Disorders of diminished motivation (DDM) are a group of disorders involving diminished motivation and associated emotions.[1][2][3][4] Many different terms have been used to refer to diminished motivation.[4][1][2][3][5][6][7] Often however, a spectrum is defined encompassing apathy, abulia, and akinetic mutism, with apathy the least severe and akinetic mutism the most extreme.[1][2][3]
Often however, a spectrum of DDM is defined encompassing apathy, abulia, and akinetic mutism, with apathy being the mildest form and akinetic mutism being the most severe or extreme form.[1][2][3] Akinetic mutism involves alertness but absence of movement and speech due to profound lack of will.[1][2][3][7] People with the condition are indifferent even to biologically relevant stimuli such as pain, hunger, and thirst.[7]
A limitation of certain medications used to improve motivation, like psychostimulants, is development of tolerance to their effects.[18][19]Rapid acute tolerance to amphetamines is believed to be responsible for the dissociation between their relatively short durations of action (~4hours for main desired effects) and their much longer elimination half-lives (~10hours) and durations in the body (~2days).[19][53][54][55][56][57][58] It appears that continually increasing or ascending concentration–time curves are beneficial for prolonging effects, which has resulted in administration multiple times per day and development of delayed- and extended-release formulations.[19][54][55] Medication holidays and breaks can be helpful in resetting tolerance.[18]
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often involves motivational deficits,[82][83] and the ADHD academic Russell Barkley has referred to the condition as a "motivational deficit disorder" in various publications and presentations.[84][85][86][87] However, ADHD has perhaps more accurately been conceptualized as a disorder of executive function and of directing or allocating attention and motivation rather than a global deficiency in these processes.[82][88][89] People with ADHD are often highly motivated towards stimuli that interest them, not uncommonly experiencing a flow-like state called hyperfocus while engaging such stimuli.[90][82] In any case, as with management of DDM, psychostimulants and other catecholaminergic agents are used in people with ADHD to treat their symptoms, including difficulties with attention, executive control, and motivation.[91][92][93] Amphetamines in the treatment of ADHD appear to have among the largest effect sizes in terms of effectiveness of any interventions (medications or forms of psychotherapy) used in the management of psychiatric disorders generally.[94]
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^ abcBatail JM, Palaric J, Guillery M, Gadoullet J, Sauleau P, Le Jeune F, et al. (March 2018). "Apathy and depression: Which clinical specificities?". Personalized Medicine in Psychiatry. 7–8: 21–26. doi:10.1016/j.pmip.2017.12.001.
^ abcdefSalamone JD, Koychev I, Correa M, McGuire P (August 2015). "Neurobiological basis of motivational deficits in psychopathology". Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 25 (8): 1225–1238. doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2014.08.014. PMID25435083.
^ abcLázaro-Perlado F (13 September 2019). "Apathy: A Conceptual Review". Current Psychiatry Research and Reviews. 15 (2): 88–104. doi:10.2174/1573400515666190306150306.
^ abJawad MY, Fatima M, Hassan U, Zaheer Z, Ayyan M, Ehsan M, et al. (July 2023). "Can antidepressant use be associated with emotional blunting in a subset of patients with depression? A scoping review of available literature". Human Psychopharmacology. 38 (4): e2871. doi:10.1002/hup.2871. PMID37184083.
^ abcKjærsgaard T (2 January 2015). "Enhancing Motivation by Use of Prescription Stimulants: The Ethics of Motivation Enhancement". AJOB Neuroscience. 6 (1): 4–10. doi:10.1080/21507740.2014.990543. ISSN2150-7740.
^Belmaker RH, Lichtenberg P (2023). "Antipsychotic Drugs: Do They Define Schizophrenia or Do They Blunt All Emotions?". Psychopharmacology Reconsidered: A Concise Guide Exploring the Limits of Diagnosis and Treatment. Cham: Springer International Publishing. pp. 63–84. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-40371-2_6. ISBN978-3-031-40370-5.
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^Moncrieff J (2013). "The Patient's Dilemma: Other Evidence on the Effects of Antipsychotics". The Bitterest Pills. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK. pp. 113–131. doi:10.1057/9781137277442_7. ISBN978-1-137-27743-5.
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^Rashidi SK, Khodagholi F, Rafie S, Kashipazha D, Safarian H, Khoshnam SE, et al. (4 June 2024). "Methamphetamine and the brain: Emerging molecular targets and signaling pathways involved in neurotoxicity". Toxin Reviews: 1–19. doi:10.1080/15569543.2024.2360425. ISSN1556-9543.
^Camino S, Strejilevich SA, Godoy A, Smith J, Szmulewicz A (July 2023). "Are all antidepressants the same? The consumer has a point". Psychological Medicine. 53 (9): 4004–4011. doi:10.1017/S0033291722000678. PMID35346413.
