Executive Functioning of Sexually Compulsive and Non-Sexually Compulsive Men Before and After Watching an Erotic Video

Abstract

Introduction Despite the serious behavioral consequences faced by individuals with sexual compulsivity, related neuropsychological studies are sparse. Aim To compare decision making and cognitive flexibility at baseline and after exposure to an erotic video in sexually compulsive participants and non-sexually compulsive controls. Methods The sample consisted of 30 sexually compulsive men and 30 controls. Cognitive flexibility was investigated through the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and decision making was examined through the Iowa Gambling Task. Main Outcome Measures Wisconsin Card Sorting Test categories, correct responses, and perseverative errors and Iowa Gambling Task general trends and blocks. Results Sexually compulsive subjects and controls performed similarly at baseline. After watching an erotic video, controls performed better in block 1 of the Iowa Gambling Task (P = .01) and had more correct responses on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (P = .01). Conclusions The controls presented fewer impulsive initial choices and better cognitive flexibility after exposure to erotic stimuli.

Online Porn Addiction: What We Know and What We Don’t—A Systematic Review

“…The specifics of this poorer executive functioning include: impulsivity [131,132], cognitive rigidity that impedes learning processes or the ability to shift attention [120,133,134], poor judgment and decision making [130,135], interference of working memory capacity [130], deficits in emotion regulation, and excessive preoccupation with sex [136]. These findings are reminiscent of other behavioral addictions (such as pathological gambling) and the behavior in substance dependencies [137].…”

Treatments for internet addiction, sex addiction and compulsive buying: A meta-analysis

“…In line with this consideration, some progress in the examination of neurobiological commonalities with SUDs has been achieved more recently within the domains of sex addiction (SA) and compulsive buying (CB) by analyzing phenomena traditionally investigated in SUDs such as conditioning processes (e.g., Hoffmann, Goodrich, Wilson, & Janssen, 2014 ; Snagowski, Laier, Duka, & Brand, 2016 ), cue reactivity, attentional bias and related neural network activation (e.g., Brand, Snagowski, Laier, & Maderwald, 2016 ; Gola et al, 2017 ; Jiang, Zhao, & Li, 2017 ; Laier, Pawlikowski, & Brand, 2014 ; Laier, Schulte, & Brand, 2013 ; Lawrence, Ciorciari, & Kyrios, 2014 ; Mechelmans et al, 2014 ; Pekal, Laier, Snagowski, Stark, & Brand, 2018 ; Schmidt et al, 2017 ; Seok & Sohn, 2015 ; Starcke, Schlereth, Domass, Schöler, & Brand, 2012 ; Trotzke, Starcke, Pedersen, & Brand, 2014 ; Trotzke, Starcke, Pedersen, Müller, & Brand, 2015 ; Voon et al, 2014 ), or executive functioning ( Derbyshire, Chamberlain, Odlaug, Schreiber, & Grant, 2014 ; Messina, Fuentes, Tavares, Abdo, & Scanavino, 2017 ; Raab, Elger, Neuner, & Weber, 2011 ; Trotzke et al, 2015 ). These studies demonstrated that among those conditions that have not yet been officially recognized in the DSM-5 as BAs, the currently available evidence regarding neurobiological indicators for parallels between substance-related and non substance-related behaviors mainly comes from the areas of IA, SA and CB, which are the focus of the present paper.…”

Inteligencja w codziennym życiu

“…Dane uzyskane w badaniu wskazały na to, że osoby z kompulsywnymi zachowaniami seksualnymi pod wpływem wskazówek z otoczenia związanych z seksem mają trudności z hamowaniem reakcji oraz gorzej adaptują swoje zachowanie do zmieniających się warunków. W realnym życiu może to mieć odzwierciedlenie w angażowaniu się przez te osoby w ryzykowne zachowania oraz przejawiać się trudnościami z modyfikacją własnych zachowań seksualnych (Messina, Fuentes, Tavares, Abdo, Scanavino, 2017).…”