Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2008 Apr;36(3):323-33.
doi: 10.1007/s10802-007-9180-x. Epub 2007 Oct 9.

Hot and cool forms of inhibitory control and externalizing behavior in children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy: an exploratory study

Stephan C J Huijbregts  1 , Alison J Warren, Leo M J de Sonneville, Hanna Swaab-Barneveld
Affiliations

Hot and cool forms of inhibitory control and externalizing behavior in children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy: an exploratory study

Stephan C J Huijbregts et al. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2008 Apr.

Abstract

This study examined whether children exposed to prenatal smoking show deficits in "hot" and/or "cool" executive functioning (EF). Hot EF is involved in regulation of affect and motivation, whereas cool EF is involved in handling abstract, decontextualized problems. Forty 7 to 9-year-old children (15 exposed to prenatal smoking, 25 non-exposed) performed two computerized tasks. The Sustained Attention Dots (SA-Dots) Task (as a measure of "cool" inhibitory control) requires 400 non-dominant hand and 200 dominant hand responses. Inhibitory control of the prepotent response is required for dominant hand responses. The Delay Frustration Task (DeFT) (as a measure of "hot" inhibitory control) consists of 55 simple maths exercises. On a number of trials delays are introduced before the next question appears on the screen. The extent of response-button pressing during delays indicates frustration-induced inhibitory control. Prenatally exposed children showed poorer inhibitory control in the DeFT than non-exposed children. A dose-response relationship was also observed. In addition, prenatally exposed children had significantly higher (dose-dependent) conduct problem- and hyperactivity-inattention scores. There were no significant group differences in inhibitory control scores from the SA-Dots. These results indicate that children exposed to prenatal smoking are at higher risk of hot but not cool executive function deficits.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mean standardized scores on the SA-dots task, the Delay Frustration Task, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for non-exposed vs exposed offspring. Bias and RTae are the inhibitory control measures from the SA-Dots task. DF-np (mean number of presses during 20 s intervals), DF-tp (mean duration of presses during 20 s intervals), and DF-np*tp (product of DF-np and DF-tp) are the inhibitory control measures from the Delay Frustration Task. SDQ-CP: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire—Conduct Problems, SDQ-HI: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire—Hyperactivity/Inattention
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Dose-dependency in associations between maternal prenatal smoking and scores on the Delay Frustration Task and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. DF-np (mean number of presses during 20 s intervals), DF-tp (duration of presses during 20 s intervals), and DF-np*tp (product of DF-NP and DF-TP) are the inhibitory control measures from the delay frustration task. SDQ-CP: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire—Conduct Problems, SDQ-HI: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire—Hyperactivity/Inattention
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'DOI', 'value': '10.1037/0033-2909.121.1.65', 'is_inner': False, 'url': 'https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.121.1.65'}, {'type': 'PubMed', 'value': '9000892', 'is_inner': True, 'url': 'https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9000892/'}]}
    2. Barkley, R. A. (1997). Behavioral inhibition, sustained attention, and executive functions: constructing a unifying theory of ADHD. Psychological Bulletin, 121, 65–94. - PubMed
    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'DOI', 'value': '10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2003.09.001', 'is_inner': False, 'url': 'https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2003.09.001'}, {'type': 'PubMed', 'value': '14652157', 'is_inner': True, 'url': 'https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14652157/'}]}
    2. Batstra, L., Hadders-Algra, M., & Neeleman, J. (2003). Effect of antenatal exposure to maternal smoking on behavioural problems and academic achievement in childhood: Prospective evidence from a Dutch birth cohort. Early Human Development, 75, 21–33. - PubMed
    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'DOI', 'value': '10.1016/0010-0277(94)90018-3', 'is_inner': False, 'url': 'https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0277(94)90018-3'}, {'type': 'PubMed', 'value': '8039375', 'is_inner': True, 'url': 'https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8039375/'}]}
    2. Bechara, A., Damasio, A. R., Damasio, H., & Anderson, S. W. (1994). Insensitivity to future consequences following damage to human prefrontal cortex. Cognition, 50, 7–15. - PubMed
    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'DOI', 'value': '10.1016/j.jneumeth.2005.06.031', 'is_inner': False, 'url': 'https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneumeth.2005.06.031'}, {'type': 'PubMed', 'value': '16364448', 'is_inner': True, 'url': 'https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16364448/'}]}
    2. Bitsakou, P., Antrop, I., Wiersema, J. R., & Sonuga-Barke, E. J. (2006). Probing the limits of delay tolerance: Preliminary young adult data from the Delay Frustration Task (DeFT). Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 151, 38–44. - PubMed
    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'DOI', 'value': '10.1097/01.chi.0000159157.57075.c8', 'is_inner': False, 'url': 'https://doi.org/10.1097/01.chi.0000159157.57075.c8'}, {'type': 'PubMed', 'value': '15908838', 'is_inner': True, 'url': 'https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15908838/'}]}
    2. Bourdon, K. H., Goodman, R., Rae, D. S., Simpson, G., & Koretz, D. S. (2005). The Strengths and difficulties questionnaire: U.S. normative data and psychometric properties. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 44, 557–564. - PubMed