^ abContreras-Mora H, Rowland MA, Yohn SE, Correa M, Salamone JD (March 2018). "Partial reversal of the effort-related motivational effects of tetrabenazine with the MAO-B inhibitor deprenyl (selegiline): Implications for treating motivational dysfunctions". Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 166: 13–20. doi:10.1016/j.pbb.2018.01.001. PMID29309800.
^Salamone JD, Pardo M, Yohn SE, López-Cruz L, SanMiguel N, Correa M (2016). "Mesolimbic Dopamine and the Regulation of Motivated Behavior". Curr Top Behav Neurosci. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences. 27: 231–257. doi:10.1007/7854_2015_383. ISBN978-3-319-26933-7. PMID26323245.
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^Knoll J (August 2003). "Enhancer regulation/endogenous and synthetic enhancer compounds: a neurochemical concept of the innate and acquired drives". Neurochemical Research. 28 (8): 1275–1297. doi:10.1023/a:1024224311289. PMID12834268.
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^ abCostello H, Husain M, Roiser JP (January 2024). "Apathy and Motivation: Biological Basis and Drug Treatment". Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol. 64: 313–338. doi:10.1146/annurev-pharmtox-022423-014645. PMID37585659. Synaptic clearance mechanisms also mediate dopamine's function and vary across corticostriatal regions (127). For example, in the [ventral striatum (VS)], rapid recycling via [dopamine transporter (DAT)] predominates (127). In contrast, in the [prefrontal cortex (PFC)], DAT recycling is minimal and enzymatic degradation by catecholO-methyltransferase (COMT) is the primary mechanism for clearance, modulating evoked dopamine release measured over minutes (128–130). Reinforcement learning and apathy have both been associated with functional polymorphisms in COMT (131, 132). [...] COMT inhibitors: COMT is a catecholamine-degrading enzyme. Enzymatic degradation by COMT is the primary mechanism for synaptic dopamine clearance in the prefrontal cortex. COMT inhibitors increase cortical dopamine by inhibiting this key catabolic pathway either directly within the brain (tolcapone) or peripherally (180).
^Kings E, Ioannidis K, Grant JE, Chamberlain SR (June 2024). "A systematic review of the cognitive effects of the COMT inhibitor, tolcapone, in adult humans". CNS Spectrums. 29 (3): 166–175. doi:10.1017/S1092852924000130. PMID38487834.
^Paholpak P, Mendez MF (2016). "Apathy". Genomics, Circuits, and Pathways in Clinical Neuropsychiatry. Elsevier. pp. 327–344. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-800105-9.00021-4. ISBN978-0-12-800105-9. There are limited numbers of studies on the genetics of apathy. Although dopaminergic neurons have been the center of attention in studies on the motivation system for many years, a correlation between dopamine-related genes and severity of apathy is not established. The only positive genetic association came from a study of 963 healthy participants, 213 of whom had apathy, which showed an association between the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the catechol-Omethyltransferase (COMT) gene (rs4680) and a lower risk of apathy (Mitaki et al., 2013). The authors concluded that the SNP in the COMT gene leads to a reduction in COMT activity and increased dopamine in the PFC. Those with apathy also had more severe depression, so it was possible that this gene affected not only motivation but also the mood state (Mitaki et al., 2013) (Table 21.1).
^Lanctôt KL, Agüera-Ortiz L, Brodaty H, Francis PT, Geda YE, Ismail Z, et al. (January 2017). "Apathy associated with neurocognitive disorders: Recent progress and future directions". Alzheimers Dement. 13 (1): 84–100. doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2016.05.008. PMID27362291. Studies relating to other hypothesized genetic correlates of apathy, such as the catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) gene, a dopamine-related gene, have been similarly inconclusive. Although a number of authors have reported no association in AD patients [116,119], a recent casecontrol study in neurologically normal subjects found that a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the COMT gene (rs4680) was associated with a lower risk for apathy [120].
^Mitaki S, Isomura M, Maniwa K, Yamasaki M, Nagai A, Nabika T, et al. (August 2013). "Apathy is associated with a single-nucleotide polymorphism in a dopamine-related gene". Neurosci Lett. 549: 87–91. doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2013.05.075. PMID23769684.
^Åberg E, Fandiño-Losada A, Sjöholm LK, Forsell Y, Lavebratt C (March 2011). "The functional Val158Met polymorphism in catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is associated with depression and motivation in men from a Swedish population-based study". J Affect Disord. 129 (1–3): 158–166. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2010.08.009. PMID20828831.
