Syftet med studien var att undersöka låg självkontroll bland män ochkvinnor, utsatthet för brott bland män och kvinnor samt undersöka sambandet mellan låg självkontroll och utsatthet för brott bland unga vuxna. Studien hade en tvärsnittsdesign där en webbenkät skickades ut till en studentpopulation bestående av 159 respondenter (av vilka 83% var kvinnor) i åldrarna 18-25 (M = 22,49, SD = 1,78). Resultatet visade att män hade en lägre självkontroll och att kvinnor hade en högre utsatthet för brott. Resultatet visade även på ett svagt positivt samband mellan låg självkontroll och utsatthet för brott vilket indikerade på att de respondenterna med låg självkontroll var utsatta för brott i högre grad. Resultaten kunde förklaras teoretiskt med Lifestyle Exposure Perspective som antydde att låg självkontroll kunde medföra en högre exponering för riskfyllda situationer vilket i sin tur kunde öka nivån av utsatthet för brott. Dock kan det krävas fler variabler för att förklara sambandet. / The aim of this study was to examine low self-control among men and women, victimization of crime among men and women and examine the correlation between low self-control and the victimization of crime among young adults. The study used a cross-sectional design where a web survey was sent out to a student population consisting of 159 respondents (of which 83% were women) aged 18-25 (M= 22,49, SD=1,78). The result showed that men had lower self-control where as women had higher victimization of crime. The result also showed a weak positive correlation between low self-control and victimization of crime which indicated that the respondents with lower self-control were victimized of crime to a higher degree. The results could be explained theoretically with Lifestyle Exposure Perspective, which implied that low self-control could entail a higher exposure of risk-filled situations which in turn could increase victimization of crimes. It may however be that more variables are required to explain the correlation.

Jogo Patológico é um transtorno psiquiátrico ao qual se reputa importante participação de fatores de personalidade. Jogo Patológico tem sido associado com dependências de substâncias e especula-se uma relação com Transtorno Obsessivo Compulsivo (TOC). Alguns propõem que seja visto como uma dependência não química, outros recusam esta designação argumentando que o termo dependência deveria ser reservado ao uso abusivo de substâncias psicoativas e que JP estaria mais próximo de transtornos do humor e ansiosos. Jogo patológico já foi classificado como comportamento compulsivo, como dependência e, atualmente, encontra-se entre os 'Transtornos do Controle dos Impulsos Não Classificados em Outro Local' no DSM-IV, e entre os 'Transtornos de Hábitos e Impulsos' na CID-10. A relativa juventude do Jogo Patológico, enquanto categoria diagnóstica operacionalmente definida, talvez explique a imprecisão em sua caracterização fenomenológica e clínica. Os objetivos desta tese foram comparar Jogo Patológico e TOC, quanto às características de curso clínico e comorbidade e comparar jogadores patológicos, portadores de TOC e controles normais quanto a traços de personalidade com enfoque específico em impulsividade e compulsividade. Foram selecionados 40 jogadores patológicos, 40 portadores de TOC e 40 controles normais, pareados por gênero, idade e nível educacional. Os instrumentos utilizados foram o SCAN (Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry), para investigação de curso e comorbidade; o Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire; a Barrat Impulsiveness Scale versão 11 e uma versão adaptada da Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale para investigação de compulsividade. Observou-se que os portadores de TOC apresentaram início mais precoce, curso mais insidioso e menor freqüência de períodos livres de sintomatologia. Jogo Patológico e TOC apresentaram elevada comorbidade com transtornos ansiosos e depressão, porém Jogo Patológico apresentou uma associação significativamente maior com alcoolismo e tabagismo, enquanto TOC apresentou maior freqüência de transtornos somatoformes. Jogadores pontuaram em média significativamente mais que portadores de TOC e controles normais nas medidas de impulsividade. Portadores de TOC pontuaram mais que jogadores e controles normais em compulsividade. Jogadores pontuaram mais que controles normais em compulsividade. Conclui-se que Jogo Patológico e TOC guardam alguma semelhança no tocante à elevada comorbidade com depressão e ansiedade. Contudo, o curso clínico do Jogo Patológico, marcado por exacerbações paroxísticas e períodos de abstinência, além da elevada comorbidade com alcoolismo e tabagismo, reforçam suas semelhanças com as dependências. Em relação à personalidade, o traço mais saliente dos jogadores foi a impulsividade, justificando sua classificação como um transtorno do impulso. / Pathological Gambling (PG) is a psychiatric disorder in which personality features are considered essential for its development. In addition, it has been associated to Substance Dependence and a relationship to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) has been proposed. Some authors conceptualize it as a non-chemical dependence; others refuse this concept, arguing that the term dependence should be used exclusively to the misuse of psychoactive substances, and that PG would be closer to anxiety and affective disorders. PG has been classified as a compulsive behavior, as a dependence, and presently it is classified among the Impulse Control Disorders Not Elsewhere Classified in the DSM-IV, and 'Habit and Impulse disorders' in the ICD-10. PG's relative youth as a diagnostic category may explain the inaccuracy of its phenomenology and clinical characterization. The objectives of this study were: to compare PG and OCD regarding clinical course and psychiatric comorbidity; to compare pathological gamblers, obsessive-compulsive patients, and normal controls regarding personality features, specifically focussing impulsivity and compulsivity. Forty pathological gamblers, 40 obsessive-compulsive patients, and 40 normal control volunteers, matched by gender, age, and educational level were included. They were assessed through the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry for evaluation of course of illness and psychiatric comorbidity; the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire; the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale version 11, and an adapted version of the Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale for investigation of compulsivity. It was observed that OCD patients were younger at illness onset, had a more insidious course of the illness, with less frequent symptom free periods. PG and OCD presented high comorbidity with anxiety and depressive disorders, but PG presented a higher association to alcoholism and tobacco dependence as compared to OCD, while OCD presented a higher association to somatoform disorders as compared to PG. Pathological gamblers scored significantly higher than OCD patients and normal controls on impulsivity measures. OCD patients scored higher than pathological gamblers and normal controls on impulsivity. Pathological gambler scored higher than normal controls on compulsivity. It was concluded that PG and OCD have similarities regarding their high comorbidity to depression and anxiety. Nevertheless, PG's clinical course, characterized by recurrent symptomatic periods and symptom free periods, in addition to the high comorbidity with alcoholism and tobacco dependence, reinforces its resemblance to the dependencies. Regarding personality, impulsivity was the most salient feature found among pathological gamblers, thus supporting PG's classification as an impulsive control disorder.

Submitted by Maicon Juliano Schmidt (maicons) on 2015-04-15T18:41:58Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Edilson Pastore.pdf: 1708498 bytes, checksum: cb7f365a867bba996d379bf77353991f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-15T18:41:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Edilson Pastore.pdf: 1708498 bytes, checksum: cb7f365a867bba996d379bf77353991f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-01-31 / Nenhuma / A presente dissertação de Mestrado investigou o desempenho cognitivo de participantes com Transtorno de Personalidade Borderline (TPB) com e sem histórico de tentativas de suicídio. A apresentação da revisão de literatura e dos resultados empíricos deste trabalho foi descrita em um artigo teórico e um artigo empírico sobre o TPB, suicídio e funções cognitivas. Primeiramente, apresenta-se o artigo teórico, que traz uma revisão assistemática e crítica da literatura sobre o transtorno, abordando as particularidades do desenvolvimento dessa patologia e discutindo sobre os aspectos cognitivos. Essa revisão teve como foco as funções executivas, especialmente: atenção, concentração, tomada de decisões, organização do pensamento e memória operacional, sugerindo que déficits nessas funções podem ser fatores de risco para o suicídio em pacientes com esse diagnóstico. As conclusões do artigo teórico apontam para a existência de déficits específicos na cognição, especialmente na área de execução em participantes com diagnóstico de TPB. Discutiram-se artigos atuais encontrados sobre a temática e problematizou-se a necessidade e relevância de investigações e achados dessa natureza. O artigo empírico apresenta os resultados de uma pesquisa quantitativa, transversal e de comparação entre grupos realizada com uma amostra de 82 pacientes (M=31,80; DP=0,96) diagnosticados com TPB internados em uma clínica psiquiátrica de Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Foi aplicada a Escala Wechsler de inteligência para adultos (WAIS III), a Escala Barratt de Impulsividade, a Escala Beck de Suicídio e a Escala FAST, além de um questionário contendo dados sociodemográficos. Não foi encontrada diferença significativa em termos de QI total entre os participantes com TPB com e sem histórico de tentativas de suicídio, indicando assim que a heterogeneidade dos pacientes que apresentam esse diagnóstico, assim como o grande número de comorbidades apresentadas por essa população, podem ter sido fatores importantes para explicar esse resultado. Entretanto, verificou-se que pacientes com histórico de tentativas de suicídio apresentam índice de impulsividade mais elevado, especialmente abaixo de 30 anos de idade, o que salienta que nesta idade pacientes com TPB podem ser mais vulneráveis tanto para tentativas de suicídio quanto para sua efetivação. Embora não se tenha encontrado diferença significativa entre os grupos, as médias na Escala Wechsler (funções cognitivas) quanto ao QI total situaram-se dentro do nível médio de funcionamento cognitivo com QI de 92,73 (DP=14,39) para o grupo dos pacientes com histórico de tentativa de suicídio e 