1. Impulsivity
What is it?

2. Definition of Impulsive
Acting or Done without Forethought
Latin Root: impulsivus = Driven Onward
Actuated or swayed by emotional or 
involuntary impulses
Proceeding from natural feeling or impulse without external stimulus
Doing things or tending to do things suddenly

3. Definition of Impulsivity
What is Impulsivity?
Impulsivity has been variously defined as behavior without adequate thought, the tendency to act with less forethought than do most individuals of equal ability and knowledge, or a predisposition toward rapid, unplanned reactions to internal or external stimuli without regard to the negative consequences of these reactions.
Impulsivity is implicated in a number of psychiatric disorders including Mania, Personality Disorders, and Substance Use Disorders; yet, there is significant disagreement among researchers and clinicians regarding the exact definition of impulsivity and how it should be measured.

4. Concept of Impulsivity
Actions that are
Poorly Conceived
Prematurely Expressed
Unduly Risky
Inappropriate to the Situation
Result in Undesirable Outcomes

5. Is impulsivity more than one thing?
Made up of
Several Independent Factors
Integrated with
Qualitatively Different Aspects of Behavior
Can we distinguish a
Functional Impulsivity
From a
Dysfunctional Impulsivity

6. Is impulsivity more than one thing?
Facet of normal personality
Component of various Disorders:
 ADHD, Substance Abuse, Bipolar Disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, OCD, Procrastination

7. Varieties of Impulsivity
Dysfunctional Impulsivity
Ideomotor
Functional Impulsivity
Careful Planning
Attentional
Coping Stability
“Reflection-Impulsivity”
Novelty Seeking
Disinhibition
Harm Avoidance
Inhibitory Control
Reward Dependence
Decision Time
Lack of Persistence
Irritability
Boredom/Sensation Seeking
“Self-Control”
Impulsiveness
Time needed for Decision
Venturesomeness
Inattention
Motor
Hyperactivity
Cognitive
Impulsivity
Non-Planning
Criterion 7 for Mania

8. Dysfunctional vs Functional Impulsivity
Dysfunctional: maladaptive
Act with less forethought, which produces difficulty
Functional: Adaptive?
Act with little forethought when it is optimal

9. Impulsivity vs Risky Behavior
Are they the same?

10. Impulsivity vs Risky Behavior
Are they the same?

11. Impulsivity vs Risky Behavior

12. Risky?

13. Does Training matter for Impulsivity?

14. Impulsive?

15. What differentiates socially acceptable impulsive behavior from unacceptable?
Not all impulsive behavior is disadvantageous
Impulsive individuals say they act with less forethought
But they often respond more slowly in experimental Tasks than non-impulsive individuals
Are decision time, persistence, boredom, and sensation seeking important aspects?

16. Class questions of Impulsivity
Must all Impulsive Actions be:
Poorly Conceived
Prematurely Expressed
Unduly Risky
Inappropriate to the Situation
Result in Undesirable Outcomes ?
Must all Impulsive Actions
Include all of the above ?

17. The Impulsive Car Buy For a Rich Man?
Poorly Conceived?
Prematurely Expressed?
Unduly Risky?
Inappropriate to the Situation?
Result in Undesirable Outcomes?
Thoughtful/Rich/for fun purchase?
Middle Class/Thoughtful/before finance?
Poor?

18. Class concepts of Impulsivity
Phenotypic Impulsivity
Negative consequences
Risky Behavior
Repetitive*
Not able to discern want from need
Underdeveloped PFC
less feedback from PFC to limbic
impatience
make choices even recognizing the negative consequences for that choice

19. Why don’t drugs work consistently?

20. Do drug experiments strongly support the hypothesis that Impulsivity is multifactorial?
Drugs were delivered systemically –
Complex Behavioral Outputs
Such as Impulsivity
Require Complex Circuitry
Suggests multiple Transmitter modulation
Is the Definition of Impulsivity Good Enough to determine multifactorial causation?

21. Two New Models of Impulsivity
Transitional Bridge
5-choice serial reaction time task

22. 5CSRTT Poorly Conceived Prematurely Expressed Unduly Risky
Inappropriate to the Situation
confounded by issues related to learning
Result in Undesirable Outcomes
confounds include:
satiety issues
motivation

23. 5CSRTT

24. 5CSRTT Explains 42% 10s 5s Explains 5%
Strong negative correlation r2=0.42 of premature responding with accuracy for Long ITI (5-10s)
Variable ITI (2-15s) – low correlation of premature responding and accuracy

25. Transitional Bridge Motor Impulsivity Go signal tone one bridge used
rat on platform A
trained → platform B
food reward
tone after 1s A → B
if <2s reward
Testing
tone randomly
2-3 or 3-4 s
Correct response: < 2s
Omission > 2 crossing
Premature response
cross before tone
Impulsivity

26. Transitional Bridge Cognitive Impulsivity 2 bridges/remove panel 4
on platform A or C
trained → B or D
tone + food reward
√ bridge preference
Testing
A → B
immediate reward
C → D
2X reward
5 s delay (3 days)
7s delay (days 4-6)
10 s delay (7-9)
Impulsivity =
choosing A → B
↓ crossing latency
Transitional Bridge

27. T-Bridge: Motor Impulsivity
Poorly Conceived
Prematurely Expressed
Unduly Risky
confounded by anxiety
Inappropriate to the Situation
confounded by issues related to learning
Result in Undesirable Outcomes
Affected by ETOH
confounds:
satiety issues
motivation
T-Bridge: Motor Impulsivity

28. T- Bridge: Cognitive Impulsivity
Poorly Conceived
Prematurely Expressed
Unduly Risky
confounded by anxiety
Inappropriate to the Situation
confounded by issues related to learning
Result in Undesirable Outcomes
affected by alcohol
confounds include:
satiety issues
motivation

29. Toward Phenotypic Impulsivity
The Next Step:
Models must include/consider
Behaviors meaningful to the animal used
Poor Conception is impossible to measure in animals and humans
Undue Risk
Situation Inappropriateness
Undesirable Outcomes
All affected by
Emotional state & Stress responsivity
Habitual, Learned and Not yet Learned behavior }
all individually variable