Affective decision-making deficits, linked to a dysfunctional ventromedial prefrontal cortex, revealed in 10th-grade Chinese adolescent smokers

Abstract

This study addressed the question of whether poor decision making would be associated with adolescent past 7-day smoking. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 208 10th-grade adolescents in Chengdu City, China. We used the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) to assess decision-making, and the Self-ordered Pointing Task (SOPT) to assess working memory capacity. Paper and pencil questionnaires assessed the school academic performance (SAP) and smoking variables. The results showed that a significantly higher proportion of past 7-day smokers (91.7%) were susceptible to future smoking and cigarette offers from best friends compared to other levels of smokers (never, ever and past 30-day smokers). Consistent with these behavioral data, the neuropsychological assessments revealed that relative to never smokers, past 7-day adolescent smokers (but not ever smokers or past 30-day smokers) demonstrated significantly lower scores on the IGT. Moreover, a higher proportion of past 7-day smokers (91.7%) performed poorly (no more than an overall net score of 10) on the IGT than nonsmokers and irregular (ever or past 30-day) smokers (about 65.3%). There were no differences on working memory performance for smokers (at any level) compared to never smokers after adjusting for school-type. In addition, logistic regression showed that the IGT significantly predicted past 7-day smoking after controlling for the working memory, school academic performance and demographic variables. These results suggest that poor affective decision making might predispose some adolescents to smoking in the future or in the social situations where their peers are smoking. Intervention targeting affective decision making might hold promise for reducing adolescents' risks for substance use.

Flexible emotion-based decision-making behavior varies in current and former smokers

“…The present study's results are consistent with previous research in which smokers displayed significantly impaired IGT performance relative to non-smokers (Rotheram-Fuller et al, 2004;Xiao et al, 2008). However, conflicting findings are also reported (Buelow & Suhr, 2014;Businelle et al, 2008;Lejuez et al, 2003).…”

“…However, mixed results exist when comparing smokers to non-smokers. Both adolescent smokers (Xiao et al, 2008) and methadone-using smokers (Rotheram-Fuller, Shoptaw, Berman, & London, 2004) had significantly lower mean net IGT scores (i.e.…”

The China Seven Cities Study (CSCS) consortium: adapting evidence-based prevention science from west to east

“…Program development took into consideration students' cultural/environmental influences, dispositional characteristics, particularly impulsivity, hostility, depression, mindfulness (attention), and affective decision making, and how these features impact substance use uptake and progression. In addition, findings from the CSCS-Chengdu Neurocognitive Study (CNS) added important knowledge about the neurocognitive basis for rapid acceleration in smoking and drinking behavior, involving multiple neural pathways regulating affective (emotionally laden) decisions [26][27][28]. The CSCS Longitudinal Study dataset with health risk behavior and psychosocial information for over 14,000 Chinese adolescents also provided valuable input to program development.…”

Avaliação neuropsicológica do processo de tomada de decisões em crianças e adolescentes: uma revisão integrativa da literatura

“…Among the studies reviewed, only eleven used the Iowa Gambling Task to assess decision-making 11,20,21,26,29,[47][48][49]51,52,54 . Seven of them used variations very similar to the original task in which there were small changes in the amount of the loan, gains and punishments after the choices 17,28,31,32,36,40,44 .…”

“…In the end of childhood, the still immature skills associated to decision making processes may contribute to the appearance of behaviors that lead, for example, to alcohol and drug abuse 21 . The disadvantageous decision-making events noticed in adolescents with schizophrenia can be explained by the presence of micro structural abnormalities in the orbitofrontal cortex 11 .…”