96,06 (DP=17,8) para o grupo sem tentativas de suicídio. Os níveis de impulsividade foram maiores no grupo de pacientes com histórico de tentativas de suicídio, assim como o grau de adaptação medido pela Escala FAST se mostrou mais prejudicado no mesmo grupo. Os resultados desta dissertação elucidam aspectos sobre o TPB e permitem refletir sobre adequadas formas de tratamento. Fica também evidenciada a necessidade da realização de outros estudos dentro dessa mesma temática, em virtude da carência de pesquisas neuropsicológicas ou sobre funções cognitivas em pacientes com diagnóstico de TPB no Brasil. / The objective of the present Master's thesis was to investigate the cognitive performance of participants with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) with and without a history of suicide attempts. The review of the literature and the empirical results of this study were described in a theoretical article and an empirical article about BPD, suicide, and cognitive functions. The theoretical article consisted of an asystematic and critical review of the literature on the disorder, addressing the characteristics of the development of this pathology and discussing its cognitive aspects. This review of the literature focused on executive functions, especially: attention, concentration, decision making, organization of thought, and working memory, suggesting that deficits in these functions may be risk factors for suicide in patients with this diagnosis. The conclusions of the theoretical article indicate the presence of specific cognition deficits, mainly in the executive functions of the participants diagnosed with BPD. We discussed recent articles on the topic and approached the need and relevance of further studies and similar findings. The empirical article presents the results of a quantitative, cross-sectional and comparative study conducted with a sample of 82 patients (M=31.80, SD=0.96) diagnosed with BPD and admitted to a psychiatric clinic in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS III), the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, the Beck Suicide Scale, the FAST scale, and a questionnaire containing sociodemographic data were administered to the participants. There was no significant difference in terms of total IQ among the participants with BPD with and without a history of suicide attempts, suggesting that the heterogeneity of patients with this diagnosis, as well as the large number of comorbidities in this population, may have been important factors to explain this result. However, we found that patients with a history of suicide attempts have higher index of impulsivity, especially patients younger than 30 years, leading to the conclusion that individuals of this age group with BPD may be more vulnerable to both suicide and suicide attempts. Although there was no significant difference between the groups, the means on the Wechsler Scale (cognitive functions) in terms of total IQ were within the mean level of cognitive functioning with an IQ of 92 for the group of patients with a history of suicide attempt and 96 for the group without suicide attempts. Levels of impulsivity were higher in patients with a history of suicide attempts; in addition, the degree of adaptation measured by the FAST Scale was lower in the same group. These results explain aspects of BPD and provide the opportunity of developing appropriate therapeutic methods. The need for further studies on this topic was also evidenced by the lack of neuropsychological research or studies on cognitive functions in patients diagnosed with BPD in Brazil.

There has been considerable progress in the clinical, pathological and genetic fractionation of frontotemporal lobar degeneration syndromes in recent years, driving the development of novel diagnostic criteria. However, phenotypic boundaries are not always distinct and syndromes converge with disease progression, limiting the insights available from traditional diagnostic classification. Alternative transdiagnostic approaches may provide novel insights into the neurobiological underpinnings of symptom commonalities across the frontotemporal lobar degeneration spectrum. In this thesis, I illustrate the use of transdiagnostic methods to investigate apathy and impulsivity. These two multifaceted constructs are observed across all frontotemporal lobar degeneration syndromes, including frontotemporal dementia, progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal syndrome. They cause substantial patient morbidity and carer distress, often coexist and are undertreated. Using data from the Pick’s disease and Progressive supranuclear palsy Prevalence and INcidence (PiPPIN) Study, I examine the frequency, characteristics and components of apathy and impulsivity across the frontotemporal lobar degeneration spectrum. A principal component analysis of the neuropsychological data identified eight distinct components of apathy and impulsivity, separating patient ratings, carer ratings and behavioural tasks. Apathy and impulsivity measures were positively correlated, frequently loading onto the same components and providing evidence of their overlap. The data confirmed that apathy and impulsivity are common across the spectrum of frontotemporal lobar degeneration syndromes. Voxel based morphometry revealed distinct neural correlates for the components of apathy and impulsivity. Patient ratings correlated with white matter changes in the