title: Neural activation during inhibition predicts initiation of substance use in adolescence.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Problems inhibiting non-adaptive behaviors have been linked to an increased risk for substance use and other risk taking behaviors in adolescence. This study examines the hypothesis that abnormalities in neural activation during inhibition in early adolescence may predict subsequent substance involvement.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty eight adolescents from local area middle schools, ages 12-14, with very limited histories of substance use, underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as they performed a go/no-go task of response inhibition and response selection. Adolescents and their parents were then followed annually with interviews covering substance use and other behaviors. Based on follow-up data, youth were classified as transitioning to heavy use of alcohol (TU; n=21), or as healthy controls (CON; n=17).
  
  
  RESULTS
  At baseline, prior to the onset of use, youth who later transitioned into heavy use of alcohol showed significantly less activation than those who went on to remain non to minimal users throughout adolescence. Activation reductions in TU at baseline were seen on no-go trials in 12 brain regions, including right inferior frontal gyrus, left dorsal and medial frontal areas, bilateral motor cortex, cingulate gyrus, left putamen, bilateral middle temporal gyri, and bilateral inferior parietal lobules (corrected p<.01, each cluster ≥32 contiguous voxels).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results support the hypothesis that less neural activity during response inhibition demands predicts future involvement with problem behaviors such as alcohol and other substance use.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Andria L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Norman
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pulido
authors.forename: Lindsay M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Squeglia
authors.forename: Andrea D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Spadoni
authors.forename: Martin P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Paulus
authors.forename: Susan F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Tapert
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology