a general mental health clinician have been proposed.This review summarizes current, clinically relevant knowledge about OCPD and introduces a pragmatic and accessible treatment model: Good Psychiatric Management (GPM) for OCPD.Recent FindingsGPM for OCPD offers clinicians a straightforward framework for understanding and treating OCPD patients, informed by eight principles: (1) diagno...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - November 25, 2021 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

The Effects of Alcohol and Cannabis Co-use on Neurocognitive Function, Brain Structure, and Brain Function
AbstractPurpose of ReviewGiven increases in the rates of alcohol and cannabis co-use among adolescents and young adults, this review aims to summarize literature on the effects of alcohol and cannabis co-use on neurocognitive functioning, brain structure, and brain function.Recent FindingsThe limited existing studies examining concurrent, recent, and lifetime alcohol and cannabis co-use suggest effects on the brain are likely multifaceted. The majority of studies report that co-use is associated with negative outcomes such as impaired cognitive function and significant alterations in key structural and functional regions o...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - November 18, 2021 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

A Future of Current Flow Modelling for Transcranial Electrical Stimulation?
AbstractPurpose of ReviewTranscranial electrical stimulation (tES) is used to non-invasively modulate brain activity in health and disease. Current flow modeling (CFM) provides estimates of where and how much electrical current is delivered to in the brain during tES. It therefore holds promise as a method to reduce commonplace variability in tES delivery and, in turn, the outcomes of stimulation. However, the adoption of CFM has not yet been widespread and its impact on tES outcome variability is unclear. Here, we discuss the potential barriers to effective, practical CFM-informed tES use.Recent Fi...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - November 16, 2021 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

The Neurocognitive Effects of Cannabis Across the Lifespan
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis review examines the neurocognitive effects of cannabis and relevant developmental factors across adolescence (age 13 –21), adulthood (21–65), and older adulthood (65 +).Recent FindingsCannabis use is robustly associated with poorer neurocognitive functioning; however, studies that carefully control for confounds have often not found any evidence for impairment. Notably, the endocannabinoid system may underly how cannabis use affects neurocognitive functions, including heightened vulnerability during adolescence. In contrast, the endocannabinoid system may underlie protective neurocogniti...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - November 15, 2021 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Neural and Behavioral Correlates of Impaired Insight and Self-awareness in Substance Use Disorder
AbstractPurpose of ReviewClinical insight is an emerging interest in substance use disorder research, but is difficult to study empirically. We reviewed recent research examining the behavioral and neural correlates of several psychological processes tapping into self-awareness that may in turn contribute to insight.Recent FindingsIndividuals with substance use disorder exhibit deficits in self-monitoring (especially self-report/behavior dissociations), metacognition, alexithymia, readiness for behavior change, and interoception. Behavioral impairments have been further linked to neural abnormalities in a diverse network o...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - November 6, 2021 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Racial Disparities in the Treatment of Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: How Far Have We Come?
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis paper reviews the literature examining antipsychotic prescription disparities between white people and black people.Recent FindingsDespite literature documenting racial discrepancies in diagnosis, there have been limited studies examining disparities in antipsychotic prescription between white people and black people. Studies have demonstrated that black people are more likely to receive first generation antipsychotics, higher antipsychotic doses, and long acting injectables, but less likely to receive clozapine. Much of this work was done in the early 2000s.SummaryFuture research directions i...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - October 14, 2021 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Advances in the Neurobiology of Food Addiction
AbstractPurpose of ReviewTo summarize recent neurobiological evidence for (1) the addictive potential of ultra-processed foods and (2) the utility of food addiction, defined by behavioral criteria, as a clinically meaningful type of disordered eating.Recent FindingsUltra-processed foods appear to be capable of triggering biobehavioral mechanisms associated with addiction (e.g., dopaminergic sensitization, enhanced motivation), whereas naturally occurring foods do not appear to produce addictive-like responses. Neuroimaging studies have elucidated parallel mechanisms in food addiction and substance-use disorders, including ...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - October 6, 2021 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

COVID-19 and Psychotic Symptoms: the View from Psychiatric Immunology
AbstractPurpose of ReviewTo explore the immunological underpinnings of psychosis in the COVID-19 patients.Recent FindingsCOVID-19 pandemic led to a surge in psychiatric morbidities, including psychosis. Various putative biological and psychosocial changes have been implicated in COVID-19-related psychosis. COVID-19 is a proinflammatory state. Alterations in immunological processes both as a direct consequence of infection or secondary to the hyperimmune response heuristically explain the etiopathogenesis of psychosis in the affected individual. The uses of immunosuppressant and immunomodulatory drugs may be the other moder...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - October 4, 2021 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

The Impact of Context on EEG Motor Imagery Neurofeedback and Related Motor Domains
AbstractNeurofeedback (NF) is a versatile non-invasive neuromodulation technique. In combination with motor imagery (MI), NF has considerable potential for enhancing motor performance or supplementing motor rehabilitation. However, not all users achieve reliable NF control. While research has focused on various brain signal properties and the optimisation of signal processing to solve this issue, the impact of context, i.e. the conditions in which NF motor tasks occur, is comparatively unknown. We review current research on the impact of context on MI NF and related motor domains. We identify long-term factors that act at ...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - August 20, 2021 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

The Effects of Anhedonia in Social Context
AbstractPurpose of ReviewAnhedonia is a transdiagnostic symptom comprising reduced subjective reward or pleasure. Anhedonia influences subjective anticipation and in-the-moment experiences. This review draws together affective learning and engagement evidence for anhedonia affecting subjective experiences of social environments.Recent FindingsWhile social engagement is diminished consistently, subjective appraisals of social contexts vary across different mental health disorders. Low positive affect during social experiences or stimuli is reported in PTSD, mood, schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders. Diminished neural rewar...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - July 30, 2021 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Neuropsychological Constructs in Gaming Disorders: a Systematic Review
DiscussionChanges in neurocognitive features in IGD are similar to substance use disorders and gambling disorder, suggesting the pathology may develop by similar mechanisms. Counterintuitively, the improved performance in non-IGD gaming populations in some studies suggests that video game experience itself, distinct from addiction towards games, may improve performance in error processing and reaction times. Future research incorporating IGD comorbidities, longitudinal designs to establish causality, and standard diagnostic cutoffs are needed. (Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports)
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - April 24, 2021 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research