Marika Paaver | University of Tartu (original) (raw)

Papers by Marika Paaver

PubMed, 2010

Novice drivers are an important risk group in traffic and speed limit exceeding is one of the maj... more Novice drivers are an important risk group in traffic and speed limit exceeding is one of the major risk factors for traffic collisions. In this paper we explore how impulsivity measures, driving skills and driving safety are associated with speed limit exceeding in novice drivers if described variables are measured on the same subjects. Participants of the study were 909 novice car-drivers (mean age 24.7(SD=7.5) years). Subjects filled Barratt Impulsivity Scale, Adaptive and Maladaptive Impulsivity Scale (AMIS), Social Motivation Scale and Driver Skill Inventory (DSI). The data on traffic violations were obtained from the police database and the data on traffic collisions from the national traffic insurance database. During the one year follow-up time 49 drivers received penalties by the traffic police for exceeding the speed limits. Based on the traffic police penalties for speed limit exceeding, subjects were classified as speed limit exceeders (cases) and controls. Among speed limit exceeders, the proportions of drunk drivers (6.1% vs 0.7%), subjects with other violations (44.9 % vs 12.7%), and passive traffic collisions (the subject was not guilty in the traffic collisions) (18.4 % vs 6.4%) were greater in comparison with controls. Simple logistic regression analysis revealed that speed limit exceeders were more likely to have higher scores in Excitement Seeking (OR(95%CI)=1.09(1.02-1.16)) and Fast Decision-Making (OR(95%CI)=1.09(1.02-1.17)) in AMIS, and in Driving skills in DSI (OR(95%CI)=1.19(1.13-1.25)) than controls. Overestimated Driving skills in DSI was the strongest predictor of speed limit exceeding if compared to other psychometrical variables in the total sample and in men, and besides Disinhibition in women. The results show that speed limit exceeders perceive their driving skills inadequately. We see a need to develop new possibilities where drivers can objectively estimate their own skills and impulsivity tendencies.

1.1.2. Types of impulsivity 1.1.2.1. Self-reported measures Recent studies have tried to clarify ... more 1.1.2. Types of impulsivity 1.1.2.1. Self-reported measures Recent studies have tried to clarify the types of impulsivity by including the items of all well-known scales of impulsivity into common factor analysis. By factor-analysing impulsivity-related items in NEO-PI and all items in nine wellknown impulsivity inventories (BIS, I 7 , DII and others) Whiteside & Lynam (2001) created of a new inventory (UPPS) measuring four types of impulsivity: Urgency, Lack of Premeditation, Lack of Perseverance, and Sensation Seeking. Miller et al. (2004) and Flory et al. (2006) have conducted similar factor-analytic studies on more narrow sets of impulsivity inventories and both extracted three components of impulsivity. The three components of impulsivity discovered in the first study by Miller et al.

Traffic injuries are an important public health problem allower the world. In the year 2006 there... more Traffic injuries are an important public health problem allower the world. In the year 2006 there were about three times more fatalities in traffic per 1000000 inhabitants in Estonia

Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2018

Road traffic accidents are a serious public health issue, and real-life traffic offences are an e... more Road traffic accidents are a serious public health issue, and real-life traffic offences are an excellent indicator of the behavioural tendencies of impulsivity and risk-taking. We have previously reported on short-term efficacy of a brief intervention in driving schools to reduce traffic risks (Paaver et al., Accid. Anal. Prev., 2013; 50, 430-437), and have now addressed the question of whether does the impact of the intervention last for a few years, and whether traffic behaviour and the intervention effect are associated with the serotonin transporter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) genotype as the central serotonin system is strongly associated with impulse control. Participants of the study were 1866 novice car-drivers (mean age 23.0, SD = 7.2 years). Data on traffic violations were obtained four years after intervention from the police database and on traffic collisions from the national traffic insurance database. DNA samples were available for 767 participants and 5-HTTLPR genotypes were classified using the triallelic model. For the observation period after the intervention, speeding, drunk driving and involvement in traffic accidents were significantly lower in the intervention group. 5-HTTLPR genotype was associated with traffic behaviour: The S'-allele carriers had significantly lower odds for speeding offences and traffic accidents. The lower prevalence of S'-allele carriers among those who had committed speeding offences was statistically significant in females, while the lower prevalence of having been involved in a traffic accident was rather observed in males. Statistically significant intervention effects were observed only in the L'/L' homozygotes who had higher prevalence of traffic incidents. Conclusively, the brief intervention in traffic schools had a significant impact on traffic safety within subsequent four years, and traffic behaviour was associated with the serotonin transporter genotype. These findings suggest that subjects who are less likely to self-regulate their driving habits while gaining experience would benefit from training of impulsivity recognition.