^Cruickshank CC, Dyer KR (July 2009). "A review of the clinical pharmacology of methamphetamine". Addiction. 104 (7): 1085–1099. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2009.02564.x. PMID19426289. Metabolism does not appear to be altered by chronic exposure, thus dose escalation appears to arise from pharmacodynamic rather than pharmacokinetic tolerance [24]. [...] The terminal plasma half-life of methamphetamine of approximately 10 hours is similar across administration routes, but with substantial inter-individual variability. Acute effects persist for up to 8 hours following a single moderate dose of 30 mg [30]. [...] peak plasma methamphetamine concentration occurs after 4 hours [35]. Nevertheless, peak cardiovascular and subjective effects occur rapidly (within 5–15 minutes). The dissociation between peak plasma concentration and clinical effects indicates acute tolerance, which may reflect rapid molecular processes such as redistribution of vesicular monoamines and internalization of monoamine receptors and transporters [6,36]. Acute subjective effects diminish over 4 hours, while cardiovascular effects tend to remain elevated. This is important, as the marked acute tachyphylaxis to subjective effects may drive repeated use within intervals of 4 hours, while cardiovascular risks may increase [11,35].
^ abAbbas K, Barnhardt EW, Nash PL, Streng M, Coury DL (April 2024). "A review of amphetamine extended release once-daily options for the management of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder". Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics. 24 (4): 421–432. doi:10.1080/14737175.2024.2321921. PMID38391788. For several decades, clinical benefits of amphetamines have been limited by the pharmacologic half-life of around 4 hours. Although higher doses can produce higher maximum concentrations, they do not affect the half-life of the dose. Therefore, to achieve longer durations of effect, stimulants had to be dosed at least twice daily. Further, these immediate-release doses were found to have their greatest effect shortly after administration, with a rapid decline in effect after reaching peak blood concentrations. The clinical correlation of this was found in comparing math problems attempted and solved between a mixed amphetamine salts preparation (MAS) 10 mg once at 8 am vs 8 am followed by 12 pm [14]. The study also demonstrated the phenomenon of acute tolerance, where even if blood concentrations were maintained over the course of the day, clinical efficacy in the form of math problems attempted and solved would diminish over the course of the day. These findings eventually led to the development of a once daily preparation (MAS XR) [15], which is a composition of 50% immediate-release beads and 50% delayed release beads intended to mimic this twice-daily dosing with only a single administration.
^Baumeister AA (2021). "Is Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder a Risk Syndrome for Parkinson's Disease?". Harvard Review of Psychiatry. 29 (2): 142–158. doi:10.1097/HRP.0000000000000283. PMID33560690. It has been suggested that the association between PD and ADHD may be explained, in part, by toxic effects of these drugs on DA neurons.241 [...] An important question is whether amphetamines, as they are used clinically to treat ADHD, are toxic to DA neurons. In most of the animal and human studies cited above, stimulant exposure levels are high relative to clinical doses, and dosing regimens (as stimulants) rarely mimic the manner in which these drugs are used clinically. The study by Ricaurte and colleagues248 is an exception. In that study, baboons orally self-administered a racemic (3:1 d/l) amphetamine mixture twice daily in increasing doses ranging from 2.5 to 20 mg/day for four weeks. Plasma amphetamine concentrations, measured at one-week intervals, were comparable to those observed in children taking amphetamine for ADHD. Two to four weeks after cessation of amphetamine treatment, multiple markers of striatal DA function were decreased, including DA and DAT. In another group of animals (squirrel monkeys), d/l amphetamine blood concentration was titrated to clinically comparable levels for four weeks by administering varying doses of amphetamine by orogastric gavage. These animals also had decreased markers of striatal DA function assessed two weeks after cessation of amphetamine.
^Advokat C (July 2007). "Update on amphetamine neurotoxicity and its relevance to the treatment of ADHD". Journal of Attention Disorders. 11 (1): 8–16. doi:10.1177/1087054706295605. PMID17606768. Recently, however, new data from Ricaurte et al. (2005) indicate that primates may be much more susceptible than rats to AMPH-induced neurotoxicity. They examined the effect of the drug in adult baboons and squirrel monkeys, as clinically used to treat ADHD. In the first two studies, baboons were trained to orally selfadminister a mixture of AMPH salts (a 3:1 ratio of dextro [S(+)] and levo [R(-)] AMPH, which simulated a common formulation for ADHD treatment). AMPH was administered twice daily for approximately 4 weeks at escalating doses of 2.5 to 20 mg (0.67 to 1.00 mg/kg). During the second study, plasma AMPH concentrations were determined at the end of each week. In the third study, AMPH was administered by orogastric gavage to squirrel monkeys and doses were adjusted (to 0.58-0.68 mg/kg) so that for approximately the last 3 weeks plasma drug concentrations were comparable to those reported in clinical populations of children receiving chronic AMPH treatment—100 to 150 ng/ml (McGough et al., 2003). Measurements in all three investigations were taken 2 to 4 weeks after drug treatment. Results from the first two studies showed significant reductions in striatal dopamine concentration, dopamine transporter density, and vesicular monoamine transporter sites. Plasma AMPH concentration at the end of the 4 week treatment period was 168 ± 25 ng/ml. In squirrel monkeys, brain dopamine concentrations and vesicular transporter sites were also significantly reduced although dopamine transporter decreases were not statistically significant. These results raise obvious concerns about clinical drug treatment of ADHD, although extrapolation to human populations may be premature until possible species differences in mechanism of action, developmental variables, or metabolism are determined.
