The Role of Executive Control in Human Drug Addiction

Female but not male young heavy drinkers display altered performance monitoring

“…Deficits in executive functions, the attention-demanding, volitional processes which support goal-directed behaviour, are attracting increasing attention in models of the development and maintenance of substance abuse and dependence (Crews and Boettiger, 2009;Hester et al, 2010;Jentsch and Pennington, 2014). However, there is mixed evidence concerning monitoring of ongoing performance in heavy drinkers, with some researchers finding heavy drinkers show impaired monitoring (Lawrence et al, 2009;Li et al, 2009;Claus et al, 2013;Smith and Mattick, 2013), and others finding enhanced monitoring (Schellekens et al, 2010;Padilla et al, 2011).…”

Executive Dysfunction in Addiction

“…As with the accounts described above, considerable heterogeneity exists within these approaches, making an exhaustive delineation of these accounts beyond the scope of the present review. Hester, Lubman, and Yucel (2010) articulated one of these approaches. According to them, "executive control processes are fundamental for successfully inhibiting the immediate pursuit of pleasurable stimuli, and for the development of adaptive patterns of behavior -both key factors in drug addiction" (p. 302).…”

“…Our account will focus on eight cognitive faculties that are emphasized in previous approaches to executive function: (1) attention (Baddeley, 2003;Hester, Lubman, and Yucel, 2010;Posner and Petersen, 1990;Robbins, 1996;Stuss and Alexander, 2007); (2) working memory (Baddeley, 2003;Barkley, 1997;Miller and Cohen, 2001;Robbins, 1996); (3) behavioral/cognitive flexibility (Hester, Lubman, and Yucel, 2010;Robbins, 1996); (4) inhibition (Barkley, 1997;George and Koob, 2010;Hester, Lubman, and Yucel, 2010;Robbins, 1996); (5) valuing future events (Bechara, 2005;Bickel et al, 2007;George and Koob, 2010); (6) planning (Miller and Cohen, 2001;Robbins, 1996); (7) regulation of arousal and emotional reactions (Barkley, 1997;Bechara, 2005;George and Koob, 2010;Miller and Cohen, 2001;Stuss and Alexander, 2007); and (8) higher-order cognitive skills such as social cognition and metacognition.…”

Prefrontal Structural Correlates of Cognitive Control during Adolescent Development: A 4-Year Longitudinal Study

“…It enables individuals to engage in goal-directed behavior, such as control of impulses, inhibition of unwanted thoughts, and regulation of emotions (Hofmann, Schmeichel, & Baddeley, 2012;Heatherton & Wagner, 2011). Deficits in cognitive control have been related to deficits in social behavior, poorer school competence (Checa & Rueda, 2011;Rueda, Checa, & Rothbart, 2010;Blair & Razza, 2007), and various forms of psychopathology, including ADHD (de Zeeuw, Weusten, van Dijk, van Belle, & Durston, 2012;Carr, Henderson, & Nigg, 2010;King, Colla, Brass, Heuser, & Von Cramon, 2007), substance use (Hester, Lubman, & Yücel, 2009;Lubman, Yücel, & Pantelis, 2004), and impulse control disorders (Hughes, Dunn, & White, 1998;Pennington & Ozonoff, 1996).…”