Journal of Psychophysiology, 2016

. The predisposition to take risk is a personality trait associated with dangerous or maladaptive... more . The predisposition to take risk is a personality trait associated with dangerous or maladaptive behavior. Related to this, biomarkers associated with risk proneness such as low platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity level are typically considered as prognostic for higher likelihood of undesirable behavior in real-life settings. In this study we explored whether this biomarker is also indicative of risk proneness in a game situation where serious real-life adaptations and motivations are absent or minimized and risk is more or less symbolic. We adapted a game of skill where in order to get a high score “risky” actions had to be taken by the players. Scores obtained in the game correlated with the (relatively low) platelet MAO activity. Our results show that (1) the same markers that are informative for real-life behavior and adaptations involving risk and/or sensorimotor skills based performance may be informative also in a game setting, (2) in specific circumstances biomarkers associated with predisposition to risk may be associated with success, and (3) the novel game of skill tested in this context has a potential to be developed to a model of risk-involving behavior allowing quantifiable dependent measures of performance and purposeful manipulation of variables without real adverse effects on health or social relations.

Annals of advances in automotive medicine / Annual Scientific Conference ... Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine. Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine. Scientific Conference, 2011

Road traffic collisions caused by drunk driving pose a significant public health problem all over... more Road traffic collisions caused by drunk driving pose a significant public health problem all over the world. Therefore additional preventive activities against drunk driving should be worked out. The aim of the study was to assess drunk driving in novice drivers after a psychological intervention taking into account also impulsivity, law obedience, and alcohol-related measures. An intervention study was started with 1889 car driver's license attempters during their driving school studies. Subjects were classified as intervention group (n=1083, mean age 23.1 (SD=7.4) years), control group (n=517, mean age 22.8 (SD=7.1) years) and "lost" group (n=289, mean age 23.0 (SD=6.9) years). "Lost" group subjects had been assigned into the intervention group, but they did not participate in the intervention. Subjects of the intervention group participated in a psychological intervention on the dangers of impulsive behavior in traffic. After a three year follow-up period ...

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England), Jan 5, 2015

Administration of neuropeptide S (NPS) elicits anxiolysis, arousal and higher activity in rodents... more Administration of neuropeptide S (NPS) elicits anxiolysis, arousal and higher activity in rodents. In humans, the NPS receptor (NPSR1) gene rs324981 A/T (Asn(107)Ile) polymorphism is associated with fear responses and anxiety. We have recently revealed an association of NPSR1 with impulsivity-related traits and psychopathology. In the present study the association of the NPSR1 genotype with impulsivity and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-related symptoms was re-examined in two independent non-clinical cohorts. We used self-reports of two population-derived samples of the Estonian Psychobiological Study of Traffic Behaviour (EPSTB): a community car driving sample (n=491, MAge=37) and a driving school student sample (n=773, MAge=24). Impulsivity was measured with the Adaptive and Maladaptive Impulsivity Scale (AMIS) in both samples, and with the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS) in driving schools only. For the latter sample, also measurement of ADHD symptoms was carried...

Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 2012

A major problem in the research considering impulsivity is the lack of mutual understanding on ho... more A major problem in the research considering impulsivity is the lack of mutual understanding on how to measure and define impulsivity. Our study examined the relationship between self-reported impulsivity, behavioral excitatory and inhibitory processes and time perception. Impulsivity-fast, premature, thoughtless or disinhibited behavior-was assessed in 58 normal, healthy participants (30 men, mean age 21.9 years). Self-reported impulsivity as measured by Adaptive and Maladaptive Impulsivity Scale (AMIS) and behavioral excitatory and inhibitory processes as measured by Stop Signal Task were not directly related. Time perception, measured by the retrospective Time Estimation Task, was related to both. The length of the perceived time interval was positively correlated to AMIS Disinhibition subscale and negatively to several Stop Signal Task parameters. The longer subjects perceived the duration to last, the higher was their score on Disinhibition scale and the faster were their reactive responses in the Stop Signal Task. In summary our findings support the idea of cognitive tempo as a possible mechanism underlying impulsive behavior.

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2007

Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2013

Biological Psychology, 2016

Mindfulness - the nonjudgmental awareness of the present experience - is thought to facilitate af... more Mindfulness - the nonjudgmental awareness of the present experience - is thought to facilitate affective adaptation through increased exposure to emotions and faster extinction of habitual responses. To test this framework, the amplification of the Late Positive Potential (LPP) by negative relative to neutral images was analyzed across stimulus repetitions while 37 novices performed an open monitoring mindfulness exercise. Compared to two active control conditions where attention was either diverted to a distracting task or the stimuli were attended without mindfulness instructions, open monitoring enhanced the initial LPP response to negative stimuli, indicating increased emotional exposure. Across successive repetitions, mindfulness reduced and ultimately removed the affective LPP amplification, suggesting extinction of habitual emotional reactions. This effect arose from reduced negative as well enlarged neutral LPPs. Unlike stimuli from control conditions, the images previously viewed with mindfulness instructions did not elicit affective LPP amplification during subsequent re-exposure, suggesting reconsolidation of stimulus meaning.

