Appeal and Sensory Characteristics of Oral Nicotine Products in Young Adults Who Vape E-Cigarettes.

Introduction: This study applied a novel tobacco regulatory science paradigm to characterize inter-product variation in the appeal and sensory features of emerging commercial and therapeutic oral nicotine products (ONPs) among young adults that vape e-cigarettes.

Methods: Twenty-three young adults without ONP experience who use e-cigarettes completed a single-blind, single-visit remote lab study. Participants rated appeal and sensory characteristics during 5-minute standardized self-administrations of 8 ONPs (4 fruit, 4 mint) from various brands (Lucy, Rouge, Solace, Nicorette, On!, Velo).

Effect of packaging with versus without candy-oriented marketing themes on the appeal and sensory attributes of flavoured e-cigarettes.

Significance: E-cigarettes with candy-themed marketing are implicated in decisions to first try e-cigarettes but have unknown effects on the experience of vaping. We compared adults' perceived appeal and sensory attributes after self-administering flavoured e-cigarettes in experimentally manipulated packaging with candy-themed versus standard marketing. We also assessed effect modification by salt vs free-base nicotine formulation.

An adaptation and exploratory factor analysis of the smoking-related weight and eating episodes test (SWEET) for electronic cigarette users.

Introduction: Smoking for weight control is a well-documented behavior. There is emerging evidence to suggest electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) may be used for similar motivations yet measure development for the use of e-cigarettes for weight control has received less attention. The objective of the current study was to adapt and explore the psychometric properties of The Smoking-Related Weight and Eating Episodes Test (SWEET) for e-cigarette users.

Eating Disorder Symptomatology Among Young Adult Cigarette and E-Cigarette Users.

Tobacco use is elevated among individuals with eating disorders (EDs). Yet, further research is needed to understand associations between cigarette and e-cigarette use patterns and ED symptomatology. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of tobacco use and EDs, this study characterized ED symptomatology and tobacco use patterns, including exclusive cigarette use, e-cigarette use, dual use, and nonuse.

Sweet taste preference is associated with greater hypothalamic response to glucose and longitudinal weight gain.

The hypothalamus has an abundant expression of sweet taste receptors that play a role in glucose sensing and energy homeostasis. Evidence suggests that liking "sweets" can be associated with weight gain, but the relationship between sweet taste preference and hypothalamic regulation of appetite is unknown. This study tested the hypothesis that sweet taste preference is associated with increased hypothalamic activation in response to glucose (a purported neural marker for weight gain risk) and greater longitudinal increases in body mass index (BMI).

The neural correlates of value representation: From single items to bundles.

One of the core questions in Neuro-economics is to determine where value is represented. To date, most studies have focused on simple options and identified the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) as the common value region. We report the findings of an fMRI study in which we asked participants to make pairwise comparisons involving options of varying complexity: single items (Control condition), bundles made of the same two single items (Scaling condition) and bundles made of two different single items (Bundling condition).

Essential Role of Social Context and Self-Efficacy in Daily Paretic Arm/Hand Use After Stroke: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study With Accelerometry.

Objective: To determine the momentary effect of social-cognitive factors, in addition to motor capability, on post-stroke paretic arm/hand use in the natural environment.

Design: A 5-day observational study in which participants were sent 6 Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) prompts/day.

Setting: Participants' daily environment.

FGF21 response to sucrose is associated with BMI and dorsal striatal signaling in humans.

Objective: This study examined associations between BMI and dietary sugar intake with sucrose-induced fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) and whether circulating FGF21 is associated with brain signaling following sucrose ingestion in humans.

Methods: A total of 68 adults (29 male; mean [SD), age 23.2 [3.

Changes in Social, Romantic, and General Life Satisfaction Over the Course of a Substance Use Disorder.

The pandemic has highlighted the importance of social connection for health and well-being. Satisfaction across domains of life is associated with substance use outcomes, such as risk of relapse and mortality. Previous work has delineated the relationship between substance use and social connections, yet there is a lack of research exploring the relationship between substance use and satisfaction with domains of life over time.

Brain responses to glucose ingestion are greater in children than adults and are associated with overweight and obesity.

Objective: This study investigated whether brain regions involved in the regulation of food intake respond differently to glucose ingestion in children and adults and the relationship between brain responses and weight status.

Methods: Data included 87 children (ages 7-11 years) and 94 adults (ages 18-35 years) from two cohorts. Healthy weight, overweight, and obesity were defined by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria.

Obesity and Sex-Related Associations With Differential Effects of Sucralose vs Sucrose on Appetite and Reward Processing: A Randomized Crossover Trial.

Importance: Nonnutritive sweeteners (NNSs) are used as an alternative to nutritive sweeteners to quench desire for sweets while reducing caloric intake. However, studies have shown mixed results concerning the effects of NNSs on appetite, and the associations between sex and obesity with reward and appetitive responses to NNS compared with nutritive sugar are unknown.

Objective: To examine neural reactivity to different types of high-calorie food cues (ie, sweet and savory), metabolic responses, and eating behavior following consumption of sucralose (NNS) vs sucrose (nutritive sugar) among healthy young adults.

Effects of addiction science on conceived freewill and responsibility.

Although there is speculation that medicalization of addiction undermines conceived agency, only relatively modest effects have been reported. Research participants generally have ideas about addiction that are informed both by personal experience and by media, and their views may not be wholly updated in response to study-information. Here we examine the potential impact of addiction science theories on perceived volition and responsibility by considering the issues in the context of a hypothetical new drug, "Z.