corticospinal tracts, which may reflect retained insight into their physical impairments. Carer ratings correlated with grey and white matter changes in frontostriatal, frontotemporal and brainstem systems, which have previously been implicated in motivation, arousal and goal directed behaviour. Response inhibition deficits on behavioural tasks correlated with focal frontal cortical atrophy in areas implicated in goal-directed behaviour and cognitive control. Diffusion tensor imaging was highly sensitive to the white matter changes underlying apathy and impulsivity in frontotemporal lobar degeneration syndromes. Diffusion tensor imaging findings were largely consistent with voxel-based morphometry, with carer ratings reflecting widespread changes while objective measures showed changes in focal, task-specific brain regions. White matter abnormalities often extended beyond observed grey matter changes, providing supportive evidence that white matter dysfunction represents a core pathophysiology in frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Apathy was a significant predictor of death within two and a half years from assessment, consistent with studies linking apathy to poor outcomes. The prognostic importance of apathy warrants more accurate measurement tools to facilitate clinical trials. Although causality remains unclear, the influence of apathy on survival suggests effective symptomatic treatments may also prove disease-modifying. These findings have several implications. First, clinical studies for apathy/impulsivity in frontotemporal lobar degeneration syndromes should target patients who present with these symptoms, irrespective of their diagnostic category. Second, data-driven approaches can inform the choice of assessment tools for clinical trials, and their link to neural drivers of apathy and impulsivity. Third, the components and their neural correlates provide a principled means to measure (and interpret) the effects of novel treatments in the context of frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:18:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Diana Alvim Pena Canavarros.pdf: 510987 bytes, checksum: c4c68992eb0813d2f9d82230c43c1bca (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-05-14 / This study was carried out in order to analyze the behavior of self-control in children, comparing two types of procedure of gradual change: the procedure of gradual increase in the period of delay of greater reinforcement magnitude (fading in) and the procedure to decrease progressive period of delay in the reinforcement of smaller magnitude (fading out); for that, were analyzed competing schemes linked with components programmed for different magnitudes and delays of reinforcement. Ten children aged between seven and twelve years old participated in the study which involved activities on a computer with a program specially developed for this research. In the first link of the competitor chained scheme, a response in the selected component, producing, on a variable interval of 10 seconds, the second link in the chain, which consisted of a fixed time (the period of delay of reinforcement), in which the computer screen remained dark. The period of delay of reinforcement varied as the experimental condition programmed, from 1 second to 150 seconds. The third link in the chain was started with the appearance of a red square, and a response of clicking with the mouse produced the release of dots. All ten subjects participated in two initial conditions for the evaluation of sensitivity to differences in magnitude and delay of reinforcement. There were two different conditions of variation in the period of delay of reinforcement. Four participants were exposed to a condition in which the delays of the greater magnitude of reinforcement (3 points) were gradually increased (1s, 30s, 75s, 120s, 150s), while the component of lesser magnitude of reinforcement (1 point) remained constant, without variation (1s). Six participants were exposed to a condition in which the delays of the lower magnitude of reinforcement (1 point) were gradually decreased (150s, 120s, 75s, 30s, 1s, to four participants, 120s, 75s, 30s, 1s, for one participant, and 90s, 75s, 30s, 1s, for one participant), while the most important component of the increase (3 points) remained constant with the initial value of the sequence of delay indicated (150s, 120s and 90s, respectively). All ten participants showed differences in sensitivity in terms os difference of magnitude of delay of reinforcement, the two conditions of assessment, with some differences in the number of sessions per participant. In relation to the gradual increase of the delay of the greatest magnitude of reinforcement, the results show that most participants preferred for the component of impulsivity. In the condition of progressive reduction of the delay of the smaller magnitude of reinforcement, all six participants showed preference for the component of self-control. Only when the delay of the component of smaller magnitude of reinforcement decreased to 1 second, the majority of participants chose the component of impulsivity. It was found that the determinant factor is not the delay time itself, but the relative difference of values of delay between the two components / O presente estudo foi realizado com o objetivo de analisar o comportamento de autocontrole em crianças, a partir da comparação entre dois procedimentos de