title: Neurobiological signatures associated with alcohol and drug use in the human adolescent brain.
abstract: Magnetic resonance (MR) techniques provide opportunities to non-invasively characterize neurobiological milestones of adolescent brain development. Juxtaposed to the critical finalization of brain development is initiation of alcohol and substance use, and increased frequency and quantity of use, patterns that can lead to abuse and addiction. This review provides a comprehensive overview of existing MR studies of adolescent alcohol and drug users. The most common alterations reported across substance used and MR modalities are in the frontal lobe (63% of published studies). This is not surprising, given that this is the last region to reach neurobiological adulthood. Comparatively, evidence is less consistent regarding alterations in regions that mature earlier (e.g., amygdala, hippocampus), however newer techniques now permit investigations beyond regional approaches that are uncovering network-level vulnerabilities. Regardless of whether neurobiological signatures exist prior to the initiation of use, this body of work provides important direction for ongoing prospective investigations of adolescent brain development, and the significant impact of alcohol and substance use on the brain during the second decade of life.
authors.affiliation: Neurodevelopmental Laboratory on Addictions and Mental Health, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA; McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: msilveri@mclean.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Marisa M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Silveri
authors.affiliation: Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, Hartford, CT, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Alecia D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Dager
authors.affiliation: Neurodevelopmental Laboratory on Addictions and Mental Health, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA; McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Julia E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Cohen-Gilbert
authors.affiliation: Neurodevelopmental Laboratory on Addictions and Mental Health, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA; McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Sneider
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001921:Brain; D000431:Ethanol; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs; D000431:Ethanol
keywords: Addiction; Adolescence; Alcohol; DTI; Development; Frontal lobe; Hippocampus; Impulsivity; MRI; MRS; Marijuana; Nicotine; Resting state; Reward sensitivity; Substance abuse; fMRI