Reward-related attentional capture and cognitive inflexibility interact to determine greater severity of compulsivity-related problems

Journal article

Albertella, Lucy, Le Pelley, Mike E., Chamberlain, Samuel R., Westbrook, Fred, Lee, Rico S. C., Fontenelle, Leonardo F., Grant, Jon E., Segrave, Rebecca A., McTavish, Eugene and Yücel, Murat. (2020). Reward-related attentional capture and cognitive inflexibility interact to determine greater severity of compulsivity-related problems. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. 69, p. Article 101580. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2020.101580
AuthorsAlbertella, Lucy, Le Pelley, Mike E., Chamberlain, Samuel R., Westbrook, Fred, Lee, Rico S. C., Fontenelle, Leonardo F., Grant, Jon E., Segrave, Rebecca A., McTavish, Eugene and Yücel, Murat
Abstract

Background and objectives
Neurocognitive processes are key drivers of addictive and compulsive disorders. The current study examined whether reward-related attentional capture and cognitive inflexibility are associated with impulsive and/or compulsive personality traits, and whether these cognitive characteristics interact to predict greater compulsivity-related problems across obsessive-compulsive and drinking behaviors.

Methods
One-hundred and seventy-three participants (mean age = 34.5 years, S.D = 8.4, 42% female) completed an online visual search task to measure reward-related attentional capture and its persistence following reversal of stimulus-reward contingencies. Participants also completed questionnaires to assess trait impulsivity, compulsivity, alcohol use, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors.

Results
Greater reward-related attentional capture was associated with trait compulsivity, over and above all impulsivity dimensions, while greater cognitive inflexibility was associated with higher negative urgency (distress-elicited impulsivity). Reward-related attentional capture and cognitive inflexibility interacted to predict greater compulsivity-related problems among participants who reported obsessive-compulsive behaviors in the past month (n = 57) as well as current drinkers (n = 88). Follow-up analyses showed that, for OCD behaviors, this interaction was driven by an association between higher reward-related attentional capture and more problematic behaviors among cognitively inflexible participants only. For drinking, the same pattern was seen, albeit at trend level. Limitations: This study includes a non-clinical, online sample and is cross-sectional, thus its findings need to be interpreted with these limitations in mind.

Conclusions
Reward-related attentional capture and cognitive flexibility are related to trait compulsivity and impulsivity (negative urgency) respectively, and interact to determine more problematic behaviors.

Keywordsreward learning; cognitive inflexibility; compulsivity; impulsivity
Year2020
JournalJournal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
Journal citation69, p. Article 101580
PublisherElsevier Ltd
ISSN0005-7916
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2020.101580
Scopus EID2-s2.0-85086446377
Open accessPublished as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
Research or scholarlyResearch
Page range1-7
FunderAustralian Research Council (ARC)
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
Publisher's version
License
File Access Level
Open
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online01 May 2020
Publication process dates
Accepted27 Apr 2020
Deposited06 Sep 2021
ARC Funded ResearchThis output has been funded, wholly or partially, under the Australian Research Council Act 2001
Grant IDARC/DP170101715
NHMRC/1117188
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