The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale is one of the most commonly used scales to measure impulsivity. It has demonstrated validity in several neuropsychiatric populations and correlates with objective neuropsychological measures and impulsivity-related behaviors in healthy individuals. Neuroimaging studies show that BIS scores relate to prefrontal structure and function, as well as central serotonergic function. This study reports normative data and demographic influences in a community sample (n = 700). A 15-item short form of the BIS (BIS 15) is presented that retains the 3-factor structure (nonplanning, motor impulsivity, and attention impulsivity), and maintained good reliability and validity.

There are several self-rating executive function (SREF) measures in existence that were developed solely in clinical populations or which sample a limited range of executive functions. The Executive Function Index (EFI) was developed here in a normal population with five subscales derived through factor analysis: Motivational Drive, Strategic Planning, Organization, Impulse Control, and Empathy. The content of three second order factors is consistent with the functions mediated by dorsolateral, orbitofrontal, and medial prefrontal circuits. Intrascale reliability and demographic relationships are reported as well as strong correlations with other SREF measures validated in clinical and neuroimaging studies. This brief measure provides a quick and efficient means of collecting data in large samples in order to test hypotheses regarding the role of prefrontal systems in various aspects of behavior and to corroborate findings of other methods, such as objective tests and functional neuroimaging.

Impulsivity is associated with the functioning of prefrontal-subcortical circuits particularly, the orbitofrontal circuit, which is shown in neuro-imaging studies of neurological and psychological disorders. Objective behavioral measures, such as go/no-go, antisaccades, and delayed alternation, have demonstrated sensitivity to prefrontal function. This study examined the relationship between orbitofrontal-sensitive measures and impulsivity in healthy adults, as measured by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS). Go/no-go and antisaccades correlated positively and delayed alternations correlated negatively with BIS subscales, even after controlling for demographic influences. The results add to the validity of the BIS and support a role for prefrontal cortex in impulse control.

The prefrontal cortex plays an important role in the strategic and emotional regulation of behavior. Both cognitive and neuroimaging studies have implicated prefrontal cortex in processes of reward and addiction. Prefrontal-associated neurobehavioral traits may be measured psychometrically with the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (FrSBe), so it was hypothesized that self-ratings on this instrument would correlate with parameters of psychoactive drug use in a community sample. Modest but significant correlations were found for various parameters of tobacco use, even after controlling for demographic variables. Significant differences were noted in the mean scores when non-users were compared with users of cannabis, major stimulants (e.g. cocaine, amphetamine), and dissociative hallucinogens (e.g. phencyclidine, ketamine) and polysubstance use, particularly with the Disinhibition subscale. Smokers rated greater dysfunction than non-smokers on all three subscales, with ex-smokers showing intermediate ratings between the two. Polysubstance users showed greater dysfunction on the Disinhibition subscale compared to non-polysubstance users. In summary, this study further supports a relationship between prefrontal dysfunction and drug use in normal individuals, convergently with other methodologies for studying addiction.

Orbitofrontal cortex is involved in various reward and reinforcement processes in the human brain. There is both anatomical and functional evidence for a dysfunction of orbitofrontal cortex in substance abusers, and nicotine has been shown to activate reward-related structures in the brain similarly to other abused drugs. This study shows positive correlations between smoking parameters (smoking status and packs smoked per day) and impairment on putative measures of orbitofrontal dysfunction (go/no-go, antisaccades, delayed alternation and impulsivity ratings). While causality could not be determined, other research suggests that an orbitofrontal dysfunction predisposes one toward tobacco abuse.