title: Elevated reward region responsivity predicts future substance use onset but not overweight/obesity onset.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We tested the hypotheses that adolescents who show elevated reward region responsivity are at increased risk for initial onset of overweight/obesity and substance use, which is important because there have been no such prospective tests of the reward surfeit model of these motivated behaviors.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred sixty-two adolescents (mean age = 15.3±1.06 years) with healthy weights (mean body mass index = 20.8±1.90) completed functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigms that assessed neural activation in response to receipt and anticipated receipt of palatable food and monetary reward; body fat and substance use were assessed at baseline and 1-year follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Elevated caudate (r = .31, p<.001) and putamen (r = .28, p<.001) response to monetary reward predicted substance use onset over 1-year follow-up, but reward circuitry responsivity did not predict future overweight/obesity onset. Adolescents who reported substance use versus abstinence at baseline also showed less caudate (r =-.31, p<.001) response to monetary reward.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results show that hyper-responsivity of reward circuitry increases risk for future substance use onset, providing novel support for the reward surfeit model. Results also imply that even a limited substance use history was associated with reduced reward region responsivity, extending results from studies that compared substance-dependent individuals with healthy control subjects and suggesting that substance use downregulates reward circuitry. However, aberrant reward region responsivity did not predict initial unhealthy weight gain.
authors: Oregon Research Institute, Eugene, Oregon, USA. estice@ori.org
authors: Eric
authors: E
authors: Stice
authors: Sonja
authors: S
authors: Yokum
authors: Kyle S
authors: KS
authors: Burger
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000503:physiopathology; D000293:Adolescent; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000503:physiopathology; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012201:Reward; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*