Relationships Between Impulsivity, Anxiety, and Risk-Taking and the Neural Correlates of Attention in Adolescents

ABSTRACT

Although impulsivity, anxiety, and risk-taking may relate to attentional processes, little research has directly investigated how each may be associated with specific facets of attentional processes and their underlying neural correlates. Nineteen adolescents performed a functional magnetic resonance imaging task involving simple, selective, and divided attention. Out-of-scanner-assessed impulsivity, anxiety, and risk-taking scores were not correlated with each other and showed task-phase-specific patterns of association. Results are discussed in light of research and theory suggesting a relationship between these domains and attention and may serve to focus future research aiming to understand these relationships.

Funding and disclosure

This work was supported by the Anna Freud Centre-Yale Bridge Programme, NIH R21 DA024232, NIH (R01 DA018647, P20 DA027844, RL1 AA017539), the Connecticut State Department of Mental Health and Addictions Services, the Connecticut Mental Health Center, CASAColumbia, an unrestricted research gift from the Mohegan Sun Casino, the Yale Gambling Center of Research Excellence Award grant from the Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders of the National Center for Responsible Gaming, and CTSA Grant Number UL1 RR024139 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. The findings do not necessarily reflect those of the funding agencies and the funding agencies did not review or provide input into the content of this manuscript.

The authors report no conflicts of interest with respect to the content of this article. Dr. Potenza has received financial support or compensation for the following: has acted as consultant and/or advisor for Somaxon, Boehringer Ingelheim, Lundbeck, Ironwood, Shire, INSYS, RiverMend Health and Lakelight Therapeutics/Opiant; has received research support from the National Institutes of Health, Veterans Administration, Mohegan Sun Casino, the National Center for Responsible Gaming, Forest Laboratories, Ortho-McNeil, Oy-Contral Pharma/Biotie Therapies, GlaxoSmithKline, and Psyadon Pharmaceuticals; has participated in surveys, mailings or telephone consultations related to drug addiction, impulse control disorders, and other health topics; has consulted for gambling and legal entities on issues related to impulse-control disorders; provides clinical care in the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Problem Gambling Services Program; has performed grant reviews for the National Institutes of Health and other agencies; has been an editor for journal sections and journals; has given academic lectures in grand rounds, CME events, and other clinical and scientific venues; and has generated books or book chapters for publishers of mental health texts.

Supplemental material for this article can be accessed at www.tandfonline.com/hdvn.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Anna Freud Centre-Yale Bridge Programme, NIH R21 DA024232, NIH (R01 DA018647, P20 DA027844, RL1 AA017539), the Connecticut State Department of Mental Health and Addictions Services, the Connecticut Mental Health Center, CASAColumbia, an unrestricted research gift from the Mohegan Sun Casino, the Yale Gambling Center of Research Excellence Award grant from the Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders of the National Center for Responsible Gaming, and CTSA Grant Number UL1 RR024139 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. The findings do not necessarily reflect those of the funding agencies and the funding agencies did not review or provide input into the content of this manuscript.