European Neuropsychopharmacology, 2011

…, 2011

Rationale Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS1) knockout results in increased impulsive aggressio... more Rationale Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS1) knockout results in increased impulsive aggression in mice under adverse housing conditions. In line with this, we have previously shown that a functional promoter polymorphism of NOS1, termed NOS1 ex1f-VNTR, is associated with impulsivity-related traits and related disorders. Objective This study aims to examine whether adverse environment interacts with the risk allele on impulsivityrelated measures.

Progress in neuro- …, 2008

The short (S) allele of the 5-HTT gene promoter region polymorphism (5-HTTLPR), in combination wi... more The short (S) allele of the 5-HTT gene promoter region polymorphism (5-HTTLPR), in combination with adverse environmental influence, leads to higher likelihood of depression. Impulsivity has been related to low serotonin turnover, poor regulation of affect, and problems in the family, including child maltreatment. The current study explored the effect of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene and adverse family environment on impulsivity in adolescents. Healthy adolescents participating in the Estonian Children Personality Behaviour and Health Study (n = 483) filled the Adaptive and Maladaptive Impulsivity Scale (AMIS), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), a scale measuring family relations, and were genotyped. While genotype alone was not associated with thoughtlessness, BIS-11 impulsiveness, fast decision-making or excitement seeking, 5-HTTLPR S allele carriers, however, had higher scores of disinhibition. In girls carrying the S allele, scores of thoughtlessness and disinhibition depended on family relations, being higher with less warmth in the family. Adverse family relations had no effect on impulsivity in girls with LL genotype. In boys, the effects of family relations on maladaptive impulsivity did not depend on genotype. However, the S allele and high maltreatment in the family both independently increased disinhibition and the BIS-11 score in boys. Family environment and the 5-HTTLPR genotype had no interactive effect on excitement seeking or fast decision-making. In summary, carrying the S allele may lead to high maladaptive impulsivity due to higher sensitivity to environmental adversity, which is more significantly expressed in girls.

… Journal of Eating …, 2008

Objective:Several lines of evidence suggest that alterations in serotonergic activity contribute ... more Objective:Several lines of evidence suggest that alterations in serotonergic activity contribute to the pathophysiology of abnormal eating behaviors. Since platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity and the 5-HT transporter gene promoter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) have been associated with eating disorders, the knowledge from a population-based sample may provide useful information which changes in 5-HT function observed in eating disorders represent trait vs. state effects.Several lines of evidence suggest that alterations in serotonergic activity contribute to the pathophysiology of abnormal eating behaviors. Since platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity and the 5-HT transporter gene promoter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) have been associated with eating disorders, the knowledge from a population-based sample may provide useful information which changes in 5-HT function observed in eating disorders represent trait vs. state effects.Method:The sample was based on both cohorts of the Estonian Children Personality, Behavior and Health Study (ECPBHS). The current study was conducted during the second follow-up where altogether 82% from the original sample was recruited. EDI-2 subscales—Drive for Thinness and Bulimia—were used to determine eating attitudes and behaviors. Platelet MAO activity was measured and the participants were genotyped for the 5-HTTLPR.The sample was based on both cohorts of the Estonian Children Personality, Behavior and Health Study (ECPBHS). The current study was conducted during the second follow-up where altogether 82% from the original sample was recruited. EDI-2 subscales—Drive for Thinness and Bulimia—were used to determine eating attitudes and behaviors. Platelet MAO activity was measured and the participants were genotyped for the 5-HTTLPR.Results:Allelic variation of 5-HTTLPR or platelet MAO activity were not independently associated with drive for thinness or binge eating, but girls homozygous for the 5-HTTLPR long allele and with high platelet MAO activity, both considered indicators of a higher capacity 5-HT system, exhibited higher scores of drive for thinness.Allelic variation of 5-HTTLPR or platelet MAO activity were not independently associated with drive for thinness or binge eating, but girls homozygous for the 5-HTTLPR long allele and with high platelet MAO activity, both considered indicators of a higher capacity 5-HT system, exhibited higher scores of drive for thinness.Conclusion:The results suggest that drive for thinness is the highest in girls with the presence of two markers of higher serotonergic capacity. © 2008 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2008The results suggest that drive for thinness is the highest in girls with the presence of two markers of higher serotonergic capacity. © 2008 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2008

Molecular Psychiatry, 2007