mudança gradual: o procedimento de aumento progressivo no período de atraso do reforço de maior magnitude (fading in) e o procedimento de diminuição progressiva no período de atraso do reforço de menor magnitude (fading out); para tanto foram analisadas escolhas em esquemas concorrentes encadeados, com componentes programados para diferentes magnitudes e atrasos do reforço. Dez crianças com idades entre sete e doze anos participaram do estudo que envolveu a realização de atividades em um computador, a partir de um programa especialmente desenvolvido para esta pesquisa. No primeiro elo do esquema concorrente encadeado, uma resposta no componente selecionado, produzia, em intervalo variável de 10 segundos, o segundo elo da cadeia, que consistia em um tempo fixo (o período de atraso do reforço), em que a tela do computador permanecia escura. O período de atraso do reforço variava, conforme a condição experimental programada, de 1 segundo a 150 segundos. O terceiro elo da cadeia era iniciado com o aparecimento de um quadrado vermelho e uma resposta de clicar com o mouse nesse quadrado produzia a liberação de pontos. Todos os dez participantes foram submetidos a duas condições iniciais de avaliação da sensibilidade a diferenças de magnitude e atraso do reforço. Houve duas condições diferentes de variação no período de atraso do reforço. Quatro participantes foram expostos a uma condição em que os atrasos do componente de maior magnitude do reforço (3 pontos) foram aumentados progressivamente (1s; 30s; 75s; 120s; 150s), enquanto que o componente de menor magnitude do reforço (1 ponto) permaneceu constante, sem variação (1s). Seis participantes foram expostos a uma condição em que os atrasos do componente de menor magnitude do reforço (1 ponto) foram diminuídos progressivamente (150s; 120s; 75s; 30s; 1s, para quatro participantes; 120s, 75s; 30s; 1s, para um participante, e 90s; 75s; 30s; 1s, para um participante); enquanto que o componente de maior magnitude do reforço (3 pontos) permaneceu constante com o valor inicial da sequência de atraso indicada (150s, 120s e 90s, respectivamente). Todos os dez participantes apresentaram sensibilidade as diferenças de magnitude e de atraso do reforço, nas duas condições de avaliação, com algumas diferenças no número de sessões realizadas por participante. Em relação à condição de aumento gradual do atraso do componente de maior magnitude do reforço, os resultados demonstram que a maioria dos participantes apresentou preferência pelo componente de impulsividade. Na condição de diminuição progressiva do atraso do componente de menor magnitude do reforço, todos os seis participantes, apresentaram preferência pelo componente de autocontrole. Somente quando, o atraso do componente de menor magnitude do reforço diminuiu para 1 segundo, a maioria dos participantes escolheu o componente de impulsividade

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:18:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tatiana Chagas Correia.pdf: 664085 bytes, checksum: edd240a61f1fb247e5c51f651c8c476d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-06-16 / This experiment was conducted in order to investigate whether the presentation of a temporal marker for the period of delay of reinforcement increases the probability of choosing the component related to greater magnitude and greater delay of reinforcement, when it is presented along with a component related to less delay and magnitude. The participants, 9 children aged between 8 and 10 years were exposed to concurrent-chains schedule in the computer. In the original link were scheduled in each component schemes VI10s independent. The first response after a variable interval of 10s produced the beginning of FT (2nd link), with a marker time (clock) with a stimulus not related to changes with passage of time (non-clock) or with blackout. The third link was initiated soon after the end of the delay and gave access to the acquisition of points. Participants were subjected to two conditions for evaluating the sensitivity to differences in magnitude and delay. The first component was programmed to produce a distinct form of greater and lesser delay with equal magnitude and a higher and lower magnitude with equal delay in the second evaluation. In the experimental condition were varied at the same time delay and magnitude of reinforcement. In this condition the least delay and magnitude remained constant (1s and 1 point), while the largest was between 30s, 75s, 120s or 45s, 90s, 135s and the magnitude remained constant (3 points). There were three sequences of values of delay (one with progressive increase of delay), and the same sequence was exposed to three participants. Participants were divided into three groups, with the Group C was exposed to this variation and the screen during the FT off (blackout), the Group A was initially exposed to this variation, the first condition, in the presence of clock and then the second condition in the presence of non-clock during the FT and Group B was exposed to the reverse order of Group A. Every 3 points earned could be exchanged for a free gift. The results indicate that there were high rates of response to selection in the component of larger delay and larger magnitude self-control when the value of the largest delay was 30s or 45s when it was presented in the first condition, but not with higher values as 75s, 120s, 90s and 135s. There were falls in the rate of responses