Neural predictors of alcohol use and psychopathology symptoms in adolescents

Abstract

Adolescence is a period marked by increases in risk taking, sensation seeking, and emotion dysregulation. Neurobiological models of adolescent development propose that lagging development in brain regions associated with affect and behavior control compared to regions associated with reward and emotion processing may underlie these behavioral manifestations. Cross-sectional studies have identified several functional brain networks that may contribute to risk for substance use and psychopathology in adolescents. Determining brain structure measures that prospectively predict substance use and psychopathology could refine our understanding of the mechanisms that contribute to these problems, and lead to improved prevention efforts. Participants (N = 265) were healthy substance-naïve adolescents (ages 12–14) who underwent magnetic resonance imaging and then were followed annually for up to 13 years. Cortical thickness and surface area measures for three prefrontal regions (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, and orbitofrontal cortex) and three cortical regions from identified functional networks (anterior cingulate cortex, insular cortex, and parietal cortex) were used to predict subsequent binge drinking, externalizing symptoms, and internalizing symptoms. Thinner dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and inferior frontal cortex in early adolescence predicted more binge drinking and externalizing symptoms, respectively, in late adolescence (ps < .05). Having a family history of alcohol use disorder predicted more subsequent binge drinking and externalizing symptoms. Thinner parietal cortex, but not family history, predicted more subsequent internalizing symptoms (p < .05). This study emphasizes the temporal association between maturation of the salience, inhibition, and executive control networks in early adolescence and late adolescent behavior outcomes. Our findings indicate that developmental variations in these brain regions predate behavioral outcomes of substance use and psychopathology, and may therefore serve as prospective biomarkers of vulnerability.

Hunting for What Works: Adolescents in Addiction Treatment

“…DHEA plays a central role in cortical plasticity in prefrontal (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex [dlPFC]; anterior cingulate [ACC]), parietal (temporal parietal junction [TPJ]), and subcortical structures (amygdala; hippocampus) involved in memory and attention (Nguyen et al., , ). Subsequently, relevant to the adolescent treatment context, DHEA has cognition‐promoting functions during adolescent development, particularly in emotionally “hot” situations (Brumback et al., ; Nguyen et al., ).…”

Lower total and regional grey matter brain volumes in youth with perinatally-acquired HIV infection: Associations with HIV disease severity, substance use, and cognition

“…Previous studies have demonstrated that adolescents who are more likely to drink alcohol have thinner frontal cortices (Brumback et al, 2016; Silveri et al, 2016) and distributed regions in the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes (in prediction models that including neuroimaging data (Silveri et al, 2016; Squeglia et al, 2016). A larger study of PHIV youth in the PHACS AMP study found that substance use among PHIV youth may lead to greater risky behavior (Alperen et al, 2014).…”

Convergent neurobiological predictors of emergent psychopathology during adolescence

“…Furthermore, smaller volume or less gyrification in the orbitofrontal cortex at baseline predicts initiation of cannabis use over the course of 4 years (Cheetham et al, ), the emergence of substance use disorders over the course of 6 years (Cheetham et al, ), and increases in alcohol‐use related problems over the course of 2 years (Kuhn et al, ) during adolescence. However, other studies have not found significant associations between orbitofrontal morphometry at baseline and the initiation of alcohol use (Luciana, Collins, Muetzel, & Lim, ; Squeglia et al, ) or future episodes of binge drinking (Brumback et al, ). Taken together, these studies suggest that smaller volumes and thicknesses in frontolimbic regions predict future substance use.…”

“…Studies of baseline gray‐matter morphology have found that volume, thickness, and gyrification in frontolimbic regions predict the later initiation and escalation of substance use. In adolescents, thinner anterior cingulate and ventrolateral prefrontal cortices at a baseline were associated with heavy alcohol use 3‐years later (Squeglia et al, ), and thinner dorsolateral prefrontal cortex predicted more binge drinking up to 13 years later (Brumback et al, ). Another study found that smaller anterior cingulate volume and higher levels of negative affect in 12 year olds increased the odds of experiencing alcohol‐related problems 4 years later (Cheetham et al, ).…”