@article{ChenBelangerGarbusowetal.2023,
  author    = {Chen, Hao and Belanger, Matthew J. and Garbusow, Maria and Kuitunen-Paul, Soeren and Huys, Quentin J. M. and Heinz, Andreas and Rapp, Michael A. and Smolka, Michael N.},
  title     = {Susceptibility to interference between Pavlovian and instrumental control predisposes risky alcohol use developmental trajectory from ages 18 to 24},
  series = {Addiction biology},
  volume    = {28},
  journal   = {Addiction biology},
  number    = {2},
  publisher = {Wiley},
  address   = {Hoboken},
  issn      = {1355-6215},
  doi       = {10.1111/adb.13263},
  pages     = {18},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {Pavlovian cues can influence ongoing instrumental behaviour via Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) processes. While appetitive Pavlovian cues tend to promote instrumental approach, they are detrimental when avoidance behaviour is required, and vice versa for aversive cues. We recently reported that susceptibility to interference between Pavlovian and instrumental control assessed via a PIT task was associated with risky alcohol use at age 18. We now investigated whether such susceptibility also predicts drinking trajectories until age 24, based on AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) consumption and binge drinking (gramme alcohol/drinking occasion) scores. The interference PIT effect, assessed at ages 18 and 21 during fMRI, was characterized by increased error rates (ER) and enhanced neural responses in the ventral striatum (VS), the lateral and dorsomedial prefrontal cortices (dmPFC) during conflict, that is, when an instrumental approach was required in the presence of an aversive Pavlovian cue or vice versa. We found that a stronger VS response during conflict at age 18 was associated with a higher starting point of both drinking trajectories but predicted a decrease in binge drinking. At age 21, high ER and enhanced neural responses in the dmPFC were associated with increasing AUDIT-C scores over the next 3 years until age 24. Overall, susceptibility to interference between Pavlovian and instrumental control might be viewed as a predisposing mechanism towards hazardous alcohol use during young adulthood, and the identified high-risk group may profit from targeted interventions.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ChenNebeMojtahedzadehetal.2020,
  author    = {Chen, Hao and Nebe, Stephan and Mojtahedzadeh, Negin and Kuitunen-Paul, Soren and Garbusow, Maria and Schad, Daniel and Rapp, Michael A. and Huys, Quentin J. M. and Heinz, Andreas and Smolka, Michael N.},
  title     = {Susceptibility to interference between Pavlovian and instrumental control is associated with early hazardous alcohol use},
  series = {Addiction biology},
  volume    = {26},
  journal   = {Addiction biology},
  number    = {4},
  publisher = {Wiley},
  address   = {Hoboken},
  issn      = {1355-6215},
  doi       = {10.1111/adb.12983},
  pages     = {1 -- 14},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) tasks examine the influence of Pavlovian stimuli on ongoing instrumental behaviour. Previous studies reported associations between a strong PIT effect, high-risk drinking and alcohol use disorder. This study investigated whether susceptibility to interference between Pavlovian and instrumental control is linked to risky alcohol use in a community sample of 18-year-old male adults. Participants (N = 191) were instructed to 'collect good shells' and 'leave bad shells' during the presentation of appetitive (monetary reward), aversive (monetary loss) or neutral Pavlovian stimuli. We compared instrumental error rates (ER) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain responses between the congruent and incongruent conditions, as well as among high-risk and low-risk drinking groups. On average, individuals showed a substantial PIT effect, that is, increased ER when Pavlovian cues and instrumental stimuli were in conflict compared with congruent trials. Neural PIT correlates were found in the ventral striatum and the dorsomedial and lateral prefrontal cortices (lPFC). Importantly, high-risk drinking was associated with a stronger behavioural PIT effect, a decreased lPFC response and an increased neural response in the ventral striatum on the trend level. Moreover, high-risk drinkers showed weaker connectivity from the ventral striatum to the lPFC during incongruent trials. Our study links interference during PIT to drinking behaviour in healthy, young adults. High-risk drinkers showed higher susceptibility to Pavlovian cues, especially when they conflicted with instrumental behaviour, indicating lower interference control abilities. Increased activity in the ventral striatum (bottom-up), decreased lPFC response (top-down), and their altered interplay may contribute to poor interference control in the high-risk drinkers.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ZakariasKeresztesMartonetal.2016,
  author    = {Zakari{\´a}s, Lilla and Keresztes, Attila and Marton, Klara and Wartenburger, Isabell},
  title     = {Positive effects of a computerised working memory and executive function},
  series = {Neuropsychological rehabilitation},
  volume    = {28},
  journal   = {Neuropsychological rehabilitation},
  number    = {3},
  publisher = {Routledge, Taylor \& Francis Group},
  address   = {Abingdon},
  issn      = {0960-2011},
  doi       = {10.1080/09602011.2016.1159579},
  pages     = {369 -- 386},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {Aphasia, the language disorder following brain damage, is frequently accompanied by deficits of working memory (WM) and executive functions (EFs). Recent studies suggest that WM, together with certain EFs, can play a role in sentence comprehension in individuals with aphasia (IWA), and that WM can be enhanced with intensive practice. Our aim was to investigate whether a combined WM and EF training improves the understanding of spoken sentences in IWA. We used a pre-post-test case control design. Three individuals with chronic aphasia practised an adaptive training task (a modified n-back task) three to four times a week for a month. Their performance was assessed before and after the training on outcome measures related to WM and spoken sentence comprehension. One participant showed significant improvement on the training task, another showed a tendency for improvement, and both of them improved significantly in spoken sentence comprehension. The third participant did not improve on the training task, however, she showed improvement on one measure of spoken sentence comprehension. Compared to controls, two individuals improved at least in one condition of the WM outcome measures. Thus, our results suggest that a combined WM and EF training can be beneficial for IWA.},
  language  = {en}
}