Present-state dependency in valuation of the future.

Ainslie's target article provides a map of distinct mechanisms relevant to self-control, potentially providing needed precision to the field. He also breaks new ground in characterizing the symbiotic relationship between suppression and resolve. In this commentary, I argue that one behaviorism-based feature of his framework, present-state independence, is unjustified and unnecessary for the broader claims of the theory.

Obesity and Dietary Added Sugar Interact to Affect Postprandial GLP-1 and Its Relationship to Striatal Responses to Food Cues and Feeding Behavior.

It has been hypothesized that the incretin hormone, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), decreases overeating by influencing mesolimbic brain regions that process food-cues, including the dorsal striatum. We previously showed that habitual added sugar intake was associated with lower glucose-induced circulating GLP-1 and a greater striatal response to high calorie food cues in lean individuals. Less is known about how dietary added sugar and obesity may interact to affect postprandial GLP-1 and its relationship to striatal responses to food cues and feeding behavior.

Associations Between Exposure to Gestational Diabetes Mellitus In Utero and Daily Energy Intake, Brain Responses to Food Cues, and Adiposity in Children.

Objective: Children exposed to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or maternal obesity in utero have an increased propensity to develop obesity. Little is known about the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. We aimed to examine relationships between exposure to GDM or maternal obesity and daily energy intake (EI), brain responses to food cues within reward regions, and adiposity in children.

A Novel Combination of Accelerometry and Ecological Momentary Assessment for Post-Stroke Paretic Arm/Hand Use: Feasibility and Validity.

Use of the paretic arm and hand is a key indicator of recovery and reintegration after stroke. A sound methodology is essential to comprehensively identify the possible factors impacting daily arm/hand use behavior. We combined ecological momentary assessment (EMA), a prompt methodology capturing real-time psycho-contextual factors, with accelerometry to investigate arm/hand behavior in the natural environment.

The Early Impact of Social Distancing Measures on Drug Use.

Social distancing policies have been widely adopted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. High levels of social connection are positively associated with beneficial health outcomes, while social isolation is associated with poor long-term health outcomes including reduced life expectancy. The present study evaluates the impact of social distancing measures during the early period of COVID-19 on substance use behaviors among those in the United States.

The role of maternal BMI on brain food cue reactivity in children: a preliminary study.

Children of overweight and obese parents have an increased risk of obesity. Little is known the neural mechanisms underlying this relationship, specifically the brain systems implicated in self-regulation of food intake. The primary goal here is to examine relationships between maternal body mass index (BMI) and brain responses to food cues in children.

Adolescent emotional disorder symptoms and transdiagnostic vulnerabilities as predictors of young adult substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic: mediation by substance-related coping behaviors.

The COVID-19 pandemic presents unique stressors (e.g. social isolation) that may increase substance use risk among young adults with a history of emotional disturbance.

Evidence of a Role for the Hippocampus in Food-Cue Processing and the Association with Body Weight and Dietary Added Sugar.

Objective: The current analysis used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore a model of energy regulation postulating that the hippocampus integrates interoceptive signals and environmental stimuli to suppress responding to food cues. It was hypothesized that hippocampal activity would increase in response to food cues under postnutritive relative to fasted conditions, given the role of the hippocampus in integrating postnutritive signals with food cues, and that obesity, added sugar intake, or a combination of these factors would alter this response.

Methods: Data were analyzed on 65 participants (29 males).

Appetite-Regulating Hormones Are Reduced After Oral Sucrose vs Glucose: Influence of Obesity, Insulin Resistance, and Sex.

Context: Fructose compared to glucose has adverse effects on metabolic function, but endocrine responses to oral sucrose vs glucose is not well understood.

Objective: We investigated how oral sucrose vs glucose affected appetite-regulating hormones, and how biological factors (body mass index [BMI], insulin sensitivity, sex) influence endocrine responses to these 2 types of sugar.

Design: Sixty-nine adults (29 men; 23.

Impacts of Acute Sucralose and Glucose on Brain Activity during Food Decisions in Humans.

It is not known how acute sucralose and glucose alter signaling within the brain when individuals make decisions about available food. Here we examine this using Food Bid Task in which participants bid on visually depicted food items, while simultaneously undergoing functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Twenty-eight participants completed three sessions after overnight fast, distinguished only by the consumption at the start of the session of 300 mL cherry flavored water with either 75 g glucose, 0.

Fasting may increase incentive signaling for nonfood rewards.

During acute energy deprivation, hunger signaling mechanisms support homeostasis by enhancing incentive for food. There is some evidence (primarily based on nonhuman experiments) that fasting heightens incentive signaling for nonfood reward as well. We hypothesized that, consistent with results from research in rodent and nonhuman primates, human participants would evidence increased incentive-related brain activity for nonfood rewards during fast (relative to satiety) and that this increase would be heightened when available rewards were immediate.

Expectancy and affective response to challenging balance practice conditions in individuals with Parkinson's disease.

Psychological states can influence motor performance and learning. In Parkinson's disease (PD), placebo effects or expectancies for pharmacological treatment benefits are not uncommon, but little is known about whether self-efficacy, beliefs about personal performance capabilities, may play a role in this population. To address this question, we investigated whether experimental manipulations designed to enhance self-efficacy would benefit motor performance and learning in PD.