on the component of self-control in the course of experimental sessions and the second presentation of the sequence of values of the delay. This pattern of responses was similar to almost all participants of the three groups. The results are discussed in terms of the number of answers to choose, in the presence of the clock, non-clock or the blackout period in FT, the sequence of delays that participants were exposed and the number of sessions in each condition. There were no relations between the operations performed during the FT - blackout, clock and non-clock and choice of the larger delay and larger magnitude / O presente experimento foi realizado com objetivo de investigar se a apresentação de um marcador temporal durante o período de atraso do reforço aumenta a probabilidade de escolha pelo componente relacionado com maior magnitude e maior atraso do reforço, quando este é apresentado junto com um componente relacionado a menor atraso e magnitude. Os participantes, 9 crianças com idade entre 8 e 10 anos, foram expostos ao esquema concorrente-encadeado no computador. No elo inicial foram programados em cada componente esquemas de VI10s independentes. A primeira resposta após o intervalo variável de 10s produzia o início do período de FT (2º elo), com um marcador temporal (relógio), com um estímulo com alterações não relacionadas à passagem do tempo (não-relógio) ou com blackout. O terceiro elo tinha início logo após o fim do período de atraso e dava acesso à aquisição de pontos. Os participantes foram submetidos a duas condições de avaliação da sensibilidade a diferenças de atraso e magnitude, sendo que na primeira cada componente era programado para produzir de forma distinta atraso maior e menor com magnitude igual e magnitude maior e menor com atraso igual na segunda avaliação. Na condição experimental foram variadas simultaneamente atraso e magnitude do reforço. Nesta condição o menor atraso e magnitude permaneceram constantes (1s e 1 ponto), enquanto que o maior atraso variou entre 30s, 75s, 120s ou 45s, 90s, 135s e a magnitude permaneceu constante (3 pontos). Havia três seqüências de valores de atraso (uma delas com aumento progressivo do atraso), sendo que a mesma seqüência foi exposta para três participantes. Os participantes foram divididos em três grupos, sendo que o Grupo C foi exposto a esta variação tendo a tela no período de FT apagada (blackout), o Grupo A foi exposto a esta variação inicialmente, na primeira condição, com a presença do relógio no FT e posteriormente, na segunda condição, com a presença do não-relógio durante o FT e o Grupo B foi exposto à ordem inversa do Grupo A. Cada 3 pontos ganhos poderiam ser trocados por um brinde. Os resultados encontrados indicam que ocorreram altas taxas de respostas de escolha no componente de maior atraso e maior magnitude autocontrole quando o valor do maior atraso era 30s ou 45s quando este era apresentado na primeira condição, mas não com valores maiores como 75s, 120s, 90s e 135s. Houve quedas na taxa relativa de respostas no componente de autocontrole no decorrer das sessões experimentais e na segunda apresentação da seqüência de valores do atraso. Este padrão de respostas foi semelhante à quase todos os participantes dos três grupos. Os resultados são discutidos em termos do número de respostas de escolha, na presença do relógio, do não relógio ou do blackout no período de FT, da seqüência de atraso a que os participantes foram expostos e do número de sessões realizadas em cada condição. Não foram observadas relações entre as manipulações feitas durante o FT blackout, relógio e não relógio e a escolha do componente de maior atraso e maior magnitude

Les troubles de l’initiation du mouvement de la maladie de Parkinson sont invalidants et sans solution thérapeutique satisfaisante. Dans ce travail, nous nous intéressons à deux catégories de symptômes, classiquement explorées de façon indépendante : d’un côté, la lenteur à l’initiation du mouvement ou akinésie, et de l’autre, la difficulté à retenir l’initiation d’un mouvement ou impulsivité. En nous appuyant sur des avancées théoriques et méthodologiques récentes, nous tentons de revisiter ces troubles de l’initiation du mouvement en termes de dysfonctionnements exécutifs dans la maladie de Parkinson.Dans ce but, nous avons : 1) recherché les liens entre marqueurs cliniques (akinésie et impulsivité) et troubles du contrôle inhibiteur ; 2) identifié les dysfonctionnements cérébraux associés au moyen de méthodes électroencéphalographiques innovantes permettant de localiser les sources cérébrales et d’observer la dynamique des processus cérébraux ; et 3) sondé l’origine neurochimique de cette fonction à l’aide d’un protocole pharmacologique.Nos résultats suggèrent que l’impulsivité et l’akinésie sont les deux faces d’une même pièce, aux origines d’un dysfonctionnement du contrôle inhibiteur proactif non sélectif. Ils indiquent également que ce contrôle exécutif est sous-tendu par l’activité du noyau sous-thalamique et d’un réseau cortical médian comprenant le précuneus et l’aire motrice supplémentaire. Un rôle du système noradrénergique a également été mis en évidence à l’origine de ces troubles exécutifs. Ces travaux ouvrent donc la voie à de nouvelles perspectives thérapeutiques pour la maladie de Parkinson / Movement initiation disorders in Parkinson’s disease are multifaceted, are debilitating and have no satisfying therapeutic option. On the one hand, slowness and