Washington, Jan. 4: Increased impulsivity, or a lack of impulse control, is a key characteristic of many psychiatric disorders, including alcohol dependence, suggests a study of brain processes published in ‘Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research’.
"Altered impulsivity is a prominent manifestation in many disinhibitory psychiatric disorders, such as alcohol- or substance-related disorders, conduct disorder, attention-deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), antisocial personality disorder (ASP), bipolar disorder, impulse control disorders, and so on," said Bernice Porjesz, professor and director of the Henri Begleiter Neurodynamics Laboratory at SUNY Downstate Medical Center.
"Individuals suffering with these disorders may frequently and unpredictably act without planning in advance or without regard to the negative consequences of their behaviors, which in turn can result in serious aftermath. In severe cases, it may lead to danger to the patient or to others," she added.
Terming the majority of psychiatric diseases as "complex diseases", the researchers said that their development is influenced by an underlying biological susceptibility of genetic factors, environmental factors, and interactions among multiple genes and the environment.
"Disinhibitory disorders share many similar clinical presentations as well as similar neurobiological abnormalities such as brain waves," said Porjesz.
"This suggests that this group of disorders may have some underlying genetic vulnerabilities in common that contribute to the disorders. One recent study of genetic and environmental contributions to internalizing and externalizing disorders determined that the single most important factor underlying externalizing disorders is a genetic liability involving impulse control," she added.
The researchers found that the alcohol-dependent subjects, as well as those individuals with high impulsivity, had significantly reduced frontal-lobe activity while processing the visual target signals.
"This is the first study to demonstrate that reduced brain activity in the frontal lobe during processing of target visual stimuli is highly related to impulsivity, regardless of a clinical diagnosis such as alcoholism," said Porjesz.
Porjesz noted that impulsivity as a behavioral process is essential for normal and socially relevant functioning, but "an increased level of impulsiveness may indicate that an individual is more vulnerable than others to behaviors such as excessive drinking, abuse of illicit drugs, and perhaps the development of other disinhibitory disorders. Awareness of this increased vulnerability can aid in better prevention strategies, and early identification of individuals manifesting high impulsivity may prevent more serious clinical outcomes." (ANI)