^Asser A, Taba P (2015). "Psychostimulants and movement disorders". Frontiers in Neurology. 6: 75. doi:10.3389/fneur.2015.00075. PMC4403511. PMID25941511. Amphetamine treatment similar to that used for ADHD has been demonstrated to produce brain dopaminergic neurotoxicity in primates, causing the damage of dopaminergic nerve endings in the striatum that may also occur in other disorders with long-term amphetamine treatment (57).
^Courtney KE, Ray LA (2016). "Clinical neuroscience of amphetamine-type stimulants". Clinical neuroscience of amphetamine-type stimulants: From basic science to treatment development. Progress in Brain Research. Vol. 223. pp. 295–310. doi:10.1016/bs.pbr.2015.07.010. ISBN978-0-444-63545-7. PMID26806782. Repeated exposure to moderate to high levels of methamphetamine has been related to neurotoxic effects on the dopaminergic and serotonergic systems, leading to potentially irreversible loss of nerve terminals and/or neuron cell bodies (Cho and Melega, 2002). Preclinical evidence suggests that d-amphetamine, even when administered at commonly prescribed therapeutic doses, also results in toxicity to brain dopaminergic axon terminals (Ricaurte et al., 2005).
^Berman SM, Kuczenski R, McCracken JT, London ED (February 2009). "Potential adverse effects of amphetamine treatment on brain and behavior: a review". Molecular Psychiatry. 14 (2): 123–142. doi:10.1038/mp.2008.90. PMC2670101. PMID18698321. Though the paradigm used by Ricaurte et al. 53 arguably still incorporates amphetamine exposure at a level above much clinical use,14,55 it raises important unanswered questions. Is there a threshold of amphetamine exposure above which persistent changes in the dopamine system are induced? [...]
^Ricaurte GA, Mechan AO, Yuan J, Hatzidimitriou G, Xie T, Mayne AH, et al. (October 2005). "Amphetamine treatment similar to that used in the treatment of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder damages dopaminergic nerve endings in the striatum of adult nonhuman primates". The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 315 (1): 91–98. doi:10.1124/jpet.105.087916. PMID16014752.
^Pessiglione M, Heerema R, Daunizeau J, Vinckier F (April 2023). "Origins and consequences of mood flexibility: a computational perspective". Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. 147: 105084. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105084. PMID36764635.
^Düzel E, Bunzeck N, Guitart-Masip M, Düzel S (April 2010). "NOvelty-related motivation of anticipation and exploration by dopamine (NOMAD): implications for healthy aging". Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. 34 (5): 660–669. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2009.08.006. PMID19715723.
^Rangel-Gomez M, Meeter M (January 2016). "Neurotransmitters and Novelty: A Systematic Review". Journal of Psychopharmacology. 30 (1): 3–12. doi:10.1177/0269881115612238. PMID26601905.
^Kalivas PW, Volkow ND (August 2005). "The neural basis of addiction: a pathology of motivation and choice". The American Journal of Psychiatry. 162 (8): 1403–1413. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.162.8.1403. PMID16055761.
^Badiani A, Robinson TE (September 2004). "Drug-induced neurobehavioral plasticity: the role of environmental context". Behavioural Pharmacology. 15 (5–6): 327–339. doi:10.1097/00008877-200409000-00004. PMID15343056.
^Smith ZR, Langberg JM (December 2018). "Review of the Evidence for Motivation Deficits in Youth with ADHD and Their Association with Functional Outcomes". Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev. 21 (4): 500–526. doi:10.1007/s10567-018-0268-3. PMID30141121.
^Brancati GE, Magnesa A, Acierno D, Carli M, De Rosa U, Froli A, et al. (August 2024). "Current nonstimulant medications for adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder". Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics. 24 (8): 743–759. doi:10.1080/14737175.2024.2370346. PMID38915262.
^Coghill D (2022). "The Benefits and Limitations of Stimulants in Treating ADHD". New Discoveries in the Behavioral Neuroscience of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences. Vol. 57. pp. 51–77. doi:10.1007/7854_2022_331. ISBN978-3-031-11801-2. PMID35503597.