Relationship between executive functions and impulsive behavior in adolescents: Comparative study

Introduction: Impulsivity can be directly related to maladaptive and disruptive behaviors; specifically, during adolescence, impulsivity is associated with behavioral and social problems, and it has been found that some behavioral difficulties are related to neuropsychological dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for regulating impulse control and executive functions. Objective. To compare the relationships among executive functions, particularly inhibitory control, behavioral planning and behavioral flexibility, in adolescents between 13 and 15 years old with and without impulsivity. Method. This study was developed using an analytical, comparative design. The sample consisted of 62 participants whose impulsivity was measured using the BIS-11-A Impulsiveness Scale and whose data were compared with normative data from the same sample size. Executive functions were evaluated using the Tower of London test, Modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (M-WCST), Trail Making Test (TMT) and Stroop test. Results. Young people between 13 and 15 years old who exhibited impulsive behavior showed impairment in the executive functions studied, such as inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and behavioral planning. Discussion and conclusion. There is a direct correlation between impulsive behaviors and executive functions during adolescence. The results found here support the development of potential intervention protocols based on executive functioning. Keywords: Executive function, impulsive behavior, cognition, adolescent. Introduccion. La impulsividad puede relacionarse directamente con conductas desadaptativas y disruptivas; en el caso concreto del periodo adolescente, la impulsividad se asocia con problemas conductuales y sociales agregados, se ha encontrado que algunas dificultades en la conducta se relacionan con una disfuncion neuropsicologica de la corteza prefrontal, la cual se encarga de regular el control de impulsos y de las funciones ejecutivas. Objetivo. Describir la relacion entre el funcionamiento ejecutivo, particularmente control inhibitorio, la planeacion conductual y la flexibilidad conductual en adolescentes de edades entre 13 y 15 afios que presentan un indice de impulsividad contra datos de adolescentes que no presentan impulsividad. Metodo. El estudio se desarrollo mediante un disefio analitico, tipo comparative La muestra se compuso de 62 participantes con indice de impulsividad medida a traves de la BIS-11-A, muestra que