difficulties initiating voluntary movements contribute to akinesia, a cardinal symptom of the disease which is usually considered to be motor in origin and which is not fully alleviated by current medication. On the other hand, difficulties refraining voluntary movements contribute to impulsivity, a frequent side effect of current dopaminergic and neurosurgical therapies. Here, based on systematic analyses of the clinical neuroimaging literature, we suggest that these opposite forms of movement initiation disorders might be executive, not purely motor, in origin.To empirically test this hypothesis, we: 1) related clinical markers of the disease (akinesia and impulsivity) to behavioral indexes of inhibitory control impairment; 2) identified associated cerebral dysfunctions by means of advanced electroencephalographic (EEG) methods; and 3) investigated the neurochemical origin of these dysfunctions by combining pharmacological and cerebral stimulations with EEG recordings.Results suggest that impulsivity and akinesia are the two sides of the same coin. Indeed, they were found to be associated with opposite inhibitory control disorders, and dysfunctions of subthalamic cortical loops involving medial executive areas. Importantly, it was also found that restoring normal behavior and normal activity within these loops by means of deep brain stimulation depends on the level of noradrenergic tonus, opening the way for new therapeutic approaches for Parkinson’s disease

O uso de crack é um importante problema de saúde pública no Brasil. Recentes estudos mostraram que a prevalência de uso do crack no Brasil é de 0,7%. Dados atuais sugerem que o trauma de infância é associado a piores desfechos entre os usuários de cocaína e maiores escores de impulsividade. Este estudo avaliou o trauma infantil através do Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) e as funções executivas, utilizando o Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), em 84 usuários de crack. Os resultados demonstrados a partir de regressão linear apontam que o trauma de infância, o uso contínuo de crack sem períodos de abstinência, a comorbidade com outras substâncias ilícitas e IQ explicaram 44% da variância no funcionamento executivo dos pacientes. Os escores de impulsividade Barrat (BIS 11) foram associados com o trauma de infância, sugerindo que o trauma infantil pode ser um fator de risco para prejuízos mais severos entre usuários crack. / The use of crack cocaine is a major public health concern in Brazil. Recent studies showed that the lifetime prevalence of crack cocaine use among Brazilians is about 0.7%. Recent data suggest that childhood trauma is associated with worse outcomes among cocaine users and higher impulsivity scores. This study evaluated childhood trauma using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and executive functioning, using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), among 84 crack cocaine users. The results of a linear regression showed that childhood trauma, continuous use of crack without periods of abstinence, multidrug use and IQ predicted 44% of the variance in the executive functioning of patients. Barrat Impulsivity Scores (BIS 11) were associated with childhood trauma, which suggests that trauma may be a risk factor for more severe impairment among crack cocaine users.

A hipóxia-isquemia (HI) encefálica neonatal pode gerar sequelas neurológicas permanentes nos indivíduos que sobrevivem a este evento precoce. Dentre estas sequelas, o diagnóstico de Transtorno de déficit de atenção e hiperatividade (TDAH) já foi relacionado em pesquisa clínica. Sabendo que não há consenso de um modelo adequado para o estudo do TDAH em pesquisa experimental, novas abordagens que contribuam para o desenvolvimento desse modelo são necessárias. Assim, o objetivo do presente estudo foi investigar se a HI neonatal contribui para o desenvolvimento das características comportamentais relacionadas ao TDAH na fase adulta em ratos e correlacionar os resultados comportamentais com o volume da lesão encefálica. Para isso, ratos Wistar machos foram divididos em dois grupos: hipóxia-isquemia (HI, n=12) e controle (CT, n=10). O procedimento de HI consistiu na combinação da oclusão da artéria carótida comum direita no 7º dia pós-natal com exposição a uma atmosfera hipóxica (8% O2 e 92% N2, durante 90 minutos). Durante a fase adulta, ao atingir dois meses de idade, os animais foram testados no teste attentional set-shifting (ASS) para avaliar flexibilidade comportamental atencional e no teste de tolerância ao atraso da recompensa, para avaliação da escolha impulsiva. Os resultados mostraram que os animais submetidos à HI apresentaram prejuízo na função executiva, avaliado no ASS, evidenciado por uma inflexibilidade comportamental quando a regra para a execução da tarefa era mudada (p ≤ ,05 para o número de tentativas para passar dos estágios de Reversão 2 e Reversão 3, assim como o número de erros nesses estágios, além do estágio de mudança extradimensional – Teste t não-pareado). No teste de tolerância ao atraso da recompensa, não foi observada uma maior impulsividade dos animais HI, tendo os dois grupos um comportamento similar neste teste. Além disso, as avaliações do volume encefálico pelo Método de Cavalieri demonstraram uma atrofia no grupo HI no hemisfério total, córtex cerebral, substância branca, hipocampo e estriado, principalmente no lado ipsilateral à lesão (p ≤ ,05, Teste t não-pareado). Considerando esses resultados, podemos inferir que a HI neonatal é um fator ambiental que pode contribuir para o desenvolvimento das características comportamentais observadas no TDAH, e que estas são associadas a uma atrofia encefálica geral. / Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HI) can cause permanent neurological sequelae in survivors of this early event. Among these sequelae, the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has already been linked in clinical research. There is no consensus about an ideal ADHD model in experimental research, being necessary new approaches that contribute to the development of this model. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate whether HI contributes to the development of characteristics related to ADHD in adult rats and correlate the behavioral results with brain damage volume. Male Wistar rats were divided into two groups: hypoxia-ischemia (HI, n=12) and control (CT, n=10). The HI procedure consist of a permanent occlusion of the right common carotid artery followed by a period of hypoxia (90 min; 8% O2 and 92% N2), at seventh postnatal day (PND). Two months later, animals were evaluated in attentional set-shifting test (ASS) for assessment of attentional flexibility and in the tolerance to delay of reward, for evaluation of impulsivity choice. Our results demonstrated that animals submitted to HI manifest impairments in executive function, evidenced by a behavioral inflexibility when the rule for the execution of the ASS task was changed (p ≤ ,05 for number of trials to reach the criterion in Reversion 2 and 3 stages, as well as in number of erros in these stages, in addition to the Extradimensional shift stage – Unpaired t test). In the tolerance to delay of reward, no greater impulsivity of HI animals was observed, with both groups demonstrating similar behavior in this task. Moreover, the assessments of brain volume by Cavalieri method demonstrated atrophy in HI group in total hemisphere, cerebral cortex, white matter, hippocampus and striatum, especially on the side ipsilateral to the lesion (p ≤ ,05 – Unpaired t test). Considering these results, we can infer that neonatal HI is an environmental factor that could contribute to the development of behavioral characteristics observed in ADHD which are associated to general brain atrophy.

L'inhibition est au cœur du contrôle cognitif. Mais son étude est ardue parce qu'elle s'adapte mal des méthodes psychophysiologiques classiques. En effet si l'inhibition est efficacement implémentée, tout comportement observable est supprimé! En conséquence, les modèles psychologiques existants sont fragiles, et les méthodes d'imagerie rapportent des résultats discordants. Une méta-analyse a d'abord été utilisée pour montrer que les travaux classiques confondent activations liées aux mécanismes d'inhibition réactive et sélective et activations liées aux fonctions cognitives corolaires mises en jeu dans les tâches expérimentales. Cela nous a amené à proposer un modèle alternatif d'inhibition, conçu comme un verrouillage anticipé et non-sélectif (contrôle proactif). Ce modèle a d'abord été testé au moyen de deux expériences psychophysiques. Les résultats suggèrent que l'inhibition proactive est le mode de fonctionnement par défaut du système exécutif. Le modèle proactif a ensuite été éprouvé en même temps que ses deux concurrents (réactif sélectif et réactif non-sélectif) à l'aide d'une étude IRMf. Les résultats confirment que le modèle réactif sélectif est peu plausible, au contraire de ses deux concurrents plus récents et moins populaires. La dernière partie est consacrée aux conséquences cliniques de ce renversement théorique. Alors que le modèle standard assume que l'impulsivité est la seule conséquence de troubles de l'inhibition, le modèle proactif prédit aussi des difficultés à initier un mouvement. C'est ce que nous démontrons, en faisant le lien entre hyperactivation du réseau de contrôle proactif et l'akinésie chez le patient parkinsonien / The inhibition is a key function of the cognitive control. But its assessment is made difficult by its very definition. Indeed, if the inhibition is properly implemented, the observable outcomes are suppressed. In consequences, the existing psychological models are fragile, and the imaging results inconsistent. A meta-analysis was first used to prove that the classical studies confound activations related to the reactive and selective inhibition and the activity elicited by parallel functions involved in experimental tasks. This led us to propose a new model of inhibition, defined as proactive mechanisms implemented in anticipation of stimulation. This model was first tested with two behavioral experiments. The results suggest that proactive inhibition is the default mode of the executive control. The proactive model was then assessed together with its two competing models (reactive selective and reactive non-selective) in an fMRI study. The results confirmed that the reactive selective model is less plausible than the two non-selective models. Finally we focused on the clinical consequence of this theoretical upheaval. When the standard model predicts that the impulsivity is the only consequence of inhibition deficit, the proactive model also predicts a deficit in movement initiation. This is what we showed by associating a hyperactivation of the proactive control network and the akinesia in Parkinson’s disease