When Emotion Takes the Wheel: Clinical Outcomes, Neurocognitive Correlates, and Treatment Frontiers of Emotion-Related Impulsivity

Sheri L. Johnson, Ph.D.

Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Director, CALM Program, University of California, Berkeley

Emotion-related impulsivity—the tendency to act rashly during intense affective states—serves as a potent transdiagnostic vulnerability factor across a broad spectrum of psychopathologies. It is robustly linked to severe clinical outcomes, including aggression, self-harm, and suicidality. This talk will define measures of emotion-related impulsivity, and then discuss these widespread clinical consequences before diving into its underlying neurocognitive correlates. By exploring how acute emotional states disrupt top-down cognitive control and decision-making circuits for those prone to this form of impulsivity, we will map the specific neural correlates that are candidate mechanisms for these high-risk behaviors. Finally, the presentation will pivot to translation, highlighting emerging paradigms and early evidence in treatment development through tailoring cognitive behavioral and cognitive remediation approaches to target these